AEW News Roundup: Top star called the next Shawn Michaels, veteran wrestler believes MJF would fail in WWE (23 June 2022)

AEW is currently prepping for the go-home show ahead of this weekend's Forbidden Door PPV. With one of the biggest cross-promotional PPVs ahead of them, what has the promotion been up to recently?

Some of the biggest stars on the roster have made waves in the news cycle, and today's AEW News Roundup will detail three of the most important stories for your convenience. Continue reading as we dive straight into today's roundup:

#3 Chris Jericho believes that MJF will get watered down if he leaves AEW and signs with WWE

One of MJF's biggest rivals in AEW was undoubtedly Chris Jericho. The two stars had a compelling feud that reached impressive heights and involved two factions.

In a recent interview with TalkSport, Jericho touched on all the controversy surrounding the young star and how he might sign with WWE.

“Oh absolutely, [his character would be watered down in WWE]. He’s better off staying in AEW. But, again, don’t stick your finger in the light socket. You tell a little kid not to do that and they’re going to do it to see what happen,” Jericho said. (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)

Chris Jericho spent a substantial portion of his career with WWE. While the veteran took breaks here and there, he ultimately was a member of the roster for most of his career. If anyone knew the full extent of WWE's creative control, it would be Jericho.

#2 Former WWE Superstar Athena (Ember Moon) discussed her time with the promotion

Athena during her WWE run as Ember Moon.

Athena was unfortunately one of the stars WWE released back in November 2021. The star initially made her debut with the promotion in 2015 and ultimately spent some time on all three brands. To the delight of her fans, Athena made her AEW debut in May 2022.

In a recent interview with NBC Sports, the star touched on how her time with WWE slowly began to drain her passion for wrestling.

"Over the course of like six seven years with WWE it became work. When I left it was like I got to sit at home for three months and just figure out what I wanted to do and I didn’t necessarily know if I wanted to wrestle again. It was just like I was afraid that I would go like and it would feel like work and so on some level, yeah, I feel like the passion was sucked out," Athena said. [H/T: SEScoops]

Other wrestlers have also described the lack of passion they felt toward wrestling after signing with WWE. While the promotion clearly has a much bigger budget and further reach, it seems to severely lack creative freedom. Hopefully with AEW, Athena will regain her love for wrestling.

#1 Booker T believes that Adam Cole could be the next Shawn Michaels of wrestling

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently came under fire after he commented on Adam Cole's physique. While the legend hasn't been the only critic to comment on the latter's body, he still received the brunt of the backlash.

However, while recently speaking on his The Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T clarified his statement. Additionally, he noted that he believed that Cole could be the next Shawn Michaels.

"I think this guy could be the next Shawn Michaels, that's what I said about Adam Cole when he was in the WWE. And why don't I say that now about Adam Cole? It's because he's not in the WWE, okay? He's not in that structured environment like Shawn Michaels was in that structured environment to get him to that point," Booker T said. [From 33:50 - 34:17]

The Panama City Playboy has not quite achieved the same heights as Michaels did by his age. However, with AEW still growing, there are virtually endless possibilities for the star moving forward. Cole has notably always risen to the top in the promotions he's been in, so it seems like he has a bright future with AEW.