Double or Nothing 2022

[LaGoosh]

10 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

Plus, his behaviour, in light of Sasha/Naomi, may make them more wary. It’s a really daft move, if it’s true. 

Not turning up for an appearance without saying anything is exactly the type of unprofessionalism that they are going to take note of. They take that stuff seriously. And walking on the eve of one of the biggest shows of the year...they won't like that. WWE is fucked up and evil in many ways but they hold professionalism from their workers to honour all business commitments very seriously. 

But I can definitely see them hiring him out of spite anyways. 

[Supremo]

This is all under the assumption that WWE haven’t encouraged him to no-show, with an offer already being offered. That feels like something they’d definitely do.

But yeah, anyone saying this is a work can get in the bin. What benefit is there to rip-off meet and greet fans, give the public perception that one of your top stars is miserable and, most importantly, leading into your coldest pay per view in years, put doubt over the hottest match even happening. All whilst the Warner execs are there, too. It’d be fucking stupid.

Best case scenario is they hash it out somehow, and then incorporate it into a work, with the show starting with Wardlow powerbombing a plane, then chasing Max to the arena.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Supremo

[The King Of Swing]

4 minutes ago, Supremo said:

This is all under the assumption that WWE haven’t encouraged him to no-show, with an offer already being offered. That feels like something they’d definitely do.

Well if that happened and evidence surfaced then the court case would be interesting. 

It wouldn't be WWE dicking over some small time indie marks who they could tie up in court until bankruptcy. 

[Guest]

If people got a full refund they haven’t been ripped off. And fans being let down by a guy whose whole character is you people are beneath be hardly damages either side 

[WyattSheepMask]

If it’s a work, then it’s on MJF to make it work. I don’t think TK has the ‘wrestling acumen’ (if there is such a thing) to pull something like that off.
If it’s legit, MJF must’ve heard the WWE horror stories, unless Cody has gotten in his ear or put in a good word for him to the higher ups 🤷🏻‍♂️.

Its certainly added some intrigue to tonight’s match, which already had plenty.

People tracking flights out of Vegas and speculating which one he might be on has made some for some amusing conspiracy theories if nothing else

[DavidB6937]

1 minute ago, Louch said:

If people got a full refund they haven’t been ripped off. And fans being let down by a guy whose whole character is you people are beneath be hardly damages either side 

Of course they've been ripped off. They've gone there because they want to meet him and he was advertised. If there was no intention of him being there and it's all a work then they've been ripped off. That'd put them in the same bullshit "card subject to change" rubbish from WWE and we all want AEW to be far better than that.

And again - people pay to meet him. To have that interaction. He's one of their most popular meets because he's an arsehole to them.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Of course they've been ripped off. They've gone there because they want to meet him and he was advertised. If there was no intention of him being there and it's all a work then they've been ripped off. That'd put them in the same bullshit "card subject to change" rubbish from WWE and we all want AEW to be far better than that.

And again - people pay to meet him. To have that interaction. He's one of their most popular meets because he's an arsehole to them.

Ripped off is having pensioners lose their life savings to dodgy plumbers. A fan at a convention they would be at anyway being handed back all their money to spend as they wish isnt as severe as many are acting here. It’s perfectly in character for him.

Some of you have been watching “cool heels” for far too long and it shows. We get dickhead doing dickhead things and everyone loses their mind 

[LaGoosh]

28 minutes ago, Supremo said:

This is all under the assumption that WWE haven’t encouraged him to no-show, with an offer already being offered. That feels like something they’d definitely do.

Absolutely zero fucking chance. MJF is under contract til 2024 so not only would doing this be illegal it also goes against standard WWE practice they've had forever. If you've agreed a date whether in contract or by handshake or you've given your word then you absolutely fulfill the date. It's why Eddie Guerrero was wrestling in front of 50 people in IWA Mid South while he was under contract, WWE insist wrestlers must always fulfill their obligations. 

[LWOLeN]

Cody already had like 30 matches this year.

MJF has had 4, of which two were nonsense matches against Shawn Dean which he both ‘lost’. And 2 against Punk in a feud he lost (partly also because of Wardlow). It’s time for a big ‘win’ and get his heat back.

