MJF Scum of the Earth
I interviewed MJF in May, but wanted to drop it as a major feature this week ahead of the All Out show. While the interview has already aired, no articles came of it because of the long-form. As it turned out, the process of interviewing him was just as interesting because of how eccentric he is. When you're interviewing MJF, it's hard to decipher what he truly believes and what he doesn't.
As outlined in the interview, he's still under contract to MLW, and will perform there until it expires. Then he'll be with All Elite Wrestling full-time, where he has since signed an extension. When asking how this came about, MJF said that Court Bauer of MLW knows where his bread is buttered and allowed the deal to happen accordingly.
The antics that happened off camera are all detailed in the long form feature, but if you're in public, the MJF you see on-screen is the MJF you'll get. The same applies to if he even thinks there may be a camera around as best I can tell, which was always the case when I was around him.
We spoke about the process of him signing with AEW, and he said that he felt it was the best bet for him. As it pertains to the void he'll leave on the indie circuit, he's hoping that the next "MJF" will rise, but doesn't seem too optimistic about it. He called his class of indie wresters great, and called AEW signing him and others a "giant nuke" to indie wrestling.
When I asked MJF if he stole Stokely Hathaway's CD player, he kicked me out of his hotel room.
Britt Baker Enhancement Stories
Our newest edition of Enhancement Stories is from All Elite Wrestling standout Britt Baker, who opened up about her extra work against Nia Jax years ago. She told me she was incredibly anxious for the spot, even though she'd done extra work before, which mainly consisted of hanging out in catering. She was told by referee John Cone that she'd be taking on Nia Jax, which kind of shocked her because there were no real enhancement matches for women at that point. She spoke of the pressure, her nerves, and mentioned that she thought it was actually a joke.
Despite getting busted up during the match, Baker was thankful for her experience and exposure, going as far as to call it "rewarding."
AEW
AEW has their fourth show coming up, and the production will be something to keep your eye on. Thus far, there has been minimal instruction given to announcers, with a large degree of freedom being provided.
In reaction to the NXT to cable TV news, AEW knew about this well ahead of time and expected it. They didn't, however, know when the announcement was going to be made.
Moxley's injury wasn't quite a surprise, but AEW told some involved on a need to know basis last Wednesday night about the news he couldn't compete. We're told that he'd flown to Toronto Summerslam weekend after his NJPW booking to see Renee Young, which was a bold move considering his infection.
Braun Strowman and I discussed the mega-important topic of Crocs as a fashion statement, as he was wearing them during the interview, and had gained a little bit of attention for it in the past. He joked that he's in a good mood when he's wearing those, and "ready to party," but whenever he throws on the boots, that's when you need to be worried.
The topic of his contract came up. Strowman has re-signed for four years, and he said that he was a little surprised that the news of the impending contract expiration didn't leak. He told us that he's a very private person, and tries to not let his personal business end up in "the dirt sheets, like those other marks." He then revealed that he actually only had about a month left on his contract before the deal was set to expire.
Strowman gets to tear up things as a major part of his job, which he called "being like a comic book character." Generally, when Vince McMahon makes up his mind on what he's going to destroy, it ends up sticking. Strowman often will arrive at the building and already see the stunt team preparing for whatever it is he's doing.
Neil Magny
UFC fighter Neil Magny is out of action due to a USADA violation, but don't expect him to make a jump to pro wrestling. Magny told Fightful that he would love to get a match in at some point, he said that he doesn't have the time to dedicate to become successful in pro wrestling from the entertainment aspect of things. When asked if he'd consider it with downtime or retirement, he reiterated that he probably wouldn't have the time to do it the way that he wanted.
Drew McIntyre
We spoke with Drew McIntyre, who seemed to love the city of Toronto, and his role in WWE. He said he was hoping to get a kick ass heel run and wanted to make Vince McMahon picking him as the "chosen one" a part of his character's growth and story. He didn't regret any of the angle because it helped craft who he is today.
McIntyre never actually planned on returning to WWE. He was caught off guard by his firing, and had decided by the end of that day that he was going to transform himself and his career. He's thankful for the platform he's experienced outside of WWE, and it took Triple H and William Regal convincing him that NXT and WWE was a right fit to bring him in as opposed to him continuing work outside of WWE.
We also talked about him developing the Claymore. He went back through the process of him accidentally falling and knocking himself out while wearing pants that were too tight and throwing a big boot. It was a happy accident and he refined the move and made it his own.
