MJF is back on AEW TV after missing almost five full months.
Ahead of MJF's AEW Double or Nothing return, the company went to great lengths to keep his appearance secret, though many on the roster had expected him to come back at the show. We were told last week that the plan was for MJF to fly into Phoenix instead of Las Vegas, which he did. Then he'd be driven from Phoenix and brought to Las Vegas, where it proved hard to keep many surprises out of the public eye. Even Hiroshi Tanahashi was spotted by fans before his Collision appearance.
We're told that MJF was actually spotted by a fan on the plane, which made its way back to Fightful as well, who were not interested in any MJF related plane scoops on a Double or Nothing Weekend. He was actually brought into the arena and backstage area in a wheelchair covered up so nobody backstage could see him.
MJF agreed to a new AEW contract at some point in 2022 following AEW Double or Nothing weekend, though specifically when or the length of the deal isn't known. At one point, MJF's contract ran from mid-July 2019 until September 1, 2022. His new (or newer) agreement made him one of the company's highest paid talent, on a multi-million dollar per year deal. By this point, MJF would have already worked 22 months past the point of his original deal expiring. It's important to note that we're not sure if that meant he agreed to an extension, or a totally new deal that replaced the remaining time on the previous contract. MJF was outspoken publicly and privately about wanting to be paid more based on what other wrestlers coming into the company received back in 2022. We're told that was adequately rectified.
It was confirmed to us that while MJF was injured significantly at the end of 2023, he didn't undergo shoulder surgery. There were plans for MJF and Adam Cole to wrestle in late 2023, and Adam Cole was considered for a possible title victory. However, Cole's injury set off a chain of events that are still felt today. We're told that a possible MJF vs. Adam Cole match is still far from a reality as Cole is not near an in-ring return, and all parties involved wanted a way to blow the feud and turn off in the meantime until that can happen.
Those we've spoken to in AEW say that the creative plans they've heard of with MJF seemed out of left field and would likely end up working out very well.