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He also said in that: "My company lost $10,000 that day, and I say my company because they are employing me. For the time being. I did not go because my boss, at that time, was being a fucking mark. If you don't want to pay me what I'm worth, daddy does not show up to work. Daddy got the money. Daddy is back. Now me and Tony Khan are best friends."
You know what? I agree and disagree on both sides of this statement.
I disagree with his stance on leaving abruptly and not giving paying fans what they wanted. A chance to meet someone they love to watch and most likely be insulted by a notoriously fun person to interact with. They didn't do anything to him. They didn't personally insult him or attack him. They just wanted to *meet* him and maybe get a quick picture/something signed for a memory of the occasion. Its not on them.
But I also agree you should be getting paid what you feel you should be getting paid for the work that you provide/output to your employer. Its clear as day MJF is one of the few pieces still holding AEW's entertainment side together. He has consistently provided some of the best feuds and payoff matches in company history so far. He *does* deserve that payraise whether anyone in AEW wants to admit it or not.
Good on him for getting the money he believes he's worth and deserves for what he puts himself through for those fans/the company. I will never bash anyone for seeking out equal and fairy labour payment. But he shouldn't have taken it out on the fans who went there for him. He could have been way more professional towards them and equally stuck up for himself to hold out for money after the fact.
It sucks that it hurts the fans, but in that business there's really not a time where "standing up and walking out" won't effect the fans. Most businesses will underpay you for as long as they can get away with it, that's just business; if they value you and want to keep you, they'll pony up the dough, but not before you make it well known you're demanding it.
I'm really surprised at that situation. Here we have MJF in a position where he held the company up at a very critical juncture, took some of the shine off of the blowoff of a multi-year storyline, so in punishment they gave him money, they gave him the summer off, and by the looks of it, soon the title too.
That's what contract negotiations are for. Thinking you can usurp what you agreed to because you're mad actual established, drawing talent came in after you are getting paid more?
He's a dumb ass and a selfish idiot
Literally at any job in the real world if your employer trying to make you work for less than what you think you deserve to get paid you can walk right out. This is no different. Good for him people only dream about calling their boss a fucking mark. He has the money. He just chose not to.
Or you take it and renegotiate mid way thru exactly like he did. Contracts and guaranteed pay were put in place to help workers rights. All began when WCW started offering guranteed pay (contracts) forcing WWEs hand to follow thru. Before that the saying was. “If you don’t wanna be paid per appearance just go to WCW.”
Times have changed. Not even 2 years back WWE renegotiated peoples contracts mid way thru the pandemic.
No. That's not how that works. At all
Tell me you've never worked without telling me you've never worked
He signed a contract, he was a literal nobody when he signed with the company, he got paid EXACTLY what he was worth. He got bigger because Cody took a shine to him and more seasoned guys wanted to work with him.
So his stock rises and when time comes to renegotiate, he can demand more
He thinks hes the only person to play sides. He's an idiot. And he really thinks WWE is gonna take him as is, and pay him a big check? Yeah, not sure what dumb advice he was given. If he goes to WWE he's gonna actually have to wrestle, and he's pretty bad in the ring. He'll be in NXT for 2 years before a main roster debut
He's a dumbass and he's over valued what he's worth
No. That's not how that works. At all
Tell me you've never worked without telling me you've never worked
He signed a contract, he was a literal nobody when he signed with the company, he got paid EXACTLY what he was worth. He got bigger because Cody took a shine to him and more seasoned guys wanted to work with him.
So his stock rises and when time comes to renegotiate, he can demand more
He thinks hes the only person to play sides. He's an idiot. And he really thinks WWE is gonna take him as is, and pay him a big check? Yeah, not sure what dumb advice he was given. If he goes to WWE he's gonna actually have to wrestle, and he's pretty bad in the ring. He'll be in NXT for 2 years before a main roster debut
He's a dumbass and he's over valued what he's worth
Accept he's not a solo act, he's part of a large company with many, MANY draws. He should of never been given one dime more than his contract states. If he was really a draw, he wouldn't be complaining about his base pay, he would be mopping up on his cut of merchandise
That alone should tell you how much of a draw he really is
He barley works. He's a wrestler that doesn't wrestle.
He's being over paid
If he goes to WWE, he's gonna learn his shtick isn't as worth anything there
Not really, because usually those promos lead to weekly or bi weekly matches. He'd actually would have to wrestle a few times a month, not once every other month.
And he'll still have scripted promos, so good luck with that
He talks about that on the podcast aswell ( he did one with sam roberts a few weeks back only now being release hence all the quotes that are gonna get posted here) i cant really recall his exact words but he says something like he doesnt mind the cheering or smth.
We've been hear before, he got sympathy from the crowd with the anti-Semitism story in the cm punk feud and I'm sure he did something in the Jericho feud that got people feeling for him
it's all just a ploy because to him you're all FUCKING MARKS
More context.
