The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported earlier this week that AEW suspended Britt Baker following an altercation with MJF. This original report did not have many details, though it captured the main points of what went down in this exchange.
Britt Baker was “trash-talking” MJF in the women’s locker room and was overheard by MJF’s girlfriend, Alicia Atout. Atout then told Max what happened and he stormed into the locker room to confront her. This confrontation ended with MJF angrily punching a wall which likely points to a heated conversation between the two.
Fans online were confused after this report as to why Britt Baker was suspended following this altercation but not MJF. There were multiple reasons for this being the case, such as where the article originally came from, Britt Baker’s controversial history, and a potential de-escalation.
The Report Came From Dave Meltzer’s Observer
The original report that publicized the situation came from this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which stated that MJF and Britt Baker got into an altercation on Dynamite 250 in which only Baker was suspended. They highlighted the main moments where MJF punched a wall, and Alicia Atout told MJF that Britt was insulting him, but did not go any further into detail.
The report seemingly made it sound like MJF was in the wrong in this situation, which is what led to fans upset over him not being suspended alongside Britt, especially considering that he was the one who made it physical. However, it’s important to note that The Wrestling Observer has previously shown to be biased towards a certain wrestling group and that this report was likely altered in Baker’s favor.
WON’s Bias Towards The Elite And Friends
It has been previously made clear that Dave Meltzer and WON get a majority of their information from The Elite and The Young Bucks. This has resulted in most of their inside reports including wrestlers in their friend group. It played a huge part in the AEW departure of CM Punk. This is the case here as well, as The Bucks have a clear relationship with Britt Baker.
They are very close with Adam Cole, as they have been in multiple factions with each other since Cole joined The Bullet Club in 2016. They have had a very open friendship, and it was previously stated that The Young Bucks had a lot to do with Adam Cole joining AEW. Adam Cole has been in a long relationship with Britt Baker, and they even announced their engagement in January 2023. With The Elite having a history of skewing reports that paint them in a better light, it could very well have happened here as well.
Why MJF Was More Upset Than Will Ospreay
While not in the original Observer report, it was later revealed by Fightful that Will Ospreay also had a conversation with Britt Baker. This seemingly made it public that Britt Baker’s comments about MJF revolved around his scheduled 60-minute match with Ospreay. It was later reported that these comments were made as the match between Ospreay and MJF was happening, with Baker likely being upset that the two were able to take up half of the show with their match. Will Ospreay reportedly confronted Britt Baker first, and was also angry over the comments she made.
However, he wasn’t nearly as upset as MJF was, and there could be another reason for that. Although it’s unclear when exactly this exchange happened, it became public that Britt Baker cursed at Alicia Atout and told her to leave the locker room as she was the one who told MJF about the comments. This could have very well led to MJF punching a wall in the locker room, as it turned into a more personal situation.
Alicia Atout is a reporter, not a wrestler, and this may have been why Britt Baker felt as if she had authority over her in the women’s locker room. Another important part to look at is this is not the only time when Britt has used her star power as the face of the women’s division to get her way in the locker room.
Britt Baker’s Controversial Backstage History
Another reason that Britt Baker was suspended and MJF was not could be because Britt Baker has had a history of causing trouble in the locker room, and this suspension might have been a result of some of her previous backstage controversies.
This was seen with Thunder Rosa, as Britt has made some comments in the past that have been viewed negatively. Baker’s problems with Rosa started in August 2022 when Rosa accidentally broke the nose of Jamie Hayter. It then escalated heavily in September of that same year when Thunder Rosa got injured but was not forced to vacate her AEW Women’s Championship.
In October 2022, Baker stated to Bleacher Report “I think that’s been bothering a lot of people because she’s still calling herself the AEW women’s world champion and I’m the one here every week doing the work.” This was followed by multiple other comments, where she continued to take shots at Rosa, phrasing that she’s always shown up to work and that a real champion would do the same. There were reports that Britt Baker tried to get the AEW women’s locker room to turn against Thunder Rosa, though there was not much follow-up to that.
Other Instances Aside From Thunder Rosa
There have also been rumors that LuFisto decided to leave AEW due to Britt Baker, however, it was later stated that Britt had nothing to do with her departure. She took a dig at both Christian Cage and MJF on Twitter in November 2023, as she used the screen time that they received as a comparison for her not getting as much. It has also been rumored that Britt had a problem with Mariah May hitting the sling blade move, as she was doing it first. She has also had minor backstage problems with Big Swole and Red Velvet, though they have both praised her work after those controversies.
This could have played a huge part in Britt Baker’s suspension, as she has had a history of being a controversial figure backstage and on social media. This cannot be said for MJF, as although he has made some debatable statements on social media outside of the sport, he hasn’t been known for causing backstage problems in AEW. Baker will be back by All In 2024, where she will face Mercedes Mone for the AEW TBS Championship.
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