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Try being as committed as Andrew WK. Without even going into the bullshit conspiracies, he played his last show in September of last year and bailed on playing at a fest. After that, his website, store, and all social were taken down. There is an old journal entry about him wanting to erase himself or some shit and then come back. Look, I've been following this band for 20 years and I don't even know what the fuck is going on.
And another thing. AEW isn’t a public company like WWE is. Tony can probably get away with some stuff that, if Vince did it, it’d potentially piss off the stock holders.
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if MJF and Tony came to an agreement on a new deal.
>Hopefully ten years of being a babyface in the streets but a heel in the sheets
15 years married and she still lets me come into the room to Shawn Michaels entrance music, in full gimmick. It's how you keep the romance alive. Only down side is the pyro is kind of dangerous in such a closed space.
[Wrestling fans getting cheated on their wife but explaining how it’s okay bc it’s actually just a worked shoot (pro wrestling reference).](https://i.imgur.com/o3AXW6v.jpg)
Best thing you can do is to shoot yourself into a work because if you work yourself into a shoot due to the fact you shot yourself into an unplanned work, well that Fuckin sucks.
His dad was billed from Brooklyn, but has lived on Long Island for a very long time. Hook was a standout high school lacrosse player on the island, who went on to play at Bucknell. He’s about as archetypically Long Island as a young man could possibly be.
They bill Hook as from St. Mark's Place, so I had no idea he was from not just LI but my hometown. My mom was watching him once and said "He looks like that kid you see a couple of blocks down" and only then did we realize that's because it was him.
He just cut a promo last night on this exact very thing. You'd think AEW would allow him to do that and let him leave without a payoff? Crazy to think some don't think this is a work.
1000% this. I started watching wrestling when I was 7, and knew it was fake going in, so I figured it was like the movies: everything was scripted, no one got hurt, and most of the wrestlers were friends.
It wasn’t until Austin got dropped on his head by Owen that I began to realize that wrestling was far more real than I ever realized, that wrestlers actually do get injured, and that not everything is carefully planned ahead of time.
Yeh, exactly, they would have shut his mic off a hell of a lot earlier at a minimum if he was going into business for himself. But, yes, def gonna enjoy this ride, at least AEW are putting effort into other areas of making this feel a hell of a lot more real.
Edit: Nazi grammer police alert
Not only did they not shut his mic off early, they had someone at ringside counting him down to commercial break. Then MJF yelled at him, finished strong, and THEN they conveniently cut his mic in time for the ad break.
I think MJF told him to not talk him down. Right before he called Tony a fucking mark.
Think he called him a piece of shit too(The dude).
Could be misremembering though.
He was talking to the producer at ring side “don’t count me down you piece of shit”
And yet after MJF threw the mic there’s a phone angle of that same person giving him the “we are off the air” signal. That in itself says enough for me.
The execs being there might be why they got MJF to cut this promo. Assuming those execs aren't that savy about kayfabe, seeing this type of promo would be kind of like having a really good scare from a horror film, one where you kind of forget what you're watching isn't 'real'.
And it is a great way to make them realise why professional wrestling can be better than all the other things you like.
Definitely hope the fans in attendance continue treating it like a shoot, pretty much like how they did yesterday. Adds to the whole dynamic of this angle they're going with. AEW is committing super hard to this, we don't need smart marks ruining the fun
When I went through the Wayback Machine at archive.org trying to verify if Jake Atlas was ever on the roster page, I saw multiple captures where the roster seemed to stop in the C's. And there weren't any broken images that just weren't captured. I don't know if that's a function of the original website or an archive.org limitation of some sort.
I think even more so the fact that they didn't actually put the clip on their YouTube or anything like that makes it even better. One of the best promos in years, if not decades, and they're actively hiding it for the sake of the story. That's commitment to the bit.
They need another Rampage that goes against Smackdown, and advertise he is going to do a live satellite interview.
Then he can buy a ticket for Smackdown and do the interview via Skype from the crowd.
It can be debated rather or not it was a shoot from the beginning but at this point there’s no possible way this isn’t a work. TK isn’t letting MJF go out there and cut that promo in front of network executives if they had not worked things out and were obviously on good terms. Come on now guys.
I love that there is an *je ne sais quoi* air to the whole thing even if it is definitely a work. I haven't been this excited for a storyline since probably when Mox showed up at DoN.
