All Elite Wrestling

Chris Jericho accused WWE head of creative Triple H of moving the goal posts when it comes to the discussion about AEW and NXT.

Triple H made headlines Friday when asked by BT Sport's Ariel Helwani whether NXT's evolution to its current "2.0" branding was related to AEW winning a Wednesday night television ratings battle:

Jericho responded on the Inside The Ropes podcast (via Olivia Quinlan of Wrestling Inc.) by pointing out Triple H's prior comments calling NXT its own brand alongside Raw and SmackDown rather than a developmental program.

"It's just changing the narrative and changing the history, which makes me laugh," Y2J said. "Because when it started, it was not developmental, it was a third brand and, 'It's not a sprint, it's a marathon,' and all the other bulls--t that they said."

Jericho, who's been one of the faces of AEW since becoming the promotion's inaugural world champion in 2019, didn't stop there.

"NXT sucks," he said. "It's not a good show. They know it. ... They probably were punished. That's probably why Triple H said those things, because he's angry that we beat them, and he probably is angry that we exist."

The former WWE Superstar concluded by saying they're worried about their own product more than any potential rivalry and then referenced AEW President Tony Khan.

"We don't care about WWE," Jericho said. "We care about building our fanbase and building our ratings. We will continue to exist, because I'll tell you this: My boss has a lot more money than his boss does. A lot more."

While Triple H's promotion to leading WWE's creative team following the retirement of Vince McMahon has drawn rave reviews, it's also caused renewed friction between the U.S.' top two wrestling companies.

Last month, Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported Khan held a talent meeting where he said AEW chief legal officer Megha Parekh sent an email to WWE executives Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan telling them "not to tamper" with AEW wrestlers under contract.

Jericho also referenced the tampering allegations on social media:

The recent developments suggest there's legitimate bad blood between the sides, which could make for an entertaining finish to the year in the wrestling world.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

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.

Questions about whether WWE tampered with wrestlers under contract with rival promotion All Elite Wrestling remain a focal point since Triple H took over as head of creative.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported Thursday (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) there were conversations with several members of the AEW roster.

"They sent a legal letter to WWE about contract tampering," Meltzer said. "Apparently, there's been people going like 'Who's the person?' Multiple people have been contacted by WWE. It's not like it's one person to pick a name. It's a few people."

WWE hasn't commented on the allegations, and it's unclear whether AEW is saying Triple H or another high-level executive was the one who sparked the alleged discussions.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported AEW president Tony Khan held a "very animated and impassioned" talent meeting before Wednesday's Dynamite broadcast in which he laid out ways the company is improving its environment.

Khan said during the meeting that AEW chief legal officer Megha Parekh sent a letter to WWE executives Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan warning them "not to tamper" with members of the AEW roster, per Johnson.

Chris Jericho, one of AEW's cornerstones, also hinted about tampering in a reply to a fan's question on Twitter about a possible WWE return:

Triple H (real name: Paul Levesque) returned to WWE in late July after taking time away to focus on his health following a cardiac event last September.

The longtime wrestler was elevated to the head of creative following the retirement of Vince McMahon less than a week later.

Triple H moving into control of the programming has led to several high-profile returns, with Johnny Gargano being the latest to rejoin the company when he made a surprise entrance Monday night on Raw.

Bleacher Report's Erik Beaston explored how WWE has taken control of the wrestling free-agent market since "The Game's" elevation to the lead role, and he noted Bray Wyatt will be the next bellwether in helping determine which promotion holds the edge.

"Triple H, with his willingness to allow creative freedom while keeping things more grounded than the grandiose sports-entertainment visions of McMahon, seems just the guy someone like Wyatt would want to work for," Beaston wrote.

That said, free-agent signings are one thing and trying to attract talent under contract elsewhere is another, and AEW appears frustrated with the alleged behind-the-scenes dealings.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).