With All In rapidly approaching, one question that has been on the top of fans' minds has been the promotion's rumored interest in Shane McMahon, the former heir apparent to WWE who has since been allowed to hit free agency after a disapointing final showing at WrestleMania 39.
On paper, adding a McMahon to AEW's ranks makes all the sense in the world; while McMahon isn't – read: shouldn't be – a wrestler at this stage of his career, he has incredible name recognition and could loan that to any act he works with, be that an ex-WWE guy making his debut for the promotion, or a pre-existing AEW star like Mercedes Mone, who seems pretty on board with the idea already based on her social media posts alone.
And yet, in the opinion of MJF, McMahon should tread carefully if he decides to go “Where the Best Wrestle,” as he will absolutely smoke Mr. McMahon's baby boy if afforded an opportunity.
“I think it would be bad for Shane McMahon's mental health to get in a ring with me on a microphone or bell to bell,” MJF told Cultaholic via Fightful. “My answer is yes, because I would have the time of my f**king life, but my answer, just because I'm so salt of the Earth, is…I think for the first time in my career, maybe I'd feel bad.”
Speaking of AEW's catchphrase, MJF commented on that, too, noting that, in his opinion, it's more than just a tagline for marketing purposes but instead a quantifiable fact.
“I don't think ‘Where the Best Wrestle' is just a catchphrase. I think it's the truth. I think we have just an insane amount of talent bell to bell,” MJF declared via WrestlePurists. “When you look at our roster, Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, MJF, Okada, Malakai Black, Brody King, Jesus Christ I'm excited for Will Hobbs to come back when he's healthy. I don't want to say Will Ospreay but some people like him. Kyle Fletcher just proved a point I feel. Daniel Garcia, I think he's dead but he seemed like he was okay at wrestling. — I'm sure I'm going to get sh*t for not mentioning every single person and they're going to be, like ‘Why didn't you say me?' I'm sure Christian Cage is going to send me a text – so Christian Cage, Adam Copeland, Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, The Acclaimed, The Young Bucks, should I just sit here and name the whole roster?”
Would a, shall we say, unorthodox wrestler like McMahon fit in AEW, even if he only works a match or two a year while largely being used as a manager? I mean, it would certainly be interesting but hardly unprecedented, as he would effectively be filling the Dan Lambert role only with better talent around him and more name recognition from fans outside of the combat sports world. Assuming Tony Khan would keep him out of programs with performers like MJF, who would go after Shane's father to a borderline comedic degree, bringing in McMahon almost has no downside for AEW.
MJF sets the AEW record straight on Brit Baker “feud”
Elsewhere in his conversation with Cultaholic, MJF opened up about his reported beef with Brit Baker, which reportedly saw the former Women's Champion get suspended for her actions.
Did the two wrestlers get into it over locker room talk? Potentially so, but MJF doesn't believe it's being reported on fairly.
“Tell me if this passes the smell test. I barge into a woman's locker room. I scream in the face of a 110-pound woman, and then I physically threaten her by punching a wall in her vicinity… and I don't get suspended. Does that pass the smell test to you? Almost everything that was written didn't happen,” MJF explained via Fightful.
“Everybody has co-workers at work they may not get along with. I have a feeling that this was blown out of proportion because all of the English wrestling commentary places that make money off of people like me, who are far more rich and talented and handsome and humble, need clickbait.
“I can sit here and I can say wrestling is a very competitive sport. It breeds a level of insecurity like no other. However, I can easily put over any talent, regardless of whether or not I like them as a human being. I can sit here, and I can tell you that Britt Baker vs. Mercedes Moné at Wembley on August 25th is going to be an epic match, and we should all be excited to watch it. I don't have to like all my coworkers, and that's fine. But yeah, dude, that sh*t was wild to read.”
At this point would MJF really gain anything by talking further trash on Baker? Nope, what's done is done, and considering they wrestle in different divisions, they will almost never work together again. Better to squash it now and try to move forward as a promotion, especially with All In rapidly approaching.
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