Quote:
Originally Posted by Destor
MJF coming off the indies, with no name and no value outside of what they intended to build with him, wasnt making any real money. his first contract lets says its 80k. thats the first garunteed money he's ever had. so he gets over. they bump him to 250k. if he's actually smart he should be able to see the upward momentum. if plays his cards right and becomes truly indispensable then in time, say 5 years after they with his key role helping to elevate the product, he's holding down real money he can start putting away.
he's an important act for the quality of the show. but if we're talking return on investment he's got some ways to go to be pulling money like former wwfs guys are pulling. and for obvious reasons.
now he puts the office in a real tough spot. they cant pay the entire roster 5mill/a. the money isnt there to spend what theyre spending as is. this company is losing money afterall. so if they pay MJF they have nothing to barter with when contracts come up with the rest of the card.
he's made a scenario where they basically cant give him what he wants. it will cost them way too much.
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I really respect your opinion, but I do have to disagree. I think the WWE are going to take him and use him way better than people expect. I think he’s got some sort of transmedial value (talk shows, talent search shows, albums, acting, etc.) and he’s going to be allowed to push buttons (within reason) that Vince and Bruce will be 100% behind. Cody’s got their ear, and I’m pretty sure Cody will want the next chapter with him in a stadium show, and MJF will probably be able to go over after saying all the trash he wants.
I don’t think he’s going to beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Can I see him squeaking out a Money in the Bank and having a big gun at his side that gives him believable ways to cheat and helps build up another jacked-up guy they plan to bank on? Absolutely.
I legitimately think he will have a Hall of Fame worthy career (by their standards) by the time he’s done five years with them.
From the AEW side of things: I get that they don’t want to cave in and know he’s almost definitely going. But I think you want that guy on your TV and at least get the chance to re-up with him in 18 months. The landscape could be entirely different. WWE has their business ducks in a row, but their popularity might take a hit from an influx of people who see, say, The Rock for a WrestleMania thing and then hate the product or whatever. Vince could die. A scandal could break out. Someone gets sideways with them and jumps out of spite and opens them up. Hell, Tony might figure something out and AEW could get better.
I’d be working with him and letting him know “Okay, you think you’re leaving. But I’m going to make it so you get what you think you need right now and in 18 months it’s going to be worth it to stay with me.” And you get what you can put while he is important instead of just handing him off and risking him making them look like there’s another guy they squandered.
It being so public is awkward. But it shouldn’t have gotten to this point. In my opinion, this should have been a private conversation between Tony and MJF where Tony increased his deal, because he’s actually worth that. It’s not something you do for anyone unless they are making waves.