MJF Talks Contract; Tony Khan on CM Punk, Backstage AEW Rumors; Jericho Hypes Ospreay
August 25, 2023
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from All Elite Wrestling.
MJF Confirms AEW Contract Expiration Date
AEW world champion MJF once again confirmed this week that his AEW contract ends at the start of 2024.
During an appearance on the popular YouTube show Hot Ones (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), MJF tabbed Jan. 1, 2024, as the end date for his deal, and implored both AEW and WWE to make him huge financial offers:
"Jan. 1, 2024, they better back up the God damn Brinks truck, okay, pal? I know there's a lot of money being thrown around at me from both sides, and I'm not going to take anything lower than seven figures. I won't even make eye contact with a contract that's under seven figures."
For quite some time, MJF discussed an impending "bidding war" in his promos, and while he hasn't done so as much lately, it clearly remains at the forefront of his mind.
Given that MJF has been the AEW world champion for nearly 300 days and presented as the company's top star, there has been speculation that MJF could have already signed a new deal with AEW without anyone knowing.
If not, there will almost certainly be interest from WWE, as the 27-year-old MJF is one of the best talkers and overall performers in the business.
At All In on Sunday in front of over 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London, MJF is set to defend the AEW world title against Adam Cole in the main event.
MJF appeared on Hot Ones with Cole, as they have cultivated a close on-screen friendship over the past couple of months.
There is a widespread expectation that one of MJF or Cole will turn on the other at All In, adding even more intrigue to an already highly anticipated matchup.
Khan Addresses Rumors of Backstage Tension
Ever since the return of CM Punk from injury and the creation of the weekly Collision show in June, there have been consistent rumors regarding backstage issues in AEW.
AEW president Tony Khan was asked about the rumors this week in an interview with George Szalai of The Hollywood Reporter, and while he didn't deny that there have been instances of wrestlers not getting along, he also downplayed it having an adverse impact on the company:
"And there may be some of them that don't get along with each other backstage or on TV. It's not ideal, but it's a reality, and I can't make everyone get along. I'm not sure it's necessarily even in the best interest of pro wrestling for everybody to get along. But ideally, everybody is going to be able to focus on their matches and putting on the best shows for the fans. And I think that's what we've been doing. We've had really strong ratings. So even though … wrestlers backstage hate each other and don't want to be friends with each other, I think we all agree this is a really exciting time for the company. And it's a really exciting time for the wrestling business and for the wrestling fans."
After more than seven years out of wrestling, Punk debuted with AEW to a ton of fanfare in 2021. He made an instant impact and won the AEW World Championship twice, but torn triceps suffered last year at All Out kept him out of action for nine months.
Punk was rumored to have issues with The Elite before his injury, and Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc's Kieran Fisher) reported that Punk had backstage disagreements with Ryan Nemeth and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry on separate occasions.
While Punk has never been shy about speaking his mind and standing up for what he believes in, he hasn't always been everyone's cup of tea either.
Punk is AEW's top draw and biggest star, though, which is why Khan may be more willing to accept drama from him than others on the roster.
Currently, Punk is running an angle in which he calls himself the "real" AEW world champion since he never lost the title before getting injured, and he will put that title on the line against Samoa Joe at All In.
Jericho Talks Up All In Match vs. Ospreay
One of the biggest bouts on the All In card will be a never-before-seen dream match between Chris Jericho and Will Ospreay.
Ahead of their encounter, Jericho appeared on The Wrestling Classic (h/t Colby Applegate of WrestleZone) and explained why he is so excited about the matchup:
"To me, it's one of those matches where, will it ever get a chance to happen again? I don't know, but it needs to happen, and the fact that it's happening in Wembley, his home country is great. But once again, I've been to England more times than he's wrestled in England. It seems like I've been there 50 times for different matches over the years, and I think that obviously he's a hometown guy, but I think Chris Jericho's name in the UK is almost like a hometown guy as well.
"I always love, 'Oh, Jericho's gonna be the babyface, but Ospreay's gonna be the [heel],' but it doesn't matter. There's no babyface and heel. It's like going to the Super Bowl or going to a World Cup Final. People are going to cheer for whoever they're going to cheer for whoever they want to cheer for, and they want to see a great game. That's the way I feel about it. So, to me, to get the chance to face Will in Wembley at this show, I can't think of another match I'd rather have. I really can't. There's some other ones that are big, but that one to me just seems like a big fight feel. It's very unique and it can only happen at All In, in my opinion."
Jericho divulged that he was pitched the match "a few months ago," and he called it as "no-brainer" to accept since it is a match that has been on his radar for quite some time.
Ospreay is considered by many to be the best in-ring worker in the world, which is an accolade Jericho vied for in his own right for many years.
Jericho may have lost a step or two at 52 years of age, but he remains a fantastic in-ring storyteller, and that should allow him to deliver a great performance alongside Ospreay.
As Jericho mentioned, Ospreay is British and will undoubtedly have a great deal of support from the more than 80,000 fans set to attend All In at Wembley Stadium in London, and it should make for a surreal atmosphere.
Jericho has fans across the world in his own right, though, meaning the crowd could be even more split than expected during the contest.
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