MJF Reportedly Not Seen Backstage ahead of Double or Nothing - Reports
In the last 24 hours, the drama between MJF and AEW has reached an all-time high. And per reports from the last hour, the situation has not improved. This is all happening mere hours before All Elite Wrestling's biggest pay-per-view of the year, Double or Nothing.
For those interested in an update on the situation, according to a new report from PWInsider's Mike Johnson, the Salt of the Earth has not been seen backstage at the T-Mobile Arena, as of this hour:
"As of five minutes ago, MJF has not been spotted backstage at AEW Double or Nothing...Several readers sent word within the last 30 minutes that a AEW YouTube video focused on MJF vs. Wardlow no longer appears on the company's YouTube channel."
youtu.be/sUZrrFBtV4U
It's #AEW Double or Nothing Day! Start your morning with @tonyschiavone24 at #AEW Control Center, coming to you from Las Vegas, NV ahead of TONIGHT’s #AEWDoN LIVE on PPV 8pm ET / 7pm CT/ 6pm MT/ 5pm PT!
▶️ youtu.be/sUZrrFBtV4U https://t.co/7q3azyv8KQ
In addition, AEW's hype video for Friedman's match with Wardlow has also been taken off their YouTube page. However, the duo's match does still appear in the AEW Double or Nothing "Control Center" video published several hours ago.
As of this writing, there has been no official comment on the matter from either All Elite Wrestling or Friedman himself.
MJF no-showed an AEW Fan Fest meet-and-greet yesterday ahead of Double or Nothing
As noted earlier, MJF was expected to appear at an AEW Fan Fest meet-and-greet ahead of the Double or Nothing, where he is slated to face off against rival Wardlow. However, the 26 year-old Long Island native "no-showed" the event and AEW management was reportedly unable to reach him via phone.
According to initial reports, fans who paid to meet the star were offered refunds. He was scheduled to have the meet-and-greet from 12:45am - 2:15pm at a table with Team Taz, Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee.
#AEWDON
#AEW just tweeted and deleted this. 😂 #AEWDON https://t.co/DYpn8SYhg5
It was originally reported that Friedman has booked and taken a flight out of Las Vegas to Newark - a claim that was disputed by Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez. However, Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp stated that he saw "physical evidence" that a ticket had been purchased.
For now, the question still remains: is this all a work, or has Friedman effectively walked out of AEW ahead of the promotion's biggest show of the year? Only time will tell.
Do you think The Salt of the Earth has walked out of AEW? Do you think he will show up at Double or Nothing? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!