MxM could be making an appearance for ROH in the near future.

MxM(Mansoor & Mason Madden) is trying to take the wrestling world by storm after becoming free agents earlier this year. After WWE released the team on September 21, 2023, they have been on a mission to find success on the independent wrestling scene. 

Both superstars have thrived, working for several promotions from around the world. A new report shares that MxM could also have their eyes set on competing for Ring of Honor. 

Fightful Select reported on June 12 that Mansoor and Madden would be in attendance for the June 15 episode of AEW Collision. Mansoor had also visited backstage for an AEW Dynamite the prior month. Although the report believed they would compete on the show, it ultimately didn’t happen for unclear reasons. 

However, a new Fightful Select report gave another update on the team’s potential involvement with the company. 

An AEW source shared with Sean Ross Sapp that the charismatic tag team has been in discussion for appearances for ROH. He also noted that nothing is definitive, and it’s unclear if a deal is in place yet. However, there is movement in place that makes their ROH possible in the near future.

Ring of Honor Owner Tony Khan having MxM compete on ROH TV could be a great addition to the tag team division. Mansoor and Madden have shown the Indies they could be competitive on any roster. The move to work for different promotions has allowed them to wrestle more as a team than in WWE. 

MxM could be a fun duo on the ROH roster. For now, they are still focused on continuing their success in the Indies. 

What’s Next For MