The genre of professional wrestling stands out most when audiences try to divide between whether and to what extent the storyline is true and the script.
On Wednesday night’s “AEW Dynamite” edition, MJF cut out his own version of the infamous CM Punk “Pipe Bomb” promo, hollowing out the company’s owner and founder Tony Khan, and complaining that Khan was on his ex All the money and attention – the WWE performers, and his part surpassed most of them in the ratings.
“When this company first started, it was All Friends Wrestling,” MJF said in his promo, in which he told the crowd it was “Max Friedman” — the man, not the character — speaking.
“Everyone got a ticket – except me. Look, I had to write it myself, gosh, my calligraphy is good because I’ve been writing for this company time and time again, and I still don’t get the respect. No People can reach my level. No one! Everything I touch turns to gold. There’s nothing I can’t do. Every time I come here, I don’t hit a home run, I hit a big full Consistently — and I do it every week.”
MJF tore up his wrestling buddy chasing “stars” — a rating given by longtime wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer — and ended his promotion with the daring Khan firing him.The promo dates back to the “pipe bomb” that CM Punk is still discussing, which he gave in 2011 when he was unhappy with the reality of WWE.
“I’m a genius of a generation, and you’ve always taken me for granted — but it’s not just you,” MJF exclaimed enthusiastically.”This is also the big guy in the back. It’s something you can’t take for granted, it’s something he doesn’t want you to know. Do you know who the second-biggest minute draw in the entire company is? No, you do. It’s me! Yes Me! If you don’t believe me, do me a favor: ask Stat Boy Tony and see what he has to say. But whatever you do, don’t let him put his hand in his pocket and pay that guy from day one The man who has been working hard for him ever since.
“No, make sure he’s hoarding all the money so he can hand it over to all the new ex-WWE players he keeps bringing in, can’t tie my damn boots. Hey boss, if I’m an ex-WWE guy , will you be nice to me? Maybe you don’t get it, man. It’s your boss’s problem, you got a position of power at a wrestling company, and the only position you’re supposed to have is behind everyone’s guardrails. I don’t want to wait until 2024, but you don’t want to listen to me, but allow me to make it easier for you. Tony, I want you to fire me.”
Obviously, there’s a lot to unravel here.Any viewers who claim to know for sure whether this is real or a work—the wrestling term for scripted storylines—are lying.
MJF’s microphone was cut off at the end of his promo.When “Dynamite” came back from the break, the announcer didn’t talk about it.AEW does not share the trailer on its YouTube or Twitter.This comes after MJF did not attend a fan event over a weekend, with people unsure if he would be appearing at “Double or Nothing” pay-per-view in Las Vegas to watch his long-scheduled match against his former protege Wardlow.
MJF lost to Wardlow by squash, soaking up a dozen powerful bombs while getting zero offense in the fight and making no mention of the defeat in Wednesday’s promo.
A few months ago, Cody Rhodes was working on a promo film that echoed rumors circulating online at the time that he was unhappy with not getting a long-term contract.It’s hard for viewers to tell whether he’s conveying real emotion or advancing the storyline — or both — and he’s finally leaving AEW and returning to WWE in amazing fashion.
However, if Tony Khan and MJF booked a storyline to maximize its appeal, they couldn’t have written the script better.Based on his performance at the company since its inception in 2019, MJF’s role will feel entitled to a title shot and a big raise in AEW.This character will surprise fans.He’ll deflect embarrassing losses by turning the conversation on to his underappreciated ways.
MJF has created a character through flawless performance art, and no one can be sure where the fault line is between the actor and his character.At just 26 years old, he has the potential to become a professional wrestling legend, and all eyes will be on him for the foreseeable future.