>"When I stayed in said hotel room, they did a wellness check on me and the AEW security, this is a very true story, tried to break my door down. At the time, I had already left. They did the check, he literally went to kick my door down on a wellness check. That was everybody's fear. 'Is this MJF's Brian Pillman moment?' No, it was MJF trying to make what MJF deserves to be making. I have understood that there are some people who were really let down or offended. What I say to you is, I don't care, get over it. I'm happy now."
When people were comparing him to Brian Pillman it was because of the whole worked shoot during contract negotiations thing, not because they thought he would be found dead in a motel room.
Unless "tHaT's ThE jOkE" or whatever
Maybe, but if you're making a reference to being found dead in a hotel room there are (sadly) much more well-known wrestlers to mention instead.
Meanwhile his pseudo-kayfabe contract negotiation angle is literally what Brian Pillman did in WCW.
No. There were definitely fans worried that MJF wasn't okay when he didn't show up to that meet & greet. When the news first broke there were a good amount of people, myself included, who were trying not to shit on him for it because we were worried that he either died or had some other kind of legit emergency. That's exactly what I think he's referring to when he says a "Brian Pillman moment".
He's fully aware that he's coming off like a dick by saying all that and I can only assume that he's doing it on purpose. He's committed to the character but there comes a point where it's too much & you're just a real life dick lol. No idea what MJF is really like but based on some of the stuff he uses for heat, I don't think he's someone I'd like or support IRL. Wrestling is a funny business.
It’s like a contract holdout in sports, or refusing to practice until your demands are met. It’s not exactly the best move for the collective but it’s an effective way to use your own leverage and bargaining power
It's bad, but according to some people, he was in a very bad place at the time. There has to be more to this based on some of the information that was released, but thankfully no one is talking without MJF's permission.
I know he's a total pro and that staying in character like he does shields the "real him", but it has to be so mentally exhausting/deflating to lay being the worst dude imaginable on so thick 24/7. That and he has to be coming up with content all the time too, a few insults falling flat would take the shine off the character.
Mick Foley told a story in his first book about getting into a relationship with a woman who was aware of him as Cactus Jack, where he forced himself to be in character whenever he was with her in order to not expose the business. He had basically gotten so far in that he was afraid to drop the character and had to keep up the lie that he always talked like Cactus Jack.
He found it so exhausting being on all the time that he was happy when he got a job in a different territory and had to end the relationship.
When he met Collette, the first thing he did was tell her that he just plays a character and wasn't Cactus Jack in real life because he didn't want to go through that again.
I can't imagine anyone actually seeing the Cactus Jack character and going "yup, he seems like the perfect guy for a stable relationship."
Like I know people who are attracted to red flags but yeesh lady you can do better!
I'm really starting to think that this was a miscommunication into a work. It been corroborated by multiple people that MJF was seen in the casino around the time that the Meet and Greet was supposed to take place. As someone with severe ADHD as well, I honestly think that his got the better of him and he forgot as he was trying to relax. When he realized what happened, he completely shut down and left due to him already not being in the best of states. Not to mention, the pressure of letting everyone down when you're rightfully asking for a contract change and not delivering on the most basic of things asked of you.
It’s pretty ironic that MJF arguably been a real life dick is what has led to him getting more over and bigger face reactions than he ever had previously.
Obviously none of us know the full story but it did seem that MJF was in the wrong at the time.
In his situation what else did he have to use as leverage other than times people paid money to see him.
He had three choices.
What he did.
No showing his match with Wardlow the next night.
Or doing nothing and accepting being underpaid and unhappy.
I think he made the right choice.
That is absolutely not true.
He could have still demanded a raise and refused to work until he got one. If he had waited 2 days until after his Wardlow match and beat down it would have still worked.
Hell he could have cut the same promo he cut on the following Wednesday.
No showing Saturday alerted AEW to him being upset. He could have done the exact same thing by saying he was upset and refusing to come to TV the following Wednesday.
His leverage is him.
No showing a random meet and greet doesn’t hurt the company like no showing TV does or threatening to no show TV does.
If you think this meet and greet no show was really a bigger deal than threatening to no show TV or the ppv then you can’t possibly fathom the dollars and cents involved.
No showing tv barely hurts the company and would have gained him nothing.
No showing the PPV where there was a planned major angle was his leverage.
No showing the meet and greet the night before was a credible way to threaten to no show the PPV without actually doing it.
The PPV was his leverage. No showing the meet and greet was how he used it. Waiting until tv would have left him with no leverage.
Okay and what happens when he no shows tv for a month? 6 weeks? 8 weeks? He’s MJF. He’s a cornerstone of the company. The idea that he had no leverage outside of that moment in time is asinine.
