"That flight wasn't delayed" - The fallout and confusion over MJF's situation with AEW
For weeks now, AEW owner Tony Khan and his top heel, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, have been at odds. Stories have swirled around the internet stating that the two were at an impasse involving MJF's contract, and the situation had gotten ugly.
AEW's Double or Nothing was this past Sunday, and several sources began to indicate in the days ahead of the event that MJF would be a no-show. He even skipped Fan Fest the day before.
That's when things really took off in the online world, with speculation that lasted literally all the way up to the eleventh hour. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com was one of the main reporters associated with the story, which lent more credibility to it. SRS is considered one of the most accurate journalists in the industry today.
On Saturday, Sapp reported that MJF had been booked on a flight from Las Vegas to Newark, New Jersey. This added more fuel to the fire and brought out a lot of naysayers.
Sapp, for his part, has stuck by his original story and the details that arose - even when MJF did arrive for Double or Nothing.
Well, they're wrong if that's what they said.
The ticketing info did not come from anyone connected to AEW or MJF. It was a source that has provided countless, always accurate pieces of info. It was then verified by multiple additional methods and several other outlets. twitter.com/RebookTheFinis…
MJF would emerge to open the show and wrestle against his former bodyguard, Wardlow, in a highly-anticipated bout. The climax of their storyline was nearly two years in the making, so The Salt of the Earth was a vital part of the card and helped to elevate the powerhouse performer.
With that kind of leverage, it wasn't far-fetched to believe that MJF might be threatening to skip AEW's biggest event of the year.
However? Friedman showed up and lost cleanly to Wardlow in the opening match. It is rumored he left the building immediately after being soundly thrashed by his former protege and carried out on a stretcher.
The debate over whether it was a work expanded even further when some stories about the AEW star's flight being delayed came out. Sapp says that is false.
Six people at that scrum, including one of the two people cited in this article, saw one of the same documents I did.
That flight wasn't delayed.
As of now, MJF looks to be taking an extended absence as part of an injury angle. In the meantime, it's widely believed that while he's out of action he will resume contract negotiations with AEW owner Tony Khan.
Keep visiting Sportskeeda for more details on the situation involving MJF and All Elite Wrestling as they become available.