10 Most Fascinating Unanswered Questions In Wrestling
5. To What Extent Was The MJF Situation A Shoot?
According to a May report from the reliable Wade Keller of PWTorch, MJF under the terms of his old deal was paid significantly less than many people contracted to AEW.
He signed under improved terms in early 2020, after which he emerged as the most compelling week-to-week storyteller in the company not associated with the Elite. This however predated the arrivals of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole, who were signed to extortionate deals. They arrived as megastars, but MJF had become one, which affected his morale. MJF's feud with CM Punk drove the success of Revolution 2022 far more than Cole's title programme with Hangman Page. This was enough to unsettle MJF, and to compound things, Mark Henry purportedly earned more. His Rampage cameo is or was a fun meme, but MJF is the best all-rounder in the game.
All of which is to state that he was well within his rights to be pissed - but when exactly did his stance soften?
The reputable Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful remains adamant that the situation that unfolded amid Double Or Nothing weekend was not an elaborate omni-work. People close to MJF were legitimately concerned for his wellbeing.
Nobody is doubting the legitimacy of Sapp's reporting - his record is pristine, and he'd be the first to acknowledge any potential slip - but it's very interesting that Tony Khan made a point of revealing, more than once, that high-ranking executives would be present at the Dynamite tapings on which MJF called him a "f*cking mark". It's convenient, no, that MJF embarrassed him on this particular night?
MJF performs in character at all times, so it's unlikely we'll ever receive an answer to this question.
The next entry, however...