Like almost anyone else who follows pro wrestling, we’ve made our guesses as to who is under the Devil mask in AEW. Whoever it is started out with an attack on Jay White, but it’s clear in the weeks since that they are out to torment MJF as much as possible for as long as they can.
A new report on Fightful Select (subscription required and highly recommended) doesn’t solve the mystery, but it does eliminate a few suspects and reinforces an idea that means one specific person close to MJF can’t be ruled out.
It’s almost certainly not CM Punk
According to Fightful Select:
Those that we’ve spoken to are of the belief it isn’t CM Punk, and saying that it would be a huge work on those in the know if so. It goes without saying, but he hasn’t been portraying the person under the mask.
This idea simply won’t die, and CM Punk has conducted a masterclass in trolling to make sure it doesn’t. But would Tony Khan really think the payoff for a months-long work would compensate for the respect he’d lose after firing Punk and claiming he felt scared for his safety at All In?
That would seem like laughing at your fans, not with them, and we can’t see Khan doing that. Regardless, it hasn’t been Punk behind the mask to date.
But the person under the mask so far might not be who is revealed as the Devil
One can only hope that at some point, there’s a Scooby Doo-style reveal where the Devil is tied up and MJF gets to rip the mask off. Please.
But as Fightful Select notes, that doesn’t mean the person who has actually been portraying the Devil in their on-screen appearances will be the same one who eventually is revealed to be the mastermind.
The idea of a stand-in means that Adam Cole, for instance, can’t be completely ruled out — though Fightful says it’s not Britt Baker who’s been subbing for him in the meantime. If the Devil eventually turns out to be someone from outside AEW, this could also be buying the company time.
(So Dolph Ziggler and Mustafa Ali fans, don’t give up hope yet.)
Maybe the most potentially fun part of the report is this:
You may remember in the case of Retribution, not only were the eventual reveals not the people under the masks originally, but the talent themselves had no idea for a while they were planned for it.
Is it possible that even the Devil doesn’t know they’re going to be revealed as the Devil? That would be a great trick indeed.
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