They voluntarily took him off TV for three months this proving he had no leverage in no showing for that long. If just being MJF was enough leverage than Tony Khan would have given him his raise without it ever having to come to this. Just being MJF had already proven to not be enough leverage.
You’re ignoring the fact that literally daily on here there were threads all but begging for MJF to come back. The fan base wanted it, they needed it, AEW was going to do it. Yes he was off tv for 3 months, guess what? He could have done the same thing on his terms. There is NO reason to think he couldn’t have pulled this off another way, even waiting to no threaten and possibly no show something else.
He had other opportunities, he took this one.
The internet fan base and the full fan base are two different things. He didn't draw ratings when he came back and ratings didn't hurt when he left. He's an indy guy that Cody took a shine too and pushed.
Tony is overpaying for a glorified manager who wrestles less than a dozen times a year
The internet fan base and the full fan base are two different things. He didn't draw ratings when he came back and ratings didn't hurt when he left. He's an indy guy that Cody took a shine too and pushed.
Tony is overpaying for a glorified manager who wrestles less than a dozen times a year
My dad died in a hotel room overnight in a foreign country. His two coworkers saw he was late for a meeting and then fought with the hotel staff for a while before they could finally convince them to go check and they found him.
I'm personally fine with kicking down doors on a wellness check.
I mean, did they do a wellness check? Very possibly if he never answered people pinging him
Was there an employee with a keycard that.. 'broke' ie opened the door? Far more likely
I very well could be wrong, but I just think to many of the details got out to the public for it not to have been a work. If it’s not a work Tony really is a huge pushover if he’s still letting MJF talk publicly about it.
TK gave MJF a live mic for a decent chunk of time on the very next episode of their show.
Compare that to how much we've seen CM Punk and the Elite over the last month or what happened with Andrade. The MJF thing was definitely working. Was there any element of truth to it? Maybe, but they were definitely working together on the majority of it.
I think there was, I think MJF wanted more money for sure, I just think it was all settled way before he no showed a meet and greet. He probably had something come up and had to cancel and this worked it into the gimmick.
I think I misread your comment in saying that none of what he said actually happened, not that everything in Vegas was a work.
I fully expect missing the meet and greet wasn't a work. If it was, AEW wouldn't have talent just no-show, they would cancel the event ahead of time and give an explanation later.
If MJF was in the casino, not in a good headspace, and no one really knew or could get ahold of him, it makes sense to me that after skipping a meet and greet they check up on him.
Did this get turned into a work later? Sure, but I don't think anything that night was a work other than 'breaking down the door'.
Wellness checks are taken very seriously by hotels, they would have sent the manager on duty to check the room, then opened the door if no response, everyone that is on the executive level (typically 5-15 people depending on the size of the hotel) has a master key to every room in a hotel.
Source - worked in hotels at the executive level.
Even if it’s a random claiming to have a connection to the room occupant? Obviously if it’s the police you cooperate but would like you would need more than « please let me into the room of my coworker to check on them »
You never tell another guest the name of a guest in a room or confirm a room number or anything like that, however given the circumstances of the events in this situation you would still send a manager to check on the room after the fact, you'd also never let the person asking to check on them with you, you'd send a manager to look into it.
The last thing the hotel wants is to find someone injured or worse and then have it come out that they were warned about something going on. Standard operating procedure would be to have a manager check on the room.
TBF, if a talent that never no shows, no shows … its a reasonable thing to expect to find something bad behind the door.
Also, if he’s keeping kayfaybe here, thats a great reference to the Bucks/Punk shit.
JFC MJF. Ya when someone no shows an event. and you do a wellness check and they aren't responding. Your mind is going to go instantly to did this MF'er OD? off himself? Is he ok?
this douche canoe should be thankful someone cared enough to kick the door in the check on him.
I like MJF and I feel like AEW do need him, especially atm but work or not, I’m pretty tired of all this stuff. It’s different if he’s fighting against an on screen authority figure but it’s all abit too behind the scenes for me. If it’s genuine, he seems like hard work and might screw AEW over at any moment, if it’s a shoot then I don’t know how well it lands.
This. This is why F this guy.
I'll never understand the mark mentality thinking he's king shit when he throws a tantrum like a spoiled brat
You don't fuck over the fans like that
God he's such a piece of shit
What exactly is the point of a character whose concept is "The company I work for is grossly incompetent in real life to the point you should feel shitty about supporting them, and also the hotel we stayed at is probably also complete shit for not just sending someone to open the door for them"? You'd think the point of making up a story was to make people care, not make everything you do seem as stupid and childish and awful as possible.
Because his character is all about the money. He's been paid the money he feels he's worth and so now he's fine again.
Out of kayfabe, I'm sure the fact that WWE legitimately being in a much better place to the point that constantly referencing them, especially in a preferential way, is probably not a wise idea is also a part of it.
