Wrestling fans were left divided following the events of the October 27 AEW Dynamite, as era-defining heel MJF appeared to turn into a babyface. ‘The Salt of the Earth’ ditched The Firm after they laid out Jon Moxley, resulting in him being unceremoniously beaten down himself, Chokeslammed through a table by W. Morrissey.
Whether or not he’s now officially fighting on the good side is a mystery. MJF was only a babyface for the first few months of his AEW career when aligned with Cody Rhodes and even then, he played up his trademark heel mannerisms.
MJF’s Babyface Turn Has Confused Ric Flair
Discussing the angle and apparent change in character alignment on the latest To Be The Man podcast, Ric Flair has stated how confused he is about MJF seemingly becoming a good guy after years of redefining the meaning of being a heel:
“Here’s my take, I’m a little different. I don’t see why he has to be a babyface. If you’ve got a great heel, leave him alone. I mean, why turn him babyface, to get a rating? Deep down, the fanbase loves him as a heel. You love him as a heel, I love him as a heel. Why make him a babyface? Because it’s wrestling 101? Get the highest heel as high as you can and then turn [them] into a face?
It makes no sense, I would leave him as a heel all day long. And he’s a real good worker and great talker like you said. As a matter of fact, I like [CM] Punk as a heel. I do like Punk as a heel. When you could talk down to people and you can get away with it and pull it off and make them mad, that’s what it’s all about. You know, who wants to be a good guy?”
MJF’s babyface turn, if it is indeed the case, has occurred less than a month before he challenges Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship in the main event of Full Gear on November 19.
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit To Be The Man and link back to this article with a H/T to Inside The Ropes.