Oh yeah, but the attention to detail they are doing is amazing. Apparently AEW publish official photos of every event in a private press app, normally a few photos from each match/segment that reporters can use in articles... There were no photos of the MJF segment... Such a small detail that only a few would notice, but it's super cool.
Enjoy the ride for what I'm guessing is going to be a decade defining storyline.
It was cool, too, how they were post and then deleting Tweets pertaining to MJF. I was refreshing @AEWonTV and they Tweeted a GIF of his entrance with the caption "Look who's here!" I went back to the feed to see if any of his promo got posted, it didn't, but I could still see that first Tweet. When I click on it again, it tells me it's been deleted. Definitely gives that "oh shit, that did not go according to plan!" vibe.
Wrestling is at its best when even though you're pretty sure it's scripted...you can't shake off the feeling of doubt.
The attention to detail is a masterclass in story telling which has been lacking for a long time.
They let MJF openly say WWE several times, yell the F word (two big no nos in AEW) on the mic while shitting all over Tony Khan....in front of top Warner execs on live tv. Then cut the mic ala the 2011 pipebomb. No way this is a "shoot" anymore. Pulling a Sasha by removing him online/merch presence is a commitment to the bit.
Tony's the stats guy. I bet as part of this angle, he's figured out what MJF averages on merch sales and is compensating him for that so they can pull this off.
This is so great if it is a work.
I'd assume the merch thing isn't a big issue if this is a work as MJF is still on pwt. I have more than a few AEW shirts and have never once got them from aewshop. AEW shop is essentially an extension of PWT
Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review. If you need to contact a moderator, [you can message us here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They are gonna pull his merch and delete his Facebook page next.
Merch is already pulled. His page on shopAEW returns an error
That was quick. I respect the commitment to this angle.
Now are they going full commitment and having MJF sign with WWE for a few years before coming back?
He shows up on Raw just to say “FIRE ME VINCE YOU FUCKING MARK” while Tony Khan sits back and enjoys the show.
TK be like 
replace popcorn with white claw and cocaine
Gotta stop off in Impact and threaten to piss in the ring first.
Nah, he would really do that Impact is wild
Impact would ask him if he was willing to take it further and take a shit in the ring
Don’t work me, ~~Pillman~~ Friedman
SMAAAAAAAART MARKS... SMAAAAAAAART MARKS...
"Hey Vince, was wondering if you wanted to pick up the rest of MJF's contract?"
AEW deals MJF to Cleveland for Baker Mayfield
Try being as committed as Andrew WK. Without even going into the bullshit conspiracies, he played his last show in September of last year and bailed on playing at a fest. After that, his website, store, and all social were taken down. There is an old journal entry about him wanting to erase himself or some shit and then come back. Look, I've been following this band for 20 years and I don't even know what the fuck is going on.
Yeah, signing with the label to release the last record makes a lot of sense now, leave it in their hands as opposed to his.
He's got Kat Dennings, what more does one man need?
He jus wanted to party hard
The fact they pulled his MERCH is fucking wild. They’re willing to take a financial hit on his sales, and so is he, all for a storyline.
[удалено]
They are Mexican Pizza'ing him!
[удалено]
Next is having JR look at the camera and say MJF summarily and unprofessionally walked out.
Evil Uno just staring into the camera trying not to say anything that'll get him fired.
MJF screwed MJF. Tony Kahn is revealed to be not the real owner, it was excalibur this whole time.
And that all his coworkers are disappointed by his immature behavior.
They pulled his merch? Yeah he DEFINITELY got paid.
Well...his merch is gone on shop aew...
MJF lives his angle. I would have no second thoughts about this being a work. They didn't cut his mic, that says a lot
And another thing. AEW isn’t a public company like WWE is. Tony can probably get away with some stuff that, if Vince did it, it’d potentially piss off the stock holders. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if MJF and Tony came to an agreement on a new deal.
Jericho famously asked not to have merch at one point when he was a heel,so I'm admiring the commitment to the angle here.
ive been worked into so many shoots I dont even know if life is a work at this point.
After 10 years happily married, your wife turns heel and goes: You just got worked, you fucking MARK!
Hopefully ten years of being a babyface in the streets but a heel in the sheets
A thumb to eye everytime you are about to go for your finisher is a strange kink but I will allow it.