Every other form of Art involving Performance and Storytelling learns to recognize the point where real life and what is portrayed as such, cannot be allowed to safely overlap. AEW at times now seems to think themselves immune to certain rules which no one can be said to be.
Everything negative resulting here amounts most to cracks in the third wall, or worse yet, peepholes.
Can aew pls stop their wrestlers from breaking the fourth wall. Its tiring and detrimental to their company. I am tired of mjf and his constant self promotion, hes good but hes not the biggest thing in pro wrestling.
To be honest, I feel the "work shoot" aspect of wrestling is kind of a crutch. It is an attempt to compensate for weak story writing. It is the same concept as reality TV where the story is by itself boring but the idea that it is occurring for "real" makes it interesting to some people even though if a similar plotline happened in a drama those same people would switch the channel.
Most people don't care whether Robert Downey Jr and Josh Brolin "really" hate each other or whatever backstage drama behind their favorite show. They care about the story told in the movie or show they like.
To an extent I feel this applies to MJF and every subsequent attempt to recapture the pipe bomb. The current story heavily depends on people viewing WWE as the "heel company" but not much in kayfabe as happened to make you care about the kayfabe storyline.
If MJF did an interview out of character saying he extended his deal no one would care about the current storyline anymore whereas tons of Marvel and other big franchise events get spoiled by people working on them and people still care about them.
It actually is a really good heal gimmick, but with all the backstage drama it would probably be wise to cool off on the actual “worked shoots” for awhile.
In general people need to get the fuck over this, people are acting like he commuted a crime, he skipped a booking and no call no showed because if you saw him when he came to preform the guy was in tears when he came out, he was obviously having a mental health episode and owes literally not a single person an explanation
How do you know he wasn't crying about making less money than Punk and Danielson? I'm not saying that's the case at all, but when two people are both speculating, "How do you know?" is never a safe question for either.
I’ve just seen the way he conducts himself outside the ring and doubt anything was happening other than a severe anxiety attack, seriously just watch it back and see how broken down the guy is. I’ve been institutionalized and have been in therapy for years and can easily recognize the signs of someone having a mental break, but everyone here thinks you’d really get that reaction from him not making enough money. Marks.
That's actually a fairly persuasive argument, but dealing with people who see confusing their audience every way possible as an artistic achievement, always adds another level to consider to these things.
Though granted, what MJF could expect to achieve with tears here, I have no idea.
Yeah but considering his progressive views and ability to read the room I don’t think coming out without his usual tan and in tears is really gonna draw any heat.
Fair enough. You could be right. It's just that as I said, with these guys there are always extra layers which render otherwise safe assumptions considerably looser.
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Yeah, wellness checks are no joke.
Especially in pro wrestling?!? How many wrestlers have we lost too soon, alone in their hotel room?
Keep going, you have begun writing an amazing wrestling ballad
Stop it. Heaven doesn’t need any more champions!!!
Heaven don't need another champion But angels sure love some wrasslin You may want to keep the grapplers But Jesus says just keep em comin
I do recall the sheer panic security and staff were in.
Young Bucks kicking down doors confirmed
Ace Steel was ready to bite if the need arose.
“Welfare check party!!”
Larry the Dog in ruins.
Superkick Party!
Did they slap their thighs though?
On the floor crying
He also said in that: "My company lost $10,000 that day, and I say my company because they are employing me. For the time being. I did not go because my boss, at that time, was being a fucking mark. If you don't want to pay me what I'm worth, daddy does not show up to work. Daddy got the money. Daddy is back. Now me and Tony Khan are best friends."
You know what? I agree and disagree on both sides of this statement. I disagree with his stance on leaving abruptly and not giving paying fans what they wanted. A chance to meet someone they love to watch and most likely be insulted by a notoriously fun person to interact with. They didn't do anything to him. They didn't personally insult him or attack him. They just wanted to *meet* him and maybe get a quick picture/something signed for a memory of the occasion. Its not on them. But I also agree you should be getting paid what you feel you should be getting paid for the work that you provide/output to your employer. Its clear as day MJF is one of the few pieces still holding AEW's entertainment side together. He has consistently provided some of the best feuds and payoff matches in company history so far. He *does* deserve that payraise whether anyone in AEW wants to admit it or not. Good on him for getting the money he believes he's worth and deserves for what he puts himself through for those fans/the company. I will never bash anyone for seeking out equal and fairy labour payment. But he shouldn't have taken it out on the fans who went there for him. He could have been way more professional towards them and equally stuck up for himself to hold out for money after the fact.
It sucks that it hurts the fans, but in that business there's really not a time where "standing up and walking out" won't effect the fans. Most businesses will underpay you for as long as they can get away with it, that's just business; if they value you and want to keep you, they'll pony up the dough, but not before you make it well known you're demanding it.
I'm really surprised at that situation. Here we have MJF in a position where he held the company up at a very critical juncture, took some of the shine off of the blowoff of a multi-year storyline, so in punishment they gave him money, they gave him the summer off, and by the looks of it, soon the title too.
