Buying or Selling Latest WWE Free Agency Rumors, MJF's Expected AEW Return and More

The annual installment of WrestleMania might be in the past now, but this late-May portion of the pro wrestling calendar has just enough to feel like a 'Mania weekend rumor mill.

WWE leads the way with its thrilling rendition of King and Queen of the Ring in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the results will play a big role in programming for the summer as opposed to being a one-off that isn't necessarily canon.

AEW has Double or Nothing, 2024 edition boasting Swerve Strickland in a key title defense, an advancement of The Elite saga and plenty more, too.

Add in the usual dash of free-agent drama and contract speculation and it makes for what is quietly one of the bigger weeks for the rumor mill, so here's a look at the ones to know and whether to buy them or not.

The Latest Big Free Agent?

As everyone could have predicted, one of the biggest free-agency rumors of the week pertains to Jinder Mahal.

Kidding aside, according to Fightful (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Mahal has generated interest from "numerous" promotions around the globe since his WWE release.

And again, jokes and memes aside, this is an easy buy. Mahal is a former top champion in WWE who can play an excellent heel character. In fact, his departure from the company after cutting an extremely underrated promo in a segment with The Rock came as a surprise.

If WWE's willing to put him in a spot it knows literal millions of people will watch for years to come against a star of that caliber, it's feels obvious that other promotions—AEW and beyond—would have plenty of interest, too.

Verdict: Buying

Chatter About WrestleMania 40 Original Plans

By now, fans seem to know the deal with WrestleMania 40.

There, backstage stuff led to Cody Rhodes effectively giving away his Royal Rumble win to The Rock, then everything got torn up and rewritten due to fan backlash. Instead, a tag match featuring Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Rhodes and Seth Rollins went down on Night 1 before Rhodes dethroned the Tribal Chief the following night.

Brian Gewirtz recently said on Busted Open Radio (h/t Ortman), though, that the original plan was an idea fans "would have hated more than anything in life itself."

That would seemingly be suggesting that WWE was going to find a way to have Rhodes face CM Punk at 'Mania instead, while Rock fought Reigns based on the good reaction to his "head of the table" comments during a promo.

But....it's a massive sell. For one, WWE fans aren't strangers to having unwanted storylines thrown their way. And for two, nothing would have overcome the stunner that was Rhodes walking out and giving up his Royal Rumble win to a part-timer after another year of building his story. Want proof? Every fan has a silent agreement to just pretend it never happened.

Verdict: Selling

A New Sting?

At AEW Revolution, pro wrestling fans got a nice cameo in the form of Sting's son showing up as Wolfpac Sting.

Might that be a sign of things to come?

According to Fightful (h/t Ortman), Steven Borden, Sting's youngest son has or will start training to become a pro wrestler himself.

And truthfully? That makes a ton of sense. He's got the football background that many pro wrestlers have and he's got one of the modern greats in his corner as a guide to the industry.

That doesn't mean fans will see the results of said training anytime soon after the brief, promising-looking cameo, but it wasn't unwise to think things would trend this way.

Verdict: Buying

Another Free Agency Note

Is a WWE Hall of Famer on his way to the open market?

According to Fightful (h/t Ortman), Mark Henry has a contract expiring this month that could see his backstage role come to an end with the company.

At this point, though, it doesn't feel like Henry would depart the company he's been at since 2021. All signs pointed to his being a valuable addition as a coach and media personality. That stability he claimed to bring to the WWE locker room at the time is likely nice for a younger company to have, too.

And hey, it doesn't feel like there's an on-screen role as a personality waiting for Henry in this new-look WWE right now, either.

Verdict: Selling

Major AEW Star Returning?

It certainly feels like we're getting close to that big MJF return.

And right on cue, Fightful (h/t Ortman) has reported that those within AEW believe the former champion is on his way back near Forbidden Door.

Last year, it wasn't a secret that MJF would take time off to deal with injuries after losing his world title to Samoa Joe and projected timetables seemed to hint at "spring" as a general consensus about a return.

Forbidden Door sort of fits that idea and as an aside, he's from New York and that pay-per-view event happens to take place in that general vicinity, which aligns things nicely for the standard pro wrestling big return in front of a friendly home crowd thing.

Verdict: Buying

Yet Another Notable Free Agent

Natalya is a name who keeps making waves each week on the rumor mill now.

One week ago, buzz started to emerge about her possible slip to free agency. Now? According to Fightful (h/t Ortman), WWE has indeed been in contact with Natalya about a contract extension.

And while the report says no deal has been signed, feel free to file this one under the matter of time category.

Natalya has been around for far too long and remains too important on a whim for WWE to lose. She feels like one of those lifers, especially in the way she can mentor the younger talent behind the scenes while also putting them over massively in the ring on occasion, too.

Verdict: Buying