MJF

A little lost in the polarizing buzz of an All Out headlining AEW championship feud between Jon Moxley and CM Punk are three little letters that cast a big shadow:

MJF.

The buzz, divisive as it might be, at least has managed to distract from the fact MJF has yet to return to the promotion. That’s arguably a little concerning considering Sunday night’s big event is one of the landmark shows on the AEW calendar and MJF is one of the best in the company and pro wrestling outright.

So does MJF come back? The man has been missing since he cut a line-blurring promo on AEW’s Tony Khan back in early June. Roughly two months later, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported MJF hasn’t been around at all.

One would think there is a very real chance this is all part of the plan. Punk, after taking the top title off “Hangman” Adam Page in his crowning moment, quickly suffered a foot injury. Moxley became the interim champion and the possible “Summer of Punk 2.0” spiraled down the drain.

Where this theory that this is all part of the plan stumbles is with the recent handling. AEW rushed a Punk-Moxley match on a regular episode of AEW Dynamite a few weeks before All Out. Punk “injured” his foot a few minutes in and Moxley picked up a dominant win. Punk, after a motivational pep talk from a pal, then secured the rematch for this Sunday on the go-home episode of Dynamite.

To say the build has been weird would be an understatement. One would think if Punk re-injured himself in a Wednesday night match where Moxley removed the “interim” tag from his reign, he wouldn’t be ready to go so soon again. But he tried to wave that off in an emotional promo when getting the rematch.

Messy, but there is an angle where MJF plays a part by being a shock return to mess with the main event. His returning to cost Punk a title in Chicago of all places would garner some heat, to say the very, very least. MJF-Punk, given their career parallels and interactions before the veteran’s injury, clearly seemed to be the direction everything was headed.

But it’s worth wondering if some of the chaos up and down the 14-match card, roughly half of which are title matches, is almost a distraction to draw attention away from the MJF situation.

After all, MJF himself has recently leaned into the idea he’s eyeing his 2024 contract expiration date. Fans don’t know all the behind-the-scenes workings of any wrestling company, but it doesn’t take much of a leap in logic to presume he might be miffed at the lack of headlining screentime after the arrival of so many ex-WWE guys when he’s supposedly one of the pillars of the company. And it doesn’t take a leap to understand WWE will undoubtedly have interest in a 26-year-old star like him who is already so great on the mic and in the ring, meaning a massive bidding war. And frankly, it doesn’t take a leap to wonder if he’d be better off in WWE-styled programming—just look at Cody Rhodes.

Barring something unexpected though, MJF’s 2024 contract expiration is a long, long way off and it’s hard to imagine all involved would just want him to sit out until that happens. AEW wants him and he wouldn’t want to flirt with getting rusty or having potential bidders on his services shying away, even slightly.

MJF, if nothing else, is an entertainer in the pro wrestling business. AEW, after some misfires here and there while WWE suddenly starts to thrive with Triple H as head of creative, needs a jolt amid serious competition. The marriage of the two ideas should end up meaning both sides come together to tell a great story that indeed weaves in some of this real-life drama and intrigue that already makes the stuff outside regular programming so compelling.

Punk’s initial injury screeched all of this to a halt. But for those reasons, it’s understandable if fans go into Sunday night hopeful MJF plays a role. There’s simply no better moment for all parties if MJF returns in Chicago and earns nuclear heat, smirk and scarf included for an unforgettable uptick in infamy.

With Triple H taking over the creative side of WWE and Tony Khan still fantasy booking some of the best pay-per-view cards in recent history for All Elite Wrestling, there has never been a better time to be a wrestling fan.

One way to shake up the landscape even more would be to organize a trade or two that would send top talent between the two companies to keep their products fresh.

When a talented performer on Raw or SmackDown runs out of things to do, Triple H should call Kahn and work out a swap deal for a top star on Dynamite or Rampage who is not embroiled in a marquee storyline.

Just like the old territory wrestling days, trades between AEW and WWE would create a buzz for both companies and bring more eyes to their products.

Charlotte Flair for ThunderStorm

One of the biggest possible trades would be WWE sending multi-time women’s world champion Charlotte Flair to AEW for the combination of Toni Storm and its current women’s titleholder, Thunder Rosa.

For WWE, losing The Queen would be a significant blow, as she is one of the Four Horsewomen who helped usher a new era for women’s wrestling in the company. While the loss would be tough to take, acquiring a name like Thunder Rosa and bringing back former NXT star Toni Storm in return would be a major coup.

AEW would lose two of its most important pieces, but the likes of Jade Cargill and Britt Baker are the true cornerstones of the division and adding Flair would give the whole division the shot of mainstream notoriety it needs.

Add in the fact that the switch will see The Queen on the road with her husband, Andrade El Idolo, and the deal would shake up the women’s divisions in both companies and generate legitimate excitement for new storylines.

MJF for The Mysterios

There is so much speculation surrounding the status of MJF and his contract with AEW, but if there is a legitimate gripe between management and one of the brightest young stars in the business, then it’s time to make a trade.

With WWE receiving two talents in the Flair-ThunderStrom deal, Khan should send MJF the other way in exchange for Dominik and Rey Mysterio.

For AEW, adding a bona fide star and veteran of the business such as The Master of the 619 would not only boost the number of eyes who watch the product, but it would also create a series of dream matches that could fill PPV cards for years to come.