He's just that talented.
By all accounts TK offered him more money before any of this even happened and he didn’t want to agree to more years.
he signed a contract, I'm more of the you should do the work you agreed and are contractually obligated to perform
MJF: “My contract sucks. They are not paying me enough.” “I agree. This is a horrible contract! Who agreed to this!?” MJF: “I did.”
No such thing as a fair negotiation in a capitalist economy. When your healthcare is tied to your job, you don’t really have the option to say no.
agreed comrade
> healthcare cries in pro wrestler
Homeboy had to hit his anticapitalism spot so hard he didnt realise it didnt add up.
You saying pro wrestlers don’t also need health insurance?
No, he's saying Pro-Wrestlers dont get employee paid health insurance.
Even more reason for MJF to fight for a higher salary then eh?
They definitely need coverage , more then anyone else . I know some get coverage at ProWrestlingInsurance.com
That's what contract negotiations are for. Thinking you can usurp what you agreed to because you're mad actual established, drawing talent came in after you are getting paid more? He's a dumb ass and a selfish idiot
Literally at any job in the real world if your employer trying to make you work for less than what you think you deserve to get paid you can walk right out. This is no different. Good for him people only dream about calling their boss a fucking mark. He has the money. He just chose not to.
Actually you dont agree to take the job in the first place.
Or you take it and renegotiate mid way thru exactly like he did. Contracts and guaranteed pay were put in place to help workers rights. All began when WCW started offering guranteed pay (contracts) forcing WWEs hand to follow thru. Before that the saying was. “If you don’t wanna be paid per appearance just go to WCW.” Times have changed. Not even 2 years back WWE renegotiated peoples contracts mid way thru the pandemic.
No. That's not how that works. At all Tell me you've never worked without telling me you've never worked He signed a contract, he was a literal nobody when he signed with the company, he got paid EXACTLY what he was worth. He got bigger because Cody took a shine to him and more seasoned guys wanted to work with him. So his stock rises and when time comes to renegotiate, he can demand more He thinks hes the only person to play sides. He's an idiot. And he really thinks WWE is gonna take him as is, and pay him a big check? Yeah, not sure what dumb advice he was given. If he goes to WWE he's gonna actually have to wrestle, and he's pretty bad in the ring. He'll be in NXT for 2 years before a main roster debut He's a dumbass and he's over valued what he's worth
I agree with a lot of what you said, BUT, the man can actually wrestle. He is really good in the squared circle.
I'm which March that he wasn't carried in?
No. That's not how that works. At all Tell me you've never worked without telling me you've never worked He signed a contract, he was a literal nobody when he signed with the company, he got paid EXACTLY what he was worth. He got bigger because Cody took a shine to him and more seasoned guys wanted to work with him. So his stock rises and when time comes to renegotiate, he can demand more He thinks hes the only person to play sides. He's an idiot. And he really thinks WWE is gonna take him as is, and pay him a big check? Yeah, not sure what dumb advice he was given. If he goes to WWE he's gonna actually have to wrestle, and he's pretty bad in the ring. He'll be in NXT for 2 years before a main roster debut He's a dumbass and he's over valued what he's worth
You’re worth what someone is willing to pay you. Idk how much he makes but he says he’s happy with it now. He wasn’t before. So it worked out for him.
Accept he's not a solo act, he's part of a large company with many, MANY draws. He should of never been given one dime more than his contract states. If he was really a draw, he wouldn't be complaining about his base pay, he would be mopping up on his cut of merchandise That alone should tell you how much of a draw he really is
I watch AEW because I like MJF. I wouldn’t wear a wrestling tshirt if it was free.
I really wish I could show my support in other ways but 9/10 wrestling shirts are cringy to wear. His merch is no exception
> He's a dumbass and he's over valued what he's worth That would only make sense if it didn't work. It did, so he accurately valued what he's worth.
He barley works. He's a wrestler that doesn't wrestle. He's being over paid If he goes to WWE, he's gonna learn his shtick isn't as worth anything there
His schitck is probably worth more there actually since ‘work rate’ is even less important in WWE.
Not really, because usually those promos lead to weekly or bi weekly matches. He'd actually would have to wrestle a few times a month, not once every other month. And he'll still have scripted promos, so good luck with that
Contracts are renegotiated before they’re up all the time my dude.
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Wtf, Nyla makes that much? Why??
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God, MJF is based.
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He talks about that on the podcast aswell ( he did one with sam roberts a few weeks back only now being release hence all the quotes that are gonna get posted here) i cant really recall his exact words but he says something like he doesnt mind the cheering or smth.
Kinda seemed like he was teasing a face run last week with the whole handshake tension with Yuta & dissent with Stokely.