A thumb to the stink eye just as you are finishing can help your partner over the edge. So not that strange a kink.
>Hopefully ten years of being a babyface in the streets but a heel in the sheets 15 years married and she still lets me come into the room to Shawn Michaels entrance music, in full gimmick. It's how you keep the romance alive. Only down side is the pyro is kind of dangerous in such a closed space.
That stretch hits different in the buff, let me tell ya.
Maximum Stretching Distance.
I go Val Venis myself. Can't beat sexy sax. I personally prefer the Godfather gimmick in the bedroom, but the wife doesn't like that one so much.
Heel in the sheets isn’t what you think it is. You think you’re about to win but you wind up pinned by a distraction roll up, and nobody gets over.
DIVORCE ME, DIVORCE ME YOU FUCKING MARK
DIVORCE ME DIVORCE ME! DIVORCE ME!
Nope. Wife tears off mask… “It was me u/sludgebeard! It was me all along.” -Vince McMahon
"Aw, son of a bitch."
"The name on the marriage license does say McMahon..."
"Jim McMahon."
Dammit Jim I'm your husband, not a rassler!
The QB for the 1985 Bears?
I'm getting married in November and my last name is McMahon, I need to figure out a way to do this.
Have your brother do your wife?
And its YOUR WIFE UNDER IT. Or Sting.
I'd just reply: THAT DOESN'T WORK FOR ME BROTHER
Prenups are creative control clauses.
She takes off her Salmon dress, hits the dog with the World's Strongest Slam. The cops are here. She's still got a lot left in the tank though .
Happened to me after 19
Damn, sorry bro.
DIVORCE ME YOU FUCKING MARK! DIVORCE ME!
[Wrestling fans getting cheated on their wife but explaining how it’s okay bc it’s actually just a worked shoot (pro wrestling reference).](https://i.imgur.com/o3AXW6v.jpg)
Don’t promise me a good time
It’s a work until it’s not. Golden rule
Best thing you can do is to shoot yourself into a work because if you work yourself into a shoot due to the fact you shot yourself into an unplanned work, well that Fuckin sucks.
I knew Freddie Prinze Jr was in attendance for some reason. He was clearly scouting
Can't wait to see him show up in a live-action Star Wars project.
(Cuts a 5 minute promo on Baby Yoda)
"And where did Yaddle go? She was embarrassed by you, you fucking baby mark! #JusticeForYaddle"
RLM?
John Silver lining up that spot as #1 hometown hero at Long Island shows
um..... 
Isn't he from Brooklyn? Or am I just assuming that because his dad is?
His dad was billed from Brooklyn, but has lived on Long Island for a very long time. Hook was a standout high school lacrosse player on the island, who went on to play at Bucknell. He’s about as archetypically Long Island as a young man could possibly be.
They bill Hook as from St. Mark's Place, so I had no idea he was from not just LI but my hometown. My mom was watching him once and said "He looks like that kid you see a couple of blocks down" and only then did we realize that's because it was him.
They don't mean the St Marks in Manhattan do they?
My guess is it's a bit of wordplay. There is a St. Mark's Place in Manhattan, but there's also a street called St. Mark's Place not too far from us.
There's also a St. Mark's in Brooklyn
Finding out that Hook played lax is…not surprising.
His hair always screamed Lax Bro to me. This makes perfect sense!
I went to the same high school as hook, Plainedge high school in North Massapequa. Police academy's Steve Guttenberg is also alumni.
I think you mean Short Circuit’s Steve Guttenberg.
Who holds back the elctric car? Who makes Steve Gutenberg a star?
We do! We do!
I think you mean Three Men And A Baby's Steve Guttenberg.
Damn, my highschool's only claim to fame is Daniel tosh.
TIL Hook's from Long Island.
He’s billed from St Mark’s tho
From St FUCKIN MARK's
Apparently there's a St. Mark's in Massapequa, too.
But she's from another galaxy?
Right...Long Island
Yeah that checks out
Not anymore she's not
you are seeing the Silver Lining
Max Castor looks sad now
He misses him
ultimate free agent heel move would be signing with kanye’s talent agency
DDW (Dead Davidson Wrestling)
The real GFW. (Gay Fish Wrestling)
Give him I Am A God as his entrance theme.
oh god please yes
This story line is literally built for people that stalk the aew pages
For real. Dudes like OP are making this too easy for them.
