AEW or WWE? Predicting When MJF Will Make His Next Appearance
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.