The addition of Dominik ensures the company also has a future star on its roster. While he doesn’t have the cache of an MJF, the younger luchador could be a key player on Dynamite and Rampage for a long time.

MJF moving to WWE would be a monumental win for the company, as he would instantly be part of the main event scene on Raw or SmackDown.

Signing the 26-year-old to a long-term deal would put WWE in a great position for the rest of the decade.

Shinsuke Nakamura, Ricochet and Dolph Ziggler for Miro, Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti

If WWE and AEW really could work out a major trade, the best course of action for both companies would be to swap several underutilized Superstars in hopes of rejuvenating their careers in a new environment.

On the WWE side, Shinsuke Nakamura, Ricochet and Dolph Ziggler are three of the most reliable workers on the main roster, but none of them have been featured prominently enough to capitalize on their talents.

A move to Dynamite and Rampage would instantly generate new excitement around their characters and fresh opponents would revitalize their careers.

To acquire such a wide array of talent, AEW would have to give up a lot. First, Miro looks to be frustrated by his current place in the company, but Triple H could see the value in bring him back to capitalize on Rusev Day.

To sweeten the deal, adding Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti would give WWE young cornerstones to build around in the men’s and women’s divisions.

This is a huge trade with a lot of moving parts, but it's one that could bolster both rosters and breathe new life into several careers that need a shot of energy.

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MJF could be the inevitable centerpiece of pro wrestling's biggest bidding war between All Elite Wrestling and WWE despite his recent absence.

It also feels legitimate to ask which company he will ultimately choose. While it might sound outlandish now to even question that, it wasn't too long ago that the idea of Cody Rhodes going back to WWE was a non-starter in the eyes of most fans.

And is it worth asking which company he actually makes his next appearance with, too?

The longer MJF stays away from AEW right now, the more the question must arise, too. He and the company, presumably, blurred the lines with his apparent disgruntlement with AEW on June 1, and Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select recently reported that "MJF has effectively vanished from the wrestling scene."

Granted, that's exactly what should be leaked while MJF is away for whatever reason in order to keep fan interest in upcoming storylines and/or drum up hype for his eventual return.

But keep in mind that while this was going down, Sapp reported MJF is "frustrated with his contract situation and is leaning towards not re-signing with AEW." It's a simple leap in logic to see that the big-money arrivals of former WWE guys and a guaranteed interest from WWE itself would lead to this situation.

Rest assured, it's something MJF himself brought up in a tweet while blurring those lines.

On paper, it's easy to throw out the suggestion the 26-year-old will return with AEW soon enough, especially because it's worth considering whether CM Punk's injury threw a big old wrench in the plans for the young heel and things must remain in a holding pattern until that gets sorted out.

Punk had to drop the title and will now need to (inevitably?) earn it back before anything with MJF can really get going.

Granted, things weren't 100 percent sure to go that way. But AEW didn't shy away from letting MJF resemble something close to the Punk who threatened to leave WWE at one point.

A feud between the two didn't just have classic potential but was also maybe the absolute best way to create an iconic moment that crowns MJF as the top guy.

So if that's the planned course of action, everything grinds to a halt while Punk recovers. That's a major shame because the heat has since faded the farther removed we get from MJF's historic promo in which he called out AEW President Tony Khan.

But it's just not that simple, especially if onlookers can open up their minds a bit to the greater sporting world where the NBA has always been chaotically unpredictable with player movement and the NFL is getting there, too. Heck, even over in WWE, Roman Reigns is starting to work a reduced workrate before becoming a part-timer...while holding the promotion's top two titles.

So never say never, right?

Either way, WWE lurks in the background. It did before Vince McMahon stepped away, and it certainly does now with Triple H in charge of creative. If the encouraging signs we've seen already (the crowning of Liv Morgan, smart face, heel turns and personnel usage, etc.) continue and WWE truly morphs into something more modern, it's only going to look more appealing for a talent such as MJF.

What AEW held over WWE in the beginning was details like a reduced workrate, more room to shine and creative freedom, among others. But the scales seem to keep balancing out a bit.

The AEW roster currently feels a little bloated now and Triple H's rise may mean more creative freedom and modernized thinking to all things about the business. What WWE had over AEW—bigger outreach, even internationally, biggest stages, non-wrestling opportunities, etc.—still remains for a talent like MJF.

In the past, the big question was whether modern WWE would ruin MJF or whether he would even consider risking that ruining what might be a bigger contract and/or platform. That question fades by the week as we see WWE change.

It shouldn't be lost in the conversation that MJF has totally earned this, either. He's great in the ring, doesn't have an equal on the mic, and his character work is perfect as the modern heel. The fact that he's only 26 years old boggles the mind, seeing as most top guys don't reach that status until well into their 30s. Locking him down would be akin to swiping a Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson from their NFL teams after their rookie deal.

Of course, we can't fully know what's going on behind the scenes in companies that benefit themselves and fans greatly by blurring the lines. Maybe MJF has quietly already signed an extension. Or, maybe he's made it clear he isn't coming back. Who knows? That's part of the fun.

Also fun is the likelihood that, when it comes to prediction time, the safe route is projecting MJF to come back and hit the big notes for what remains of his current contract. Anything else might jeopardize his next deal, be it with AEW or WWE.

For now, AEW feels like the spot of MJF's next appearance. But in a business where Punk was thought to be gone for good and so much more, while he might return to AEW, it also might not be for long, especially as the pro wrestling landscape undergoes its second seismic shift since the company's formation.