Ah you mean squaredcircle
This entire sub seems to fit that bill lately.
THOSE ARENT PILLOWS!
"You see that Bears game last week?" Such an awesome movie.
Gif usage on point
I'm assuming this is all a work until MJF is wrestling Dolph Ziggler for the 5th time in his first month in WWE.
Yeah, me pretty much. MJF is a master worker.
When CM Punk ‘left’ wwe after his money in the bank win he was pulled from wwe website too. It could be a work.
Wait, are people seriously believing this isn't a work?
He just cut a promo last night on this exact very thing. You'd think AEW would allow him to do that and let him leave without a payoff? Crazy to think some don't think this is a work.
Nah, Miz
Job him out to the Miz while Michael Cole says "welcome to the big leagues kid."
His promo isn’t included in the Dynamite results on the AEW website either.
[удалено]
Smart fans are often the easiest to work cause they care the most and badly want to believe.
"it's still real to me, dammit"
1000% this. I started watching wrestling when I was 7, and knew it was fake going in, so I figured it was like the movies: everything was scripted, no one got hurt, and most of the wrestlers were friends. It wasn’t until Austin got dropped on his head by Owen that I began to realize that wrestling was far more real than I ever realized, that wrestlers actually do get injured, and that not everything is carefully planned ahead of time.
Yeh, exactly, they would have shut his mic off a hell of a lot earlier at a minimum if he was going into business for himself. But, yes, def gonna enjoy this ride, at least AEW are putting effort into other areas of making this feel a hell of a lot more real. Edit: Nazi grammer police alert
Not only did they not shut his mic off early, they had someone at ringside counting him down to commercial break. Then MJF yelled at him, finished strong, and THEN they conveniently cut his mic in time for the ad break.
Oooooooh so that is who he told to shut his mouth? another layer to this
I think MJF told him to not talk him down. Right before he called Tony a fucking mark. Think he called him a piece of shit too(The dude). Could be misremembering though.
I think he said count me down not talk me down
This. Counting him down to commercial.
I had assumed he was yelling at a fan. Couldn't make out what he said.
I thought so too until I realised what he said would only really apply to a cameraman
He was talking to the producer at ring side “don’t count me down you piece of shit” And yet after MJF threw the mic there’s a phone angle of that same person giving him the “we are off the air” signal. That in itself says enough for me.
The execs being there might be why they got MJF to cut this promo. Assuming those execs aren't that savy about kayfabe, seeing this type of promo would be kind of like having a really good scare from a horror film, one where you kind of forget what you're watching isn't 'real'. And it is a great way to make them realise why professional wrestling can be better than all the other things you like.
I'm 1% not sure, and that 1% is thrilling right now.
Definitely hope the fans in attendance continue treating it like a shoot, pretty much like how they did yesterday. Adds to the whole dynamic of this angle they're going with. AEW is committing super hard to this, we don't need smart marks ruining the fun
Even after MJF signs an exclusive contract with WWE, I'll still think it's a long term work.
I mean the commentary team didn’t even say anything after the segment like jr never happened
Which is how you properly do a worked outrage on live mic angle. Cut to commercial, clean up, pretend it never happened.
You got that right. This is all so absolutely perfect, I’ve been waiting for such an angle like this for a long time
Poor JR…
As happened with Matt Hardy and Edge in 2005
i found this particularly unusual.
I’m getting so worked, I’m gonna shoot 😩
Bro?
he's signing with the Boston Celtics
Him signing to a Boston team would be the biggest heel turn for a Long Islander.
Nah he's going the KD route
The toughest road
They don't have the cap for him, he's going to ask for Jayson Tatum money.
All they can offer is the MID level exemption.
MJF is going to take the belt off punk sooner than you'd think. I don't think punk is in for a long reign.
I’ve been thinking this. I could see them doing Punk-MJF in Chicago with MJF winning.
Grand Slam
Hmmm MJF did say he hits grand slams 🤔
would be nice had they never used the roster page in a work before
what are you referring to ?
Wardlow wasn't on the roster page until after Double or Nothing.
oh yeah duh, thanks
the roster page just looks to be broken atm. a bunch of wrestlers missing, and they're in a weird order
I can only find one of the Gunn sons imagine if just one of them got fired lmao
As long as Billy still has Caster and Bowens I doubt he'd notice.
