There has already been a significant development regarding MJF‘s upcoming plans in independent wrestling.
On Thursday, Beyond Wrestling announced that the AEW World Champion has been pulled from Friday’s scheduled match against Bobby Orlando after reportedly suffering a hyperextended knee during Wednesday night’s episode of Dynamite.
According to the promotion’s Twitter account, MJF has not been medically cleared to travel or compete and will therefore miss the event in Cranston, Rhode Island. Beyond noted that the AEW World Champion remains committed to making up the appearance once his schedule allows and wished him a speedy recovery.
Unfortunately @The_MJF hyperextended his knee during his match last night & is not medically cleared to travel or compete. He will not be in Cranston tomorrow night but assured me he will wrestle for Beyond Wrestling as soon as his schedule allows. We wish him a speedy recovery.
— Beyond Wrestling (@beyondwrestling) June 4, 2026
The cancellation is particularly notable given MJF’s recent comments that the Beyond Wrestling event could be his final independent match in the United States for an “extraordinarily long time” as he shifts his focus back to AEW. Despite the setback, MJF reportedly still intends to honour the booking at a later date.
MJF Says Upcoming Match Could Be His Last Indie Appearance
MJF has indicated that his upcoming independent wrestling appearance could be his last in the United States for the foreseeable future. The AEW World Champion is scheduled to face Bobby Orlando at Beyond Wrestling’s Break the Walls Down event on June 5 in Cranston, Rhode Island. However, speaking with Justin Barrasso of The Undisputed, MJF suggested fans should not expect to see him competing regularly on the independent scene moving forward.
“I’m going to announce that this is probably the last American independent match I’m going to have for an extraordinarily long time,” MJF said.
The champion explained that his primary focus needs to be on AEW and pointed to his recent loss of the AEW World Championship to Darby Allin as evidence that he cannot afford distractions.
“I need to focus on AEW. I took my eyes off the ball for a millisecond, and a dude who is like 145 pounds soaking wet beat me. That can’t happen,” he said, while also taking issue with the circumstances surrounding the defeat.
Despite that setback, MJF noted that he remains a three-time AEW World Champion at just 30 years old.
Friday’s match will mark MJF’s first appearance for Beyond Wrestling since 2019. The former champion first wrestled for the promotion in 2016 and credited Beyond with helping him establish himself early in his career.
“Beyond was one of the first independent circuits that really took a chance on me,” MJF said. “That’s where I could talk on the microphone before my matches, and it’s where I wrestled big matches with top names at the time on the independent circuit.”
MJF also expressed excitement about facing Orlando and said he hopes the opportunity will help raise the profiles of both his opponent and the promotion.
“Now I want to come in and see what Bobby Orlando is all about. I’m excited to test this kid, I’m excited to get more eyeballs on him and on Beyond, and that’s naturally what is going to happen because I am the biggest draw in this business.”
The AEW World Champion has remained active on the independent circuit in recent months. Along with appearances for WrestlePro, Create-A-Pro and Limitless Wrestling, MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Rush on the June 3 episode of Dynamite.
If MJF follows through on his comments, Friday’s match could be the final opportunity for independent wrestling fans in the United States to see the AEW star in action outside the promotion for quite some time.
