MJF

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Becky Lynch Wants 'No Smoke' From Chris Jericho

On Monday's Raw, Becky Lynch used an interesting phrase to describe herself, calling herself a "wizard" for her ability to take away Bianca Belair's championship in the blink of an eye.

As you might know, Chris Jericho is currently calling himself "The Wizard" over on AEW. While Lynch's comment was more of a one-off than building a new nickname for herself, she made sure to clear up the air and make sure there was no beef with Jericho.

“I’m a magician. I made her title disappear in 26 seconds” - Becky Lynch, tonight.

I preferred that line.

No heat @IAmJericho https://t.co/5AzpuDepqd

— Rebecca Quin (@BeckyLynchWWE) May 31, 2022

Lynch's increasingly manic gimmick has been one of the best-running things on WWE programming since her loss to Belair at WrestleMania. Each week brings a new hairstyle, a new pair of sunglasses, a whole new wardrobe as The Man becomes increasingly frustrated with her inability to get back the gold.

Jericho is throwing fireballs in people's faces as part of a cosplay boyband and having blood-and-mustard-fueled matches.

Even if Lynch drops off the "wizard" line a couple times moving forward, there's more than enough room for these two different kinds of wildly entertaining wizards in professional wrestling.

For everyone's sake, let's hope they never change.

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AJ Styles, The Miz Slated for SmackDown Appearances

WWE's brand split has been only loosely in place for months now, so it's no surprise when we see so-called SmackDown superstars popping up on Raw and vice versa.

As far as the go-home SmackDown for this week's Hell in a Cell, it appears we'll be getting appearances from AJ Styles and The Miz, per PWInsider. It's unclear whether they'll be having a match or a promo segment.

The Miz is currently on a promotional jaunt ahead of the season premiere of Miz and Mrs. while bouncing around a number of other feuds to add fuel to the fire. He's not currently slated to have a match at Sunday's premium live event, though one could be set up Friday night.

Styles is set to team up with Finn Balor and Liv Morgan to take on The Judgment Day. Odds are that feud will be furthered when Styles makes his appearance at the house he built.

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MJF, AEW Relationship Update

Whew.

There's not really much else to say about the whirlwind of controversy surrounding MJF and AEW. MJF spent the entire weekend putting a scare into the wrestling world by not showing up to a meet-and-greet Saturday and scheduling a plane out of Las Vegas before eventually coming to the arena (late) and doing the job to Wardlow.

Tony Khan has refused to comment on the situation, and MJF's only public comments came via Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful that did little other than confirm we likely won't be seeing him for a while on AEW programming.

With the two eyes of the storm not giving out much information, all that's left is reporting sourced from people close to the situation. Sapp reported MJF and AEW management were set to speak before leaving Las Vegas, but no details on the contents of the meeting have been made available.

Following the departures of Sasha Banks and Naomi from WWE programming, this has been a time of talents making borderline unprecedented stands. In the case of Banks and Naomi, it's creative frustration. In the case of MJF, it's apparently long-simmering frustration with his contractual situation.

AEW and WWE have also handled these matters far differently. AEW's kept itself quiet, while WWE went on the offensive and ripped Banks and Naomi as the talent stayed silent.

Your mileage may vary on both strategies, but we'll see which of the three winds up being back on our televisions first.

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Banks, Naomi Reportedly Suspended Without Pay by WWE

Former WWE women's tag team champions Sasha Banks and Naomi reportedly aren't being paid during their indefinite suspension from WWE.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc's Eric Mutter), it is possible Banks and Naomi could go "months or longer" without pay due to WWE's right to freeze their contracts.

Meltzer is unsure if WWE intends to do that, but if the company freezes their contracts, they might not be paid unless or until they return to WWE programming.

Two weeks ago, it was announced on SmackDown that WWE had suspended Banks and Naomi indefinitely for walking out during an episode of Raw. They were also stripped of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

Sasha and Naomi had been scheduled to compete in a six-pack challenge on Raw against Asuka, Becky Lynch, Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H., with the winner challenging Bianca Belair for the Raw Women's Championship at Hell in a Cell.

Since Banks and Naomi walked out, it was changed to a singles match between Asuka and Lynch, which Asuka won. Lynch was added to the title match last week, making it a Triple Threat at HIAC.

After Banks and Naomi decided to leave during Raw, WWE released a statement on the matter, scolding them for their actions:

Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out on tonight’s Raw after Banks had issues with “creative ideas pitched,” per @PWInsidercom

WWE issued a statement afterwards pic.twitter.com/c7PZc3K4KL

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) May 17, 2022

It was subsequently reported by Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News) that WWE's plan was for Naomi to win the six-pack challenge and face Belair at Hell in a Cell.