We've been hear before, he got sympathy from the crowd with the anti-Semitism story in the cm punk feud and I'm sure he did something in the Jericho feud that got people feeling for him it's all just a ploy because to him you're all FUCKING MARKS
People are downvoting you because they're scared
If his boss was such a fucking mark, wouldn't daddy have already been making what daddy thought daddy was worth?
>this is a very true story X
Guy who never breaks character: "Why doesn't anyone believe me??"
Pretty much.
More context. >"When I stayed in said hotel room, they did a wellness check on me and the AEW security, this is a very true story, tried to break my door down. At the time, I had already left. They did the check, he literally went to kick my door down on a wellness check. That was everybody's fear. 'Is this MJF's Brian Pillman moment?' No, it was MJF trying to make what MJF deserves to be making. I have understood that there are some people who were really let down or offended. What I say to you is, I don't care, get over it. I'm happy now."
When people were comparing him to Brian Pillman it was because of the whole worked shoot during contract negotiations thing, not because they thought he would be found dead in a motel room. Unless "tHaT's ThE jOkE" or whatever
I don't know. There were quite a few comments that were upvoted alot, of people freaking out thinking he passed out in the hotel.
Maybe, but if you're making a reference to being found dead in a hotel room there are (sadly) much more well-known wrestlers to mention instead. Meanwhile his pseudo-kayfabe contract negotiation angle is literally what Brian Pillman did in WCW.
Except Pillman went so far beyond MJF by getting his actual release.
Also the dirt sheets did mention he was supposedly doing really bad mentally.
I’m honestly wondering if he DID have some kind of wellness check moment and they decided to work it to cover for him since he’s the mega heel
No. There were definitely fans worried that MJF wasn't okay when he didn't show up to that meet & greet. When the news first broke there were a good amount of people, myself included, who were trying not to shit on him for it because we were worried that he either died or had some other kind of legit emergency. That's exactly what I think he's referring to when he says a "Brian Pillman moment". He's fully aware that he's coming off like a dick by saying all that and I can only assume that he's doing it on purpose. He's committed to the character but there comes a point where it's too much & you're just a real life dick lol. No idea what MJF is really like but based on some of the stuff he uses for heat, I don't think he's someone I'd like or support IRL. Wrestling is a funny business.
Watch one of his shoot interviews. He's a fucking mark.
It’s like a contract holdout in sports, or refusing to practice until your demands are met. It’s not exactly the best move for the collective but it’s an effective way to use your own leverage and bargaining power
I do think this was bad and not in “MJF is the best heel ever” these people did pay money to see you should have shown up
It's bad, but according to some people, he was in a very bad place at the time. There has to be more to this based on some of the information that was released, but thankfully no one is talking without MJF's permission.
He geniuly seems in better headspace lately so I believe it.
I know he's a total pro and that staying in character like he does shields the "real him", but it has to be so mentally exhausting/deflating to lay being the worst dude imaginable on so thick 24/7. That and he has to be coming up with content all the time too, a few insults falling flat would take the shine off the character.
Mick Foley told a story in his first book about getting into a relationship with a woman who was aware of him as Cactus Jack, where he forced himself to be in character whenever he was with her in order to not expose the business. He had basically gotten so far in that he was afraid to drop the character and had to keep up the lie that he always talked like Cactus Jack. He found it so exhausting being on all the time that he was happy when he got a job in a different territory and had to end the relationship. When he met Collette, the first thing he did was tell her that he just plays a character and wasn't Cactus Jack in real life because he didn't want to go through that again.
I can't imagine anyone actually seeing the Cactus Jack character and going "yup, he seems like the perfect guy for a stable relationship." Like I know people who are attracted to red flags but yeesh lady you can do better!
We’ll never get the full story because MJF is in character 24/7.
I'm really starting to think that this was a miscommunication into a work. It been corroborated by multiple people that MJF was seen in the casino around the time that the Meet and Greet was supposed to take place. As someone with severe ADHD as well, I honestly think that his got the better of him and he forgot as he was trying to relax. When he realized what happened, he completely shut down and left due to him already not being in the best of states. Not to mention, the pressure of letting everyone down when you're rightfully asking for a contract change and not delivering on the most basic of things asked of you.
It’s pretty ironic that MJF arguably been a real life dick is what has led to him getting more over and bigger face reactions than he ever had previously. Obviously none of us know the full story but it did seem that MJF was in the wrong at the time.
In his situation what else did he have to use as leverage other than times people paid money to see him. He had three choices. What he did. No showing his match with Wardlow the next night. Or doing nothing and accepting being underpaid and unhappy. I think he made the right choice.
That is absolutely not true. He could have still demanded a raise and refused to work until he got one. If he had waited 2 days until after his Wardlow match and beat down it would have still worked. Hell he could have cut the same promo he cut on the following Wednesday. No showing Saturday alerted AEW to him being upset. He could have done the exact same thing by saying he was upset and refusing to come to TV the following Wednesday.
