It isn’t that you can’t book good PG wrestling it’s that the best version of MJF isn’t going to be part of it. His act isn’t a PG act.not is it scripted. If they decide to go back to unscripted TV-14 promos I might see MJF in WWE bro no a good thing, if not I think it is doomed to failz
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See I disagree, talent is talent. Saying MJF can only thrive in an “adult” format IMO isn’t giving MJF enough credit.
It’s like a comedian….most comedians swear, but the great ones who swear are usually still able to be funny if they are in a kids movie or a PG setting. Sure MJF wouldn’t be identical, but he’s not good just because he pushes the envelope, he’s good because he has loads of charisma.
Been thinking about this.
As a fan, I am excited seeing a whole bunch of talents that are within the WWE system leaving there and working on a large stage like AEW.
However, I can’t really say that there are many I feel the other way around.
We all know what WWE offers a talent financially. No shame in getting paid. However, as a fan, there is nobody who could show up in WWE tomorrow that’s currently featured in AEW that would get me to tune in or be excited about how they are featured.
WWE is going to always WWE. After 30 years of fandom, I realize that things won’t change, no matter how many opportunities are offered up on a silver platter. So many sure things / can’t miss - inexplicable fumbled.
- Dusty Rhodes’ entire WWF run.
- Ric Flair’s initial run (aside from the Rumble)
- Working with ECW (multiple times. Aside from that RAW episode in Feb 1997, and the original ONS, they really dropped the ball every time.)
- The jumping of Benoit, Guerrero, Saturn & Malenko (it took YEARS for Benoit and Eddy to get to where they deserved to be).
- The purchase of WCW / Invasion
- The purchase of ECW / Invasion
- The misuse of several surefire hires for years after they arrived - Rob Van Dam and Booker T namely
- The relaunch of ECW
- The brand split (beyond the initial two years, it’s meant very little).
- Goldberg’s first run
- CM Punk’s run post pipe-bomb
- Brock’s return (took him several years before they actually treated him like a star. Cena beat him his first night back).
- Sting’s run / Mania program with Triple H
- The follow-up to the Cruiserweight Classic (… 205 Live worked initially. Tried to make a third brand. Sent it out on the road to tour with Matt Hardy vs. Bray as the main event of those shows???)
- EVERYTHING they did in terms of main roster integration with NXT. They OWNED the hottest brand in North America for several years, and time after time, the great majority of call ups were treated like nobodies.
I’m sure I’m missing some. But after decades, I’m done holding out hope that they’ll “nail it this time”.
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He has charisma when he is talking for himself. We haven’t seen him memorize and deliver lines like in WWE. I also think that he is where he is charisma wise because he pushes the envelope. I might be wrong but I don’t think he would translate well. Especially because in WWE he would be undersized. He might not be awful, the Miz isn’t awful. But that is who I think he would be in the modern WWE. He’s be the Miz, he wouldn’t be the Rock. It isn’t that I think he would be Ricochet, it’s that I think in WWE he is an IC/US title level guy, and in AEW I think he is a star. I just cannot see him playing the heel in a Brock match or Roman match. Now if he puts in a believable baby face run, maybe I can see him. But I think in the WWE system he is another Miz, not a top star.
Well him being scripted is a different animal, I don’t want to see him scripted either. My comments were directed at him being able to thrive in a PG environment.
With that said, even WWE under Vince typically lets guys that can talk (ie. Owens, Edge, Zayn etc) improve a bit. I do feel that if MJF was in WWE he would be allowed to improvise, especially if it was not under a Vince McMahon led WWE but rather a Hunter led WWE or Heyman led WWE, or insert name here led WWE.
You’re not wrong, but they do get it right every once in a while. Off the top of my head I would say AJ was handled well when he came in. I dont think any WWE talent is booked great forever as WWE just has bad creative a lot of the time, but AJ’s initial heel run followed by his 1 year run as a babyface champ were pretty strong. Same with Drew, overall he has been booked pretty strong. You can definitely argue some of the creative is dumb (ie. his fairy tales and sword crap), but he has been booked as a main event guy.
Either way, I do agree with your main point. As long as Vince is in charge I dont see the majority of AEW guys doing well. Cody in particular, I think will get a strong run initially, only to fade in to mid card obscurity after Vince is bored. I see him settling into a Kevin Owens 2020 type of role.
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At the end of the day - if he’s getting a monster payday, that will let him provide for his family - good for him. He’s allowed to cash out. He’s worked extremely hard over the last six years, and has built up a legacy far bigger than anything he did before it.
I also find myself saying this, for the first time ever maybe with WWE… But Cody suddenly feels like a big fish in a pretty small pond (in terms of the upper midcard / main event scene in WWE).
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An interesting video on this very topic:
I didn’t realize Jericho’s option was 2 years, I thought it was a 1 year option like Omega’s.
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