Not too long ago, I wrote about how I might bail on AEW for WWE, and for a few weeks, that was definitely the case.
But, you know what? A funny thing happened. Because even though this past Wrestlemania had one of the craziest main events ever, I realized that after watching a few Raw and Smackdowns, that I still don’t like WWE, and actually prefer AEW, warts and all.
Well, lucky me since the only wrestler who could reinvigorate my passion for AEW, MJF (who I once called the best thing to happen to pro-wrestling) has finally returned after a long hiatus. While I really have no place in booking anything, here’s how I think AEW should use MJF now that he’s back.
Go Back To Having Him Wrestle Only Every So Often
One complaint I frequently heard about MJF was that he barely wrestled. Sure, he could cut one hell of a promo, but the chances of seeing him wrestle in an event that wasn’t on Pay-Per-View was often quite slim. He even addressed this at times, boasting about how he didn’t need to wrestle every week since he was, ahem, better than you, and you knew it.
That said, once MJF turned face, we saw him much more often inside the ring, trading blows with the likes of the Bullet Club, and other heels at the time. This was certainly appreciated, but I definitely think that Tony Khan should consider keeping the athlete out of combat as often as possible.
I feel this way for multiple reasons. For one thing, MJF reportedly had a legitimate shoulder injury, and the last thing we need is for him to be sidelined again for an extended period of time.
But, more importantly, there’s so much more mystique to him when he doesn’t wrestle. You know, for a time, I thought that CM Punk was the biggest thing to happen to AEW (and, after watching that cringey backstage footage, it’s come to my attention that he may have also been the worst thing to happen to AEW). However, Punk was always more interesting when he wasn’t in matches, as his real strength, ever since he came out of retirement, is cutting promos.
I feel the same way about MJF. Yes, he’s amazing in the ring, But, I also feel like he’s so much more of an asset if he’s just talking smack and creating storylines rather than actually wrestling. So, try to keep his matches to a minimum. It will only make his actual in-ring appearances all the more magical.
Put Him In Another Feud With Wardlow
Okay, I know I just said not to have him wrestle too often, but once he does wrestle, I want to see him in another program with Wardlow. Because woe is the big man in AEW, as they’re constantly taking lumps from much smaller wrestlers like Orange Cassidy, and Darby Allin, which is fine. I love that AEW has always felt like a counterpoint to WWE, which loves its big men, as the smaller wrestler is king in AEW.
That said, Wardlow is criminally underused, and I think he was at his best when he was pitted against MJF. Honestly, I think Wardlow has been floundering in the mid card for way too long now, as he, and Powerhouse Hobbs (who himself is out of commission), are two big men who both deserve to be utilized on a weekly basis.
Plus, I don’t think anybody has had real chemistry with Wardlow besides MJF. Usually, I don’t like repeat feuds, but I’m actually clamoring for this one. So please, get this one moving, Tony Khan!
Keep MJF A Heel
I want to circle back to Punk, because besides MJF, he was probably AEW’s biggest draw. Before his first firing, I was super pumped to see him turn heel.
Well, we never got that storyline of a heel Punk, but one thing we did get was a face MJF. It was interesting for the most part, but I have to tell you. If there has been any wrestler who is more deserving of staying a heel, it’s MJF. He just works so much better as a scumbag.
Sure, he wasn’t a bad face when he teamed up with Adam Cole, but he definitely lost something when he was giving hugs and doing that whole friendship story arc. MJF is the kind of jerk who would throw water in a little kid’s face. While I don’t think he should do something like that again, I do think that he should definitely stay a heel this time, and never turn back. He’s just so much more interesting as a prick.
Have MJF Do Interviews Aplenty
I’ve talked before about why fans might have reasons to worry about AEW’s future, and one of those reasons was because viewership was getting staggeringly low. There has also been a dropoff in ticket sales, and the product really seems to be struggling. Honestly, this is one of the reasons why I kind of started watching WWE, since seeing all of those shots of empty seats had me kind of worried and depressed.
The last thing I wanted to see was AEW go the way of WCW, which is often a comparison that I see online. It really is quite dismal, and I genuinely hate to see it.
But, they have a trump card, and that’s MJF. Like I said earlier, the man can talk, and Khan should make it his mission to get him in front of as many cameras as often as possible. I’m talking about talk shows, podcasts, and any manner of publicity.
Yes, he hasn’t been shy in the past and would often put himself out there. But, there would also be times where he would disappear completely, and fans would wonder what his true status was, or even if he was departing for WWE.
However, I think MJF needs to be even more visible now. I don’t think it’s controversial to say that he is the face of the company, and it would be great to see him everywhere. The beauty of it is that with him, you never know what you’re going to get.
The man perfectly blurs the line of kayfabe, and we can never quite tell whether he is being serious, or just staying in character. That’s the MJF we need to see, as I’m pretty sure ticket sales and viewership would go up again once he gets in front of multiple cameras outside of AEW. The dude is a freaking heat magnet.
Put Him On Dynamite Every Week, Collision Only Sometimes, And Rampage Never
Long ago, I wondered if AEW even needed to launch Collision, and now that it’s been on for a while, I feel like it was a mistake. For one thing, viewership isn’t all that great, and the Saturday time slot was always a gamble.
That said, now that it’s here and a permanent fixture, they really should make the best of it, and having MJF on it every so often definitely couldn’t hurt, especially if he’s embroiled in a red hot storyline on Dynamite.
Oh, and speaking of which, he should be on Dynamite EVERY SINGLE WEEK. For a time, we were getting that, and it was glorious. But MJF should definitely be the main draw every Wednesday, and that could spill into Saturday, but not all the time. The idea of will he/won’t he appear on Collision would make it worthy of actually watching again.
However, don’t even bother with putting him on Rampage. That show should honestly just be dropped entirely, and MJF shouldn’t be wasted by putting him on a show that so few people even bother to watch. It would be a waste of all of our time.