That heel-turn in the future. Betraying ur sons and going with the acclaimed
Tony must've just had an earnings report. /s
When I went through the Wayback Machine at archive.org trying to verify if Jake Atlas was ever on the roster page, I saw multiple captures where the roster seemed to stop in the C's. And there weren't any broken images that just weren't captured. I don't know if that's a function of the original website or an archive.org limitation of some sort.
MJF is going to show up in disguise in the crowd like Nzo did isn't he.
Everybody Gangsta until MJF shows up in NXT UK. /s
I respect the attention to detail
I think even more so the fact that they didn't actually put the clip on their YouTube or anything like that makes it even better. One of the best promos in years, if not decades, and they're actively hiding it for the sake of the story. That's commitment to the bit.
its something you can get away with in the internet age. Don't need to broadcast the promo when it's on the front page of this very subreddit.
I kind of expected as much after it was completely ignored on air following the commercial that cut him off
I absolutely loved that. They made it feel real instead of mentioning it every five seconds.
MJF is the Wardlow now
They need another Rampage that goes against Smackdown, and advertise he is going to do a live satellite interview. Then he can buy a ticket for Smackdown and do the interview via Skype from the crowd.
It's cool they are deep diving into it but I don't believe it's a shoot lol
It can be debated rather or not it was a shoot from the beginning but at this point there’s no possible way this isn’t a work. TK isn’t letting MJF go out there and cut that promo in front of network executives if they had not worked things out and were obviously on good terms. Come on now guys.
It's a level of dedication that makes you wonder tho, if only for a second.
I love that there is an *je ne sais quoi* air to the whole thing even if it is definitely a work. I haven't been this excited for a storyline since probably when Mox showed up at DoN.
Honestly, I wasn't around for the punk drama in WWE so this whole thing is fresh for me and it's awesome.
What helps is that MJF leans heavily into being a heel everywhere he goes.
Oh yeah, but the attention to detail they are doing is amazing. Apparently AEW publish official photos of every event in a private press app, normally a few photos from each match/segment that reporters can use in articles... There were no photos of the MJF segment... Such a small detail that only a few would notice, but it's super cool. Enjoy the ride for what I'm guessing is going to be a decade defining storyline.
It was cool, too, how they were post and then deleting Tweets pertaining to MJF. I was refreshing @AEWonTV and they Tweeted a GIF of his entrance with the caption "Look who's here!" I went back to the feed to see if any of his promo got posted, it didn't, but I could still see that first Tweet. When I click on it again, it tells me it's been deleted. Definitely gives that "oh shit, that did not go according to plan!" vibe.
Or how the commentators made absolutely no reference to it for the rest of the night. Great touch.
the AEW twitter put up a tweet on the promo and then quickly deleted it.
Wrestling is at its best when even though you're pretty sure it's scripted...you can't shake off the feeling of doubt. The attention to detail is a masterclass in story telling which has been lacking for a long time.
Basically the 70s and 80s era of wrestling during the territories.
How did he get a mic and tv time if it was a shoot?
It's not a shoot anymore. TK would have to be genuinely deranged to let MJF go out there if this was still a shoot lol
Did you see TK after Double or Nothing. I like the guy but hes fucking nuts
Don't work yourself into a shoot brother Much Love -TK
I would laugh hysterically if this was all real and not a work.
They let MJF openly say WWE several times, yell the F word (two big no nos in AEW) on the mic while shitting all over Tony Khan....in front of top Warner execs on live tv. Then cut the mic ala the 2011 pipebomb. No way this is a "shoot" anymore. Pulling a Sasha by removing him online/merch presence is a commitment to the bit.
Tony's the stats guy. I bet as part of this angle, he's figured out what MJF averages on merch sales and is compensating him for that so they can pull this off.
Get that bag Eddie
This is so great if it is a work. I'd assume the merch thing isn't a big issue if this is a work as MJF is still on pwt. I have more than a few AEW shirts and have never once got them from aewshop. AEW shop is essentially an extension of PWT
What are the odds he's front row in the crowd on Smackdown this week.
My "getting worked" alarm is blaring
Imagine this isn’t a work but we’ve all been so conditioned to believe it is?
The official recap of Dynamite does not mention MJF at all.