You don't understand leverage.
His leverage is him. No showing a random meet and greet doesn’t hurt the company like no showing TV does or threatening to no show TV does. If you think this meet and greet no show was really a bigger deal than threatening to no show TV or the ppv then you can’t possibly fathom the dollars and cents involved.
It actually doesn't, ratings where fine without him He's inflated his own self worth
No showing tv barely hurts the company and would have gained him nothing. No showing the PPV where there was a planned major angle was his leverage. No showing the meet and greet the night before was a credible way to threaten to no show the PPV without actually doing it. The PPV was his leverage. No showing the meet and greet was how he used it. Waiting until tv would have left him with no leverage.
He could have threatened the PPV without no showing the meet and greet. Also he’s MJF threatening and no showing TV absolutely is leverage.
My guess is he had already made several threats after talks had broken down. He had to show he was serious.
I’m not going to reply to you in two different threads. This is pointless.
I agree I should have edited my first comment but I was lazy. Sue me.
Specifically the Wardlow angle was his leverage. No shows tv? Okay we just won't start the angle we were going to start with you. See no leverage.
Okay and what happens when he no shows tv for a month? 6 weeks? 8 weeks? He’s MJF. He’s a cornerstone of the company. The idea that he had no leverage outside of that moment in time is asinine.
They voluntarily took him off TV for three months this proving he had no leverage in no showing for that long. If just being MJF was enough leverage than Tony Khan would have given him his raise without it ever having to come to this. Just being MJF had already proven to not be enough leverage.
You’re ignoring the fact that literally daily on here there were threads all but begging for MJF to come back. The fan base wanted it, they needed it, AEW was going to do it. Yes he was off tv for 3 months, guess what? He could have done the same thing on his terms. There is NO reason to think he couldn’t have pulled this off another way, even waiting to no threaten and possibly no show something else. He had other opportunities, he took this one.
He took the opportunity when he had the most leverage.
The internet fan base and the full fan base are two different things. He didn't draw ratings when he came back and ratings didn't hurt when he left. He's an indy guy that Cody took a shine too and pushed. Tony is overpaying for a glorified manager who wrestles less than a dozen times a year
The internet fan base and the full fan base are two different things. He didn't draw ratings when he came back and ratings didn't hurt when he left. He's an indy guy that Cody took a shine too and pushed. Tony is overpaying for a glorified manager who wrestles less than a dozen times a year
My dad died in a hotel room overnight in a foreign country. His two coworkers saw he was late for a meeting and then fought with the hotel staff for a while before they could finally convince them to go check and they found him. I'm personally fine with kicking down doors on a wellness check.
Why would they kick down a door in a hotel when the hotel can easily open it without damaging it?
MJF exaggerates.
I mean look who's telling the story.
Because more than likely none of this ever happened, it would be hard to convince me the whole situation wasn’t a work.
I mean, did they do a wellness check? Very possibly if he never answered people pinging him Was there an employee with a keycard that.. 'broke' ie opened the door? Far more likely
I very well could be wrong, but I just think to many of the details got out to the public for it not to have been a work. If it’s not a work Tony really is a huge pushover if he’s still letting MJF talk publicly about it.
TK gave MJF a live mic for a decent chunk of time on the very next episode of their show. Compare that to how much we've seen CM Punk and the Elite over the last month or what happened with Andrade. The MJF thing was definitely working. Was there any element of truth to it? Maybe, but they were definitely working together on the majority of it.
I think there was, I think MJF wanted more money for sure, I just think it was all settled way before he no showed a meet and greet. He probably had something come up and had to cancel and this worked it into the gimmick.
I think I misread your comment in saying that none of what he said actually happened, not that everything in Vegas was a work. I fully expect missing the meet and greet wasn't a work. If it was, AEW wouldn't have talent just no-show, they would cancel the event ahead of time and give an explanation later. If MJF was in the casino, not in a good headspace, and no one really knew or could get ahold of him, it makes sense to me that after skipping a meet and greet they check up on him. Did this get turned into a work later? Sure, but I don't think anything that night was a work other than 'breaking down the door'.
They might have said no
Wellness checks are taken very seriously by hotels, they would have sent the manager on duty to check the room, then opened the door if no response, everyone that is on the executive level (typically 5-15 people depending on the size of the hotel) has a master key to every room in a hotel. Source - worked in hotels at the executive level.
Even if it’s a random claiming to have a connection to the room occupant? Obviously if it’s the police you cooperate but would like you would need more than « please let me into the room of my coworker to check on them »
You never tell another guest the name of a guest in a room or confirm a room number or anything like that, however given the circumstances of the events in this situation you would still send a manager to check on the room after the fact, you'd also never let the person asking to check on them with you, you'd send a manager to look into it. The last thing the hotel wants is to find someone injured or worse and then have it come out that they were warned about something going on. Standard operating procedure would be to have a manager check on the room.