Dude is already on a top-guy 10 match a year contract which nobody seems to realize.

TK is strapped with cash so I’m sure this contract thing is already ironed out.

In short: You guys are all a bunch of marks for believing this and I’m putting my money on MJF to swerve everyone tonight. Everyone thinks he’s gonna get squashed tonight.

Nuclear heat it will be if he walks out the winner and I’ll be banking 3X as the bookies are a bunch of marks also.

(If not, I’ll just delete this message 😆)

[The King Of Swing]

7 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Absolutely zero fucking chance. MJF is under contract til 2024 so not only would doing this be illegal it also goes against standard WWE practice they've had forever. If you've agreed a date whether in contract or by handshake or you've given your word then you absolutely fulfill the date. It's why Eddie Guerrero was wrestling in front of 50 people in IWA Mid South while he was under contract, WWE insist wrestlers must always fulfill their obligations. 

Yeah I could see Vince/WWE pulling a stunt like that in the 80's but zero chance in this day and age.

Especially against a company with actual money behind it. 

[Duke]

25 minutes ago, Louch said:

If people got a full refund they haven’t been ripped off. And fans being let down by a guy whose whole character is you people are beneath be hardly damages either side 

Except they might decide to not go back next time. It would really be a terrible idea to do this as a work. Some people might not buy DON because they've heard MJF won't be there. Not many, but it's still the opposite of what an angle does.

It makes no business sense to be a work. WON has multiple sources that it's not a work. It's not a work.

MJF will hopefully end up wrestling tonight. If he does, it doesn't mean it was a work.

it feels, mostly, like a Jeff Jarrett situation where he thinks he's got them over a barrel and is using it to leverage for loads more money because he's the biggest draw for tonight. How TK handles it will show how much he's a proper owner and how much he's a money mark.

[Loki]

The slow normalisation of AEW and its plucky heroes is quite fascinating.  Wrestling is much more interesting with evil bookers, walk outs, works that turn into shoots, disgruntled stars, jumps to other feds.

 Hopefully MJF turns up on Raw and throws his ring in the trashcan.  And then is jobbed out to the Miz before the top of the hour.

[RedRooster]

18 minutes ago, Louch said:

Ripped off is having pensioners lose their life savings to dodgy plumbers. A fan at a convention they would be at anyway being handed back all their money to spend as they wish isnt as severe as many are acting here. It’s perfectly in character for him.

Some of you have been watching “cool heels” for far too long and it shows. We get dickhead doing dickhead things and everyone loses their mind 

Look at it this way, who does it benefit, if you look at it from this angle, for him to no-show? MJF is already incredibly over as a heel, so it makes no difference in that respect, other than that fans are less likely to pay to see you in this kind of setting going forward. 

Also, the vast majority of fans didn’t know this conference was going on, and won’t be aware even now. 

It’s utterly pointless do pull a stunt like this to ‘gain heel heat’. There’s virtually no chance it’s a work, as it’s totally pointless.

In all likelihood it’s a negotiating tactic from MJF, and a short-sighted one at that. 

[Chris B]

This is exactly what I wanted from real competition, and what I missed from the 90s. Utter weirdness and mindless speculation over who's screwing who over, and everyone desperately trying to figure out what's really happening. Brilliant.

[WeeAl]

I haven't bought into a single bit of this 'MJF is unhappy' carry on that has been happening this past few months. Essentially from the start of AEW, MJF on TV has been running this whole 2024 free agent deal. I totally believe he wants to run his deal down to the wire, that makes total sense, but I don't buy that he is creatively unhappy in the slightest. MJF is supposed to be a prick. He's supposed to be scared of Wardlow. We're supposed to think he'll try and weasel out of facing him.

Things will look more and more untenable with MJF right up until deadline, and then he'll sign the biggest deal AEW have ever given anyone after WWE gets involved and bumps that dollar figure through the sky. MJF going to WWE would be a disaster for him and also for AEW. WWE need to think he would realistically consider going to them, for him to milk them of as much as he wants to. 'Unhappy MJF' works for that.

Now, whether it's a good idea to mix reality and fiction to this degree for the trust of the fans and the trust of the staff in the company, that's a very different discussion.