The drama surrounding MJF and his relationship with All Elite Wrestling continued to dominate the wrestling rumor mill this week, with the added wrinkle of potential Hollywood interest.
The latest on The Salt of the Earth is not the only topic of discussion in this week's collection of rumors, though.
Joining the scarf-wearing bad guy are updates on Apollo Crews' status following what appeared to be a jump to NXT 2.0, a possible reason for Edge's divorce from The Judgment Day and the potential for more NXT releases in the near future.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select (h/t Eric Mutter of Wrestling Inc) reported that MJF met with Tony Khan prior to Rampage two nights before Double or Nothing.
The article did not state what was discussed, but The Salt of the Earth no-showed a scheduled meet-and-greet the day before the pay-per-view and did not attend the company's party with WarnerMedia/Discovery executives.
"MJF has had a growing interest in pursuing Hollywood opportunities. According to his friends, as well as other consistent Fightful sources, MJF has been speaking more about the possibility of getting into acting," the report noted, a new revelation and possible reason for him staying in Los Angeles instead of traveling home following the trip out west.
If there is even the slightest bit of truth to the Hollywood rumor, Khan's efforts to re-sign his star heel will become even more difficult. It was already going to be costly, with WWE sure to be interested in bringing in the 26-year-old.
If that war wasn't enough, throw in outside interest from Hollywood and the bidding war becomes that much more intense.
Given Khan's silence on all things MJF, there is likely some sort of fire to go along with the smoke of the last month or so regarding the heel's unhappiness with AEW.
The pipebomb promo he unleashed last week likely had considerable truth to it, but surely there was a general understanding of what was about to go down or he never would have been given the time he had on a live mic to discuss the man (and company) who pays him.
The situation is far from settled. MJF will still have suitors beyond AEW when his contract runs out in 2024...if the two parties can make it that long.
Apollo Crews returned to NXT Tuesday night, establishing himself as the next man in line to face Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship and teaming with Solo Sikoa in a tag team victory over Grayson Waller and Carmelo Hayes.
Mike Johnson of PWinsider.com reported that the 34-year-old has been moved to the roster along with his former bodyguard, Commander Azeez.
Crews was presented as a total babyface this week, dropping the Nigerian accent that had been a major part of his heel persona on the main roster and interacting with NXT's top young good guys.
It is a welcome change for a star who has been too good for too long to be wasted the way he has been on Raw and SmackDown. Moving him to NXT provides its locker room with a veteran presence that it has been missing. It also opens up opportunities for Crews to shine again.
Azeez's move is interesting because WWE officials love a big guy on the main roster, so to see him shipped to NXT could be indicative of management losing trust or interest in him. It could also mean the creative team has plans for him on Tuesdays rather than Raw or SmackDown.
One thing is for certain: Crews instantly felt like a bigger deal on NXT than he has since defeating Big E for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 37.
With the spotlight on Crews, expect him to become a key member of the NXT roster as both an in-ring worker and behind-the-scenes mentor to the future stars of WWE.
The Judgment Day's sudden and unexpected betrayal of Edge on Monday's Raw not only returned The Rated-R Superstar to the babyface side of things but it also introduced Finn Balor as a potential new leader of the faction.
The booking decision was not made in reaction to Cody Rhodes' injury, though, according to Sapp (h/t Manik Aftab of Ringside News):
"We're told that WWE had mentioned taking Judgment Day a 'supernatural' route, which Edge was said to have been opposed to. Word started to emerge in the afternoon hours ahead of WWE Raw that a big shift involving Finn Balor and Edge was set to happen."
One of the most notable elements of the faction has been how decidedly "unsupernatural" they were. Despite the backlight, brooding appearance and the darker Alter Bridge theme, they were rooted in reality.
They were a collection of disenfranchised Superstars calling out a system they wanted to tear down and then fix in their own vision. They were not vampires, occultists or anything else looking to unleash the evils of darkness on the company.
The idea that WWE wants to take things in a more supernatural direction is less than stellar. It also potentially damages the talent involved.
We have seen Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley's journey through NXT and WWE long enough to know there has never been that element to their persona before. Balor has unleashed his "Demon" character previously, but that has also been more about blending theatricality with the darker side of himself than any special powers.
To try to implement that now would be doing a disservice to three characters that have been fully immersed in WWE programming for some time. Suddenly discovering supernatural powers makes no sense and there would be few explanations that could make it any better.
If accurate, Edge was probably right to get himself far away from what had otherwise been a rather cool faction.
F4WOnline.com's Bryan Alvarez hinted at such during a recent appearance on the Bryan and Vinnie Show, when he said company officials are constantly evaluating talent and if they do not see marked improvement over the course of six months, that talent is gone.
He further hinted that some of the names who have been evaluated are "talent you know," insinuating there might be familiar faces caught up in the potential releases.
The NXT brand has undergone such significant changes since its relaunch as 2.0 that it's no wonder it has struggled to attract an audience. Stars the viewers do watch and invest in could conceivably be gone with no warning.
Look no further than Dakota Kai, Dexter Lumis, Harland and Persia Pirotta, all of whom had key roles on the show, only to be released from their contracts in shock moves in April.
That may benefit the developmental process and open spots for more stars of the future, but it is not conducive to convincing viewers to stick around and see what happens to the characters who had already been instrumental in high-profile stories and matches.
Imagine if you were watching Breaking Bad and Jesse just suddenly disappeared. It would take viewers by surprise and break the bond of trust between the show-runners and fans.
That is the position WWE should be wary of.
If the company needs reasons for stagnant ratings, the answer could lie in inconsistency, starting with the talent it haphazardly releases mid-storyline.