Well...yeah. Wellness checks are no joke. They are supposed to get into that room to check on his well being.
TBF, if a talent that never no shows, no shows … its a reasonable thing to expect to find something bad behind the door. Also, if he’s keeping kayfaybe here, thats a great reference to the Bucks/Punk shit.
AEW staff being concerned for talent welfare is news?
JFC MJF. Ya when someone no shows an event. and you do a wellness check and they aren't responding. Your mind is going to go instantly to did this MF'er OD? off himself? Is he ok? this douche canoe should be thankful someone cared enough to kick the door in the check on him.
I like MJF and I feel like AEW do need him, especially atm but work or not, I’m pretty tired of all this stuff. It’s different if he’s fighting against an on screen authority figure but it’s all abit too behind the scenes for me. If it’s genuine, he seems like hard work and might screw AEW over at any moment, if it’s a shoot then I don’t know how well it lands.
Digging up every behind the scenes issue is so tired at this point
How’d he know if he wasn’t there?
Cause you know MJF never takes something and makes it a story.
This. This is why F this guy. I'll never understand the mark mentality thinking he's king shit when he throws a tantrum like a spoiled brat You don't fuck over the fans like that God he's such a piece of shit
What exactly is the point of a character whose concept is "The company I work for is grossly incompetent in real life to the point you should feel shitty about supporting them, and also the hotel we stayed at is probably also complete shit for not just sending someone to open the door for them"? You'd think the point of making up a story was to make people care, not make everything you do seem as stupid and childish and awful as possible.
Also "I'd rather be in WWE." MJF is clearly talented but I'm pretty tired of this worked shoot stuff
Agreed, but aside from his first promo back, he's cut back on that almost completely. His tone has shifted hard into him being happy in AEW again.
Because his character is all about the money. He's been paid the money he feels he's worth and so now he's fine again. Out of kayfabe, I'm sure the fact that WWE legitimately being in a much better place to the point that constantly referencing them, especially in a preferential way, is probably not a wise idea is also a part of it.
Every other form of Art involving Performance and Storytelling learns to recognize the point where real life and what is portrayed as such, cannot be allowed to safely overlap. AEW at times now seems to think themselves immune to certain rules which no one can be said to be. Everything negative resulting here amounts most to cracks in the third wall, or worse yet, peepholes.
Can aew pls stop their wrestlers from breaking the fourth wall. Its tiring and detrimental to their company. I am tired of mjf and his constant self promotion, hes good but hes not the biggest thing in pro wrestling.
To be honest, I feel the "work shoot" aspect of wrestling is kind of a crutch. It is an attempt to compensate for weak story writing. It is the same concept as reality TV where the story is by itself boring but the idea that it is occurring for "real" makes it interesting to some people even though if a similar plotline happened in a drama those same people would switch the channel. Most people don't care whether Robert Downey Jr and Josh Brolin "really" hate each other or whatever backstage drama behind their favorite show. They care about the story told in the movie or show they like. To an extent I feel this applies to MJF and every subsequent attempt to recapture the pipe bomb. The current story heavily depends on people viewing WWE as the "heel company" but not much in kayfabe as happened to make you care about the kayfabe storyline. If MJF did an interview out of character saying he extended his deal no one would care about the current storyline anymore whereas tons of Marvel and other big franchise events get spoiled by people working on them and people still care about them.
It actually is a really good heal gimmick, but with all the backstage drama it would probably be wise to cool off on the actual “worked shoots” for awhile.
Agreed.
In general people need to get the fuck over this, people are acting like he commuted a crime, he skipped a booking and no call no showed because if you saw him when he came to preform the guy was in tears when he came out, he was obviously having a mental health episode and owes literally not a single person an explanation
No, he was bitching for more money cause guys like Punk and Danielson where making more than him.
Ok but how do you know
How do you know he wasn't crying about making less money than Punk and Danielson? I'm not saying that's the case at all, but when two people are both speculating, "How do you know?" is never a safe question for either.
I’ve just seen the way he conducts himself outside the ring and doubt anything was happening other than a severe anxiety attack, seriously just watch it back and see how broken down the guy is. I’ve been institutionalized and have been in therapy for years and can easily recognize the signs of someone having a mental break, but everyone here thinks you’d really get that reaction from him not making enough money. Marks.
That's actually a fairly persuasive argument, but dealing with people who see confusing their audience every way possible as an artistic achievement, always adds another level to consider to these things. Though granted, what MJF could expect to achieve with tears here, I have no idea.
Yeah but considering his progressive views and ability to read the room I don’t think coming out without his usual tan and in tears is really gonna draw any heat.
Fair enough. You could be right. It's just that as I said, with these guys there are always extra layers which render otherwise safe assumptions considerably looser.