MJF reportedly no-shows at AEW Fan Fest, Double or Nothing status doubtful
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) has reportedly not appeared at the AEW Fan Fest in Las Vegas before Double or Nothing 2022 takes place tomorrow at T-Mobile Arena.
The said fan fest was held earlier at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center from 10AM PDT to 6PM PDT. One of the featured events was a Meet and Greet featuring All Elite Wrestling's biggest stars, including The Salt of the Earth.
According to PWInsider's Mike Johnson, the Long Islander did not attend the event on his own intentions and wasn't picking up his phone either, thus unabling AEW to contact him. The report added that MJF was playing in the casino at Mandalay Bay instead.
According to the report, fans who paid for tickets to see and have a signature of him got their refunds, which cost $100. He was initially slated to have a meet and greet from 12:45am - 2:15pm in Table 6 with Team Taz, Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee.
Security says MJF is not coming to his meet & greets and is not picking up his phone LMAO
The Salt of the Earth is set to face Wardlow, his former Pinnacle teammate, tomorrow at T-Mobile Arena. However, a further report from Bryan Alvarez stated that people who are aware of Friedman's situation are staying quiet while the rest have no idea what the real issue is. The report also added that his status for tomorrow's event hangs in the balance.
MJF reportedly booked a plane out of Las Vegas
Amidst the controversy surrounding The Salt of the Earth's no-show at the AEW Fan Fest Meet and Greet, another report floated that there was a scheduled flight for him out of Las Vegas.
According to Fightful Select, the Long Islander was physically fine despite not appearing in the event. The report also added that the former will be booked for a late Saturday night flight out of the city. It is still uncertain, though, if he will really board that booked flight. PWInsider confirmed through their sources that the scheduled flight will head to Newark, New Jersey.
I can confirm a flight out of Las Vegas tonight has been booked for MJF.
Full story is on FightfulSelect.com. https://t.co/tw14W175vg
MJF remains frustrated with AEW about his contract, which will expire on January 1, 2024. He has kept in contact with Cody Rhodes, Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard, who are all working with WWE. The Salt of the Earth has been adamant about expressing his interest in working with the sports entertainment powerhouse.
With regards to the meet and greet issue, it would be interesting to see if MJF will show up tomorrow at the pay-per-view. As of right now, The Salt of the Earth hasn't responded to the issue.