Top AEW star MJF recently married his longtime partner, Alicia Atout. Photos from their wedding were leaked, showing babyfaces like “Hangman” Adam Page in attendance.
This prompted jokes from AEW President and CEO Tony Khan, who quipped that the wrestlers were there to support Atout, not MJF.
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer mentioned that AEW was unhappy about the leaks.
Despite fans understanding how the pro wrestling industry operates, some people still believe that babyfaces and heels should not be seen together in real life. This is particularly relevant as AEW and pro wrestling, in general, are trying to maintain the illusion that their feuds are genuine.
Meltzer said, “I know that they’re not particularly happy it happened. It’s not the end of the world. I mean, everyone knows and this and that. But it’s still, especially for people who have kind of the mentality that he [MJF] would have, and I would presume Page would have.”
He continued, “I know he would have, in the sense of he wouldn’t want that. He’s…look, he’s trying to be a heel from the 70s and 80s in 2025. And it’s not the easiest thing to do, and he works very hard at being that kind of a heel that people genuinely hate, and trying to make…and there’s nothing wrong with trying to create the illusion that these feuds are real. I mean, we know they’re not, but you do want to create the illusion.”
Meltzer added, “I don’t think you want to break the illusion.”
Bryan Alvarez noted that while AEW personnel later shared photos, the initial leaks came from fans who discovered them on Facebook family albums.