Sasha and Naomi reportedly questioned what that meant for the future of their tag team and expressed frustration, leading to them walking out when the booking wasn't changed.

Meltzer (h/t WrestlingInc's Matthew Wilkinson) subsequently reported that Naomi's WWE contract is set to expire "soon," and that she had been negotiating a new deal with WWE before walking out.

It was then reported by former WWE writer Kazeem Famuyide on The Ringer's Masked Man Show (h/t Mutter) that both Naomi and Banks will see their WWE contracts expire in two months, although Meltzer was unable to confirm Banks' contractual status.

Now, the suspension complicates things since it is unclear if WWE will opt to freeze their deals until they return to television.

      

MJF Reportedly Taken Off the Road by AEW

MJF reportedly won't be on AEW programming for the foreseeable future after a controversial weekend in Las Vegas for Double or Nothing.

According to PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, MJF will be absent "at least for the next several TV tapings," but it could be even longer.

MJF made headlines on Saturday when he did not show up for a meet and greet during AEW Fan Fest, which forced AEW to offer refunds. Per Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc's Kellie Haulotte), nobody from AEW could get in contact with MJF at the time and a source said they were "very unhappy about how it all played out."

Fightful also reported that a flight had been booked for MJF out of Las Vegas prior to Sunday's Double or Nothing pay-per-view, but MJF never got on the flight, as he showed up at the event.

MJF competed in the opening match, getting squashed by former associate Wardlow, who beat him with 10 powerbombs.

After the match, MJF was stretchered away as an apparent means of writing him off television for the time being.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported after the pay-per-view that MJF told him he "showed up shortly before his match, left right after, and has a lot to think about."

MJF has expressed frustration with his pay in multiple interviews, specifically mentioning that he doesn't like former WWE wrestlers coming to AEW and making more money than him.

The 25-year-old phenom has been open about becoming a free agent in January 2024 and isn't ruling out the possibility of leaving AEW for WWE if the money is right.

While some aspects of what happened over Double or Nothing weekend could have been MJF playing up to his heel character, there do seem to be legitimate issues between him and AEW that could lead to him leaving when he gets the opportunity.

      

Punk Responds to AEW Backstage Heat Speculation

Following his AEW World Championship win over "Hangman" Adam Page in the main event of Double or Nothing on Sunday, CM Punk shot down the notion that he isn't well-liked backstage in AEW.

During the post-show media scrum, Punk was asked about how he has meshed with the AEW locker room, and he responded:

"I've grown so wise in my old age that I'll do my best to be as diplomatic as I possibly can with this answer. If there are people backstage that don't like me, it's a minority. If anybody says that nobody wants me here, or nobody likes me, I'd like to say that nobodies don't like me, and nobodies don't want me here."

The question may have been in reference to something Page said in a promo leading up to Double or Nothing. Page claimed he was "defending All Elite Wrestling" from Punk, which caused speculation about Punk having some detractors in the locker room.

Ultimately, it may have just been part of the storyline, with Page as a Day 1 AEW star and Punk joining the company later as a former WWE star.

Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Andrew Ravens of WrestlingNews.com) furthered the speculation by suggesting there may have been some truth to what Page was saying, however.

Whatever the case, there is no denying Punk's star power and importance to AEW, which is why he was rewarded with a title win at Double or Nothing.

Now, the focus will shift toward whether AEW continues to book him as the company's top babyface or leans into the speculation about Punk's personality and potentially turns him heel at some point.

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Wardlow defeated MJF at All Elite Wrestling Double or Nothing on Sunday, freeing him of his contractual ties to MJF.

MJF did what he could to prolong the inevitable and even attempted to renegotiate a new deal with Wardlow in the middle of the ring. Ultimately, he couldn't avoid multiple powerbombs.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1531066034735788032

At one point, Wardlow placed his foot on MJF's chest for the pinfall but removed it before the referee could count to three. That allowed him to mete out even more punishment until he decided enough was enough.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1531066624459083776

In the end, Wardlow officially became All Elite:

It’s official! @RealWardlow is All Elite!#AEWDoN #AEWDoubleOrNothing pic.twitter.com/ltPPUjTCSE

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) May 30, 2022

AEW was seemingly building toward Wardlow vs. MJF for months and perhaps even years, and things finally came to a head Sunday in Las Vegas, as they clashed in arguably the most highly anticipated match on the card.

Until recently, Wardlow was MJF's bodyguard for the entirety of their run in AEW, and he was a key figure in MJF's success, interfering in his matches regularly.

Eventually, Wardlow grew tired of MJF's antics and the fact that he would degrade him whenever things didn't go perfectly.

That resulted in Wardlow costing MJF his dog collar match against CM Punk at Revolution, which in turn may have cost MJF a shot at the AEW World Championship, as Punk parlayed the win into a title opportunity.

In turn, MJF cost Wardlow by interfering in his TNT Championship match against Scorpio Sky, resulting in Sky successfully defending the title.

MJF subsequently claimed that he essentially owned Wardlow since Wardlow's contract was with him and not AEW. That led to MJF going to great lengths to make life miserable for Mr. Mayhem.

Wardlow made it clear that he wanted an opportunity to get his hands on MJF and also to get out of his contract, and MJF agreed as long as Wardlow could meet several conditions.

MJF forced Wardlow to face and beat monstrous competitors on a weekly basis, and he did precisely that by running through The Butcher, Lance Archer and W. Morrissey.

The second-to-last hoop Wardlow had to jump through was taking 10 lashes from MJF. Wardlow didn't sell them whatsoever, causing MJF to lose his cool and hit Wardlow with a low blow before lashing him over and over.

Finally, Wardlow had to beat Shawn Spears in a steel cage match on Dynamite with MJF as the special guest referee. After Spears accidentally hit MJF with a steel chair, Wardlow took advantage and pinned Spears.

That made their Double or Nothing match official, and with Wardlow beating his longtime boss, the path is now clear for him to sign an AEW contract independent of MJF.

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Latest on MJF-AEW Contract Talks

Contracts are increasingly becoming the biggest story in wrestling. Details of Roman Reigns' new deal with WWE made waves as he steps away from being a full-time performer, while MJF's ongoing public flirtation with free agency is likely working nerves in AEW.

Fightful Select reported MJF is currently leaning toward leaving AEW for WWE when his current contract expires in 2024 over frustrations with negotiations. 

MJF has been the crown jewel among the younger AEW talent, putting on some of the best feuds in the company's history and establishing himself as the sport's best promo. He reportedly wants to be compensated as one of the company's top stars, something Tony Khan is willing to do, per Fightful Select.

However, no actual formal talks between the two sides have taken place. Khan reportedly wants a long-term commitment from MJF in order to rip up his current contract; MJF is reportedly understanding that any new deal would have to come as part of an extension.

The two sides have plenty of time to work things out, with MJF still under contract until 2024. That said, AEW can't afford to miss out on keeping its most promising young star.

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Matt Hardy Names Tag Team Mount Rushmore

No surprise here: Matt Hardy believes he and his brother Jeff are among the greatest tag teams in history.

The AEW star named his tag team Mount Rushmore on the latest episode of his podcast, including the Hardys, The Road Warriors, The Dudley Boyz and Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard of the Four Horsemen.

“I think the first tag team, known as the most dominant tag team ever would have to be The Road Warriors,” Hardy said. “I would put them on there. I have a lot of love for Tully and Arn, I think they were very special.

“Here’s who I’m going to go with: The Road Warriors who are often looked at as the greatest tag team of all time, Tully and Arn because I just thought they were so dominant throughout their period with the Four Horsemen and they brought a very special technical style for heels that was unmatched. I feel like I have to go with The Dudleys as well because they’re so decorated and then just considering what we’re doing now here in AEW, I’m going to have to be biased and go with The Hardys.”

It's hard to find much to quibble with on Hardy's list. Edge & Christian, The Hart Foundation and the Rock 'n' Roll Express are among the teams that could feel a little left out, but you can see why Hardy would lean more toward his choices. Edge and Christian are better known for their singles runs at this point in their career; same goes for Bret Hart as part of the Hart Foundation. The Rock 'n' Roll Express did most of their legacy-defining work in the territory days. 

While the territory point could be made when discussing the Horsemen, you're not going to find many in the wrestling business who weren't massive Horsemen marks. 

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Malakai Black Discusses WWE Creative Frustrations

When it comes to departing WWE talent, there tends to be a pattern in their comments about their time with the company:

1. loving NXT
2. difficulties adjusting to main roster
3. creative disillusionment and departure 

While there are some exceptions to that rule, it does not appear Malakai is one of them. The AEW star heaped effusive praise on Triple H for his handling of his NXT character but admitted he was sometimes stuck in a creative rut after moving up to Raw and SmackDown. 

