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Welcome back to another stacked edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE news & rumor roundup. Crown Jewel is in the books, and we have all the backstage news and notes coming out of the pay-per-view.
How did WWE officials react to the latest Saudi Arabia event? Who were the leading producers of the matches? The roundup covers all the necessary points.
Elsewhere, a top AEW star teased the possibility of jumping ship to WWE once his contract ends. A current RAW superstar also revealed what Vince McMahon told him about his chances of making it big in the WWE.
Several backstage details have also emerged regarding WWE's perception of Adam Cole and the creative plans for the superstar before his departure from the company.
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We ended the roundup on a positive note as two popular names unveiled new looks on social media. On that note, here's the latest WWE News & Rumor roundup:
#5. MJF says he could end up in WWE after his AEW contract expires in 2024
MJF was the guest on Rasslin' with Brandon F. Walker, and the AEW star made a few interesting comments about the possibility of working with WWE.
MJF put himself over as the future of AEW and noted how Tony Khan understands the superstar's importance to the promotion. 'The Salt of the Earth' explained that he doesn't indulge himself in ratings-related trash talk because he realizes that there is a possibility of becoming a WWE Superstar in the future.
MJF claimed he would consider doing business with Vince McMahon's company if Tony Khan "does not fork up the right money."
"So Tony Khan understands where his bread is buttered. Tony Khan understands he has the best promo, or interviewee, or guy on the stick, however you want to say it, in all professional wrestling. I'm also one of the best in-ring wrestlers in the world today. My issue and the reason why I don't get into ratings talk, and I'll let everybody else do it, is because someday, if Tony Khan, again good friend of mine, love him, doesn't fork up the right amount of money when my contract goes up in the beginning of 2024, I might go to the other place," stated MJF.
MJF also mentioned Bruce Prichard and said that he had a great relationship with the current WWE executive. Prichard has apparently known MJF since his Major League Wrestling (MLW) days, and the AEW star is confident that Bruce is a huge admirer of his work.
The 25-year-old wrestler added that his AEW future will depend on Tony Khan's offer and didn't rule out making the big switch over to WWE.
"Bruce Prichard, we go way back to my Major League Wrestling days, absolutely. He's a huge fan of mine. I've been in this business for a long time since 2014, riding the roads. It's up to Tony Khan to decide what happens there, and that's why I don't get into ratings talk."
Do you see MJF getting picked up by WWE in the future?
#4. Backstage news and notes from WWE Crown Jewel 2021
WWE's latest Saudi Arabia offering was pleasantly a solid show as several fans have praised the overall quality of the pay-per-view on social media.
WWE officials backstage also seemed thrilled with how Crown Jewel panned out, as per PWInsider's report.
The general feeling backstage within WWE is that Crown Jewel was one of the most well-produced pay-per-views of the year. Vince McMahon and his team are happy with the overall Crown Jewel presentation and the fan reactions to the show.
Here's what Mike Johnson reported:
"Those who spoke to within WWE was really thrilled with today's Crown Jewel PPV as the feeling was it was one of the better major shows they have produced over the last year. I would concur with that assessment."
Regarding WWE's return to Saudi Arabia, it was revealed that the company tentatively plans on going back to the Middle East in the first quarter of 2022.
It should also be noted that Adam Pearce and Chris Park (Abyss) were producers at Crown Jewel.
#3. More on WWE's reported plan for Adam Cole and the company's doubts about his size
While Adam Cole has settled down nicely in AEW, the backstage news regarding the final days of his WWE run continues to make headlines.
During a recent Wrestling Observer Radio episode, Dave Meltzer revealed that WWE officials felt that Adam Cole was too small to be a top guy. '
While the WWE management was aware of Adam Cole's polished skillset, they were reportedly also concerned about his look on the main roster.
"Everyone knew how good he was and their feeling was that he's too small to be big-time," revealed Meltzer.
As noted, WWE wanted Adam Cole to chop off his long hair and become the on-screen manager of Keith Lee.
Meltzer stated that the odd booking idea came from Bruce Prichard and the Wrestling Observer journalist further explained how Vince McMahon has surrounded himself with people who have an outdated approach towards professional wrestling.
"Bruce was the guy with the Adam Cole idea. That's not the guy; that's not the guy you want there…He needs a guy who is a product of the last few years of wrestling who knows the last few years of wrestling and understands today's wrestling, and has a clue of where tomorrow's wrestling is going because today's wrestling doesn't matter. You should be thinking 2024 and 2025 right now. If you're in 1980 then you're going to be even further away," added Dave Meltzer. H/t WrestlingNews.co
WWE reportedly feels it still has the best product in wrestling, and officials don't seem concerned with AEW, who they think will burn out just like WCW.
#2. Vince McMahon had doubts about Mustafa Ali's prospects in WWE
Mustafa Ali spoke to The Metro's Alistair McGeorge and opened up about his recent struggles in the WWE while also specifically revealing details of his conversation with Vince McMahon.
Ali has endured a tough time since moving to the main roster as he has often found it tough to get TV time. Mustafa Ali found himself at home for almost seven months despite pitching several ideas for his character and storylines.
Mustafa later realized that he would have to pose all the tough questions if he intended to get ahead in the WWE. The former cruiserweight star stated that he approached Vince McMahon and asked whether he lacked something as a WWE superstar.
McMahon responded by saying that Ali was too 'clean and polished.' The WWE head honcho wasn't sure if Ali had it in him to succeed at a high level. Here's what Ali revealed about his brutally honest chat with Vince McMahon:
"Even pre-pandemic, I was struggling to maintain television presence – and I know it was all character based. When you pitch a million and one ideas as far as stories, characters, promos, this and that – and you always get told that you're good, but then nothing happens – you start pointing the finger at everybody except for you. After sitting at home for seven months and then finally coming back to Monday Night Raw, only to pick up a few victories and then to go back to not being on Monday Night Raw and now being stuck on Main Event, you're kinda scratching your head. Like, what have I gotta do? And then you realise, you'vrealize go ask the hard questions. I went up to Vince McMahon himself and said, "What am I missing?" [He said], "Too polished, too clean, too nice, I don't know if you have it in you!" Ali revealed. H/t
Is Vince McMahon right about Mustafa Ali?
#1. Karrion Kross and Michelle McCool reveal new looks
Pro wrestling personalities constantly change their appearance, and it applies to inactive performers as well! It's been several years since Michelle McCool retired, but the former WWE Women's champion continues to keep things fresh with her look.
The Undertaker's wife took to Instagram to reveal a new braided hairstyle. As you might have imagined, McCool was the focal point of many hilarious memes on Twitter!
Karrion Kross's new look was also quite talked-about amid reports of WWE reportedly planning to alter his character. In a series of new photos posted on Instagram, the former WWE NXT champion was seen sporting longer hair, and there were also some changes to his facial hair.
You can check out the photo below:
Could Karrion Kross revitalize his main roster run with a new look and gimmick? There are several questions across scattered today's roundup that you can share your views on, and we'd love to know them in the comments section below.
