Released WWE star to debut in AEW as The Devil and cost MJF his world title? Exploring the possibility
MJF's reign as the AEW World Champion seems to be in jeopardy after "The Devil" emerged in All Elite Wrestling. The masked man remains a mystery at the time of writing, but when they are unmasked, could they be a former WWE Superstar?
Back in September, over 20 wrestlers were released by WWE due to budget cuts after the TKO merger under their new parent company, Endeavor. Names such as Rick Boogs, Elias, and even Dolph Ziggler were let go, but Mustafa Ali is the star in question, who could be the man behind the mask.
The first person to reveal they had been released by WWE was Mustafa Ali, who stated on his Twitter account that he was no longer employed by World Wrestling Entertainment, ending his seven-year run with the company.
Fans everywhere know that Ali is a fantastic wrestler who would fit in well in AEW, but The Devil's antics are eerily similar to those of Retribution, the stable led by Mustafa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The stable eventually disbanded before Ali was able to demonstrate his true vision of the group, and every member has gone down completely different paths. But could Mustafa find a new group in AEW? We've already seen groups like The Firm formed similarly, with The Devil leading the charge, so it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Many people believe that The Devil will be unmasked at Full Gear, which, if true, means it couldn't possibly be Mustafa Ali as he is still under a 90-day non-compete clause. But if the mask is kept on until a show like World's End on December 30, combined with the fact that MJF still hasn't confirmed if he's staying with AEW, The Devil could very well be the former leader of Retribution.
MJF will be pulling double duty at AEW Full Gear 2023
We are less than a week away from AEW Full Gear 2023, which takes place this Saturday at the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, California, and it's certainly going to be a busy night for the Salt of the Earth.
MJF will be competing in not one, but two matches on November 18, as he looks to defeat three members of Bullet Club Gold in one night. His journey will start on the Zero-Hour pre-show when he defends the ROH Tag Team Championship against The Gunns. Max hasn't named his partner yet, meaning that we will either find out that person's identity this week, or the bout will be a handicap match.
Later in the night, MJF will defend the AEW World Championship in the pay-per-view's main event against former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion "Switchblade" Jay White. Max has already defeated Juice Robinson in recent weeks, meaning he could pull off a clean sweep of Bullet Club Gold victories at Full Gear.
Are you excited for AEW Full Gear? Let us know in the comments section below!