“The one thing I will say, I’ve always had this in my head where I felt that the room promos eventually ran it’s course, even [Paul] Heyman said that," Black said on the Universal Wrestling Podcast. "But Vince [McMahon] liked them very much and he never really wanted him to change very often and we were like ‘OK’ but we felt like we needed to…everything needs to evolve, ya know? I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ‘pick a fight’ line but again, I didn’t wanna be that guy, I was given something, so I tried to make it work but eventually when me and Heyman both felt like, OK it’s running it’s course and these promos are not completely connecting, it was intriguing but it never went anywhere. I felt like we were never able to like, see the evolved version, we would never see what was going to happen next because the whole world changed and what we were filming changed and the narrative changed and where I was placed in the program changed and all these things were happening.”

Black wrestled in WWE from 2016 until his surprising departure in 2021; he seems more creatively fulfilled since joining AEW. 

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Top WrestleMania 39 Matches Reportedly in Place

WrestleMania 39 is 11 months away, but WWE reportedly already has an idea of what it wants to do at the massive event.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton), WWE chairman Vince McMahon has plans in place for some of the top matches at WrestleMania 39.

WrestleMania 39 could be one of the biggest events in WWE history, as it will take place at the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

There are many big matches and moments that WWE could put on the card, including a match between Roman Reigns and The Rock, as well as Cody Rhodes possibly achieving his lifelong dream of becoming WWE champion.

WWE often catches flak for booking on a week-to-week basis and not having a long-term vision, but when it comes to WrestleMania, one can only assume that the company has plans in mind throughout the year.

That is especially true if WWE does want someone like The Rock to be part of the show. Since The Rock is one of the biggest and most successful movie stars in the world, he has to be locked in well ahead of time.

WWE hasn't given any indication that Reigns vs. The Rock is on for WrestleMania 39, but it is considered by most to be the biggest possible dream match WWE can do, so it is a safe bet that WWE would jump at the chance to make it happen.

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Money in the Bank Stipulation Reportedly Not Changing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaQf4Nc7DeE

Despite confusion regarding the stakes at this year's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, WWE reportedly isn't straying from the traditional format.

In a Money in the Bank preview that has aired multiple times since last weekend's WrestleMania Backlash event, Rhodes said that the winners of the men's and women's Money in the Bank ladder matches will earn the chance to main event WrestleMania.

Since its inception, the Money in the Bank ladder matches have earned a contract for a guaranteed title match that can be cashed in at any time.

According to Meltzer (h/t Middleton), many within WWE believe that will continue to be the case this year and that the wording in the commercial may have simply been a mistake.

A source within WWE also indicated to Meltzer that the top matches being considered for WrestleMania 39 are not expected to involve Money in the Bank winners.

It is possible that WWE accidentally conveyed a confusing message in the Money in the Bank commercial, but it is notable that it aired the commercial more than once rather than making any changes.

Winning Money in the Bank technically could mean that someone cashes in for a title shot in a big match at WrestleMania, but they aren't confined to doing so.

Since many seem to expect Rhodes to be in a world title match at WrestleMania, perhaps the plan is for him to win Money in the Bank and ultimately use it for that purpose.

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MJF Reportedly Considering Leaving AEW When Contract Expires

MJF is reportedly frustrated with AEW and may choose to leave the company when his contract expires.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Middleton), MJF is "leaning toward" departing AEW when his contract expires on Jan. 1, 2024. If that happens, WWE would be the only logical landing spot for the 26-year-old rising star.

MJF has been open about his impending free agency and his intention to test the market in interviews. Per Fightful, his desire to hear multiple offers is legitimate and not simply part of his heel persona.

It was also noted by Fightful that there was previously an issue between MJF and AEW president Tony Khan because of MJF doing an interview with Ariel Helwani without notifying AEW or asking for permission first.

MJF and Khan reportedly hashed things out during a meeting, but the "sentiment hasn't necessarily lasted" for MJF.

Another part of Fightful's report noted that MJF and AEW have had contract negotiations, but it isn't believed that the two sides are anywhere close to striking a deal.

One thing potentially working in WWE's favor when it comes to signing MJF is that he has links to the company.

WWE executive Bruce Prichard worked closely with MJF in MLW before MJF joined AEW. Also, MJF is close with Rhodes, who has been booked like a massive star since making the leap from AEW to WWE last month.

WWE undoubtedly has the money needed to compete with AEW to sign MJF, and now that it can present MJF with an example of an AEW guy being pushed to the top in WWE, it may be a highly attractive option for the remarkable talent.

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