Would WWE Even Want To Sign MJF After His Behavior At Double Or Nothing?
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In three years, Maxwell Jacob Friedman has cemented himself as one of the greatest storytellers in professional wrestling. MJF's character work is so brilliant that it often overshadows his remarkable in-ring skills. Friedman's dedication to kayfabe has left many fans wondering whether his recent Las Vegas antics were genuine or a work.
At Saturday's AEW Fan Fest, MJF no-showed to a meet and greet. The news upset fans and shook the wrestling world. Journalists scrambled for statements and updates while fans and analysts dissected the ramifications. Would MJF show up to his scheduled PPV match at Double Or Nothing?
Of course, MJF did show up. He did the job. He took the pin.
However, fans were fearful of another no-show, given recent events. MJF has publicly and continuously alluded to 2024 when his AEW contract expires. One can assume that AEW and WWE will commence a heated bidding war for the best heel in wrestling. But - one must ask if MJF's recent shenanigans hurt his chances of a big-money contract with WWE in the future.
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MJF Doesn't Stand In Line
Maxwell is displeased with his AEW contract; specifically, his payment compared to the other top stars in the company. Tony Khan is displeased that MJF participated in an interview with famed MMA journalist Ariel Helwani that was not approved by AEW's PR team. Maxwell failed to tell the press team that the interview was taking place. In the interview, MJF spoke candidly about being contacted by people in WWE, and he even spoke highly of Bruce Pritchard.
WWE has stricter policies than AEW regarding when and how their talent speaks. Furthermore, McMahon's company has a long and complicated history of trying to control wrestlers' social media pages. At times, they've also restricted their superstars from making money from outside sites like Twitch and OnlyFans.
RELATED: Scarlett Bordeaux & 10 Other Wrestlers With OnlyFans AccountsThis kind of control would suffocate personalities like MJF, who conducts himself (successfully) as a free spirit and generates a great deal of his heat from public appearances and social media posts.
No-Shows Are A No-No In WWE
On May 16th, two of WWE's biggest superstars walked out of a Monday Night Raw taping. Displeased with a slew of terrible creative decisions, Sasha Banks and Naomi left their tag team titles and went home. Since then, WWE has spent weeks publicly blaming, shaming, and burying the two women.
When MJF skipped his meet and greet on May 28th, he presented himself as unprofessional. Fans spent money to meet Friedman, and although AEW refunded their money, the disappointment still stung.
These are the kind of antics that don't sit well with WWE, or any company for that matter. When WWE talent attempt to stand up for themselves, they usually pay the price (even if they are in the right). Nobody is safe from public wrist-slapping. Not Naomi. Not Sasha Banks. Hell, not even Stone Cold Steve Austin. MJF would be no exception.
Would MJF's Creativity Be Allowed To Flourish In WWE?
His recent tiffs with management raised the question of whether MJF is easy to work with, a trait that WWE values immensely. Confrontations with management aside, the company may have issues with elements of MJF's presentation. Parts of what makes his character so great are his edgy promos, politically incorrect rhetoric, and his violent payoffs.
The over-scripted and censored writing of the shows doesn't feel like a great fit with MJF's style. While many have pointed to Cody Rhodes' solid start in the company, it's not a fair comparison. Rhodes' promos, great as they are, are far more vanilla than MJF's and fit perfectly into WWE's framework. Even in AEW, Cody worked the microphone with a more akin style to how WWE superstars deliver their promos, which may have attributed to why he was booed so vehemently in AEW.
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If MJF isn't allowed to be himself, he loses all sense of character and direction.
The talent of MJF is unmistakable and unmatched. Given his commitment to character, there's always the chance that the recent drama was a work. However, several respected journalists and reports believe that the Fan Fest no-show was very real. Hopefully, time will tell whether his antics over the Double Or Nothing weekend were an immature misstep or a stroke of artistic genius.
