AEW News and Notes: What was going on with that MJF promo?

The MJF promo on the Feb. 23 “Dynamite” originally had me wondering if AEW is setting up a double turn at “Revolution.”

The promo, in which MJF talked at length about being bullied as a kid for being Jewish and struggling in school with ADD, put wrestling’s current top heel over in a babyface light, and the stunned reaction of CM Punk, his opponent at “Revolution,” sold the uncertainty over MJF’s direction so well that it also had you wondering what might be next for Punk.

Because the story that MJF told about being bullied as a kid was the basis of him reminding fans that Punk had quit the business in 2014, turning his back on his fans for more than seven years before returning last summer.

A double turn could set up Punk, as a heel, for a run at the AEW world title, assuming the current champ, “Hangman” Adam Page, retains at “Revolution” against the challenge of Adam Cole.

It could also set up MJF as a babyface for a run at Cole, if Cole were to pull the upset and leave “Revolution” as the champ.

It would seem to be a waste to have MJF, the best promo in the business right now, as a face, but not if he were positioned as a “Stone Cold” Steve Austin-type anti-hero, which would allow him to aim his sharp wit at heels like Cole, Bryan Danielson, when he returns from injury, Kenny Omega.

Another way to look at this is what we’ve seen here is just MJF giving himself an origin story, like The Joker in “Batman,” for why he is who he is, and acts the way he does.

As he told fans last week, he grew up a wrestling fan like everybody in the arena, and he was a huge CM Punk fan, and he genuinely felt let down when Punk decided to leave WWE in 2014, and that’s the basis of his beef with Punk, and why he wants to surpass him as the new “Best in the World.”

There are so many convoluted scenarios offered for sale to us as to why we’re supposed to buy into a feud that, however this one turns out, it’s refreshing to have something that feels real.

Too many chair shots

You might have read about a startlingly dumb tweet from Glenn Jacobs, WWE’s Kane, somehow the mayor of Knoxville, Tenn., on the Ukraine crisis.

If not:

If you on the Left and are shocked by Putin’s aggression, wake up, Sunshine. Historically in the real world, might makes right. Weakness (which is really what the Left is all about) is not a virtue. It’s a fatal character flaw.
(And, no, the US should still not get involved).

— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) February 27, 2022

“The Hangman” had this as the checkmate response:

UNICEF – Support Children of Ukraine: https://t.co/C29Gtm21G0

Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund: https://t.co/GvAdAs1otF

10 Ruthless Chair Shots Kane Took to the Head: https://t.co/NFJ02hHFQr

— HANGMAN PAGE (@theAdamPage) February 27, 2022

The Undertaker failed to get the job done when they were kids, but Adam Page just buried Kane once and for all.

What is Tony Khan selling?

AEW founder and president Tony Khan said Friday that he has a “historic announcement” that will impact the entire wrestling industry, and that he will share the details on Wednesday’s “Dynamite.”

“I have a huge announcement coming and nobody knows what it is. It’s going to be something very important in the wrestling business. It’s not just one particular piece of talent. It’s something very special. I’m really excited about it, and I believe it is something we will be in a position to announce on Wednesday,” he told “Busted Open” on SiriusXM.

I’m not seeing any speculation on what this could be, so I’ll float this as a possibility: a second live weekly two-hour TV show.

The live event schedule on the AEW website is good through the “Double or Nothing” pay-per-view on M

Anyway, it’s just a total guess.

Story by Chris Graham