Jonathan Coachman has a problem with fans comparing Sami Zayn’s WWE Title loss to MJF dropping the AEW World Title, and he made it clear he does not see those situations as the same thing at all.
Coachman took to Twitter after Kenny Omega beat MJF for the AEW World Title on the July 8 episode of Dynamite, and he pushed back on people claiming AEW pulled the same move WWE did with Sami. To him, the difference comes down to intent, timing, and why each title change happened.
Coach said WWE put the title on Sami in Saudi Arabia for an emotional crowd reaction, only to take it from him nine days later when CM Punk beat him in Chicago. He argued that made Sami’s moment feel smaller because WWE already knew where it was heading.
“WWE and Triple H decided that it made sense in Saudi Arabia that you had to have one emotional moment to pop the crowd — one of their own to win something meaningful. But they made it less meaningful and almost irrelevant when they had him carry it for nine days, knowing CM Punk was going to win it in Chicago.”
What bothered Coachman even more was that WWE still had Sami go out and cut emotional promos after finally winning the title, only to rip it away almost immediately.
“So if Sami’s okay with that moment, good for him and his career. But to make him go out and shoot videos and cut promos in the ring like, ‘Oh, you all can kiss my ass, all of you that said I was not good enough,’ and then you take it from him and knew you were going to do it?”
That is where Coachman says the MJF situation is different. MJF did not lose the AEW World Title just so AEW could create a quick shock. According to Coach, MJF’s knee injury is legitimate, and AEW needed to give him time to rest before All In.
“So why did they take the title off him last night? His knee injury is legitimate. His knee injury is so bad they need to let it rest. If he was still champion and you’re going to All In against Will Ospreay, you’ve got to have that 45-minute banger.”
Coachman also made it clear how highly he views MJF, calling him AEW’s version of Roman Reigns and warning that Tony Khan should not let him walk unless AEW refuses to pay what he wants.
“As opposed to Dynamite, where MJF — he is the Roman Reigns of AEW. If Tony Khan ever lets MJF walk, it’s going to be simply because they refuse to pay him what he wants.”
With MJF needing time, Coach said AEW made a smart move by putting the title on Kenny Omega. He called Omega a legend and said there is still one strong run left in him.
“So now they put it on a legend — a guy in Kenny Omega that has one really good run left in him.”
Coachman did leave one major question open. He wondered whether AEW could still end up moving the title quickly again, especially if the endgame is Will Ospreay.
“But are they going to switch it very quickly like they did with Sami Zayn to get it to CM Punk? Will it be MJF, Omega, just to get it to Will Ospreay?”
Still, his overall point was simple. Sami losing the WWE Title after nine days and MJF dropping the AEW World Title because of an injury are not the same situation in his eyes.
“But they’re two completely different things, even though a lot of you out there are saying it’s the same thing… it’s not.”
Coachman’s take gives the whole debate a sharper edge. Sami’s short reign is still being argued over because many fans feel WWE gave him the biggest win of his career only to use him as a bridge to CM Punk. MJF’s loss, at least according to Coach, came from a very different place: protecting one of AEW’s top stars so he can be ready for a huge All In match.
Do you agree with Jonathan Coachman, or are Sami Zayn and MJF’s title losses more similar than he thinks? Let us know in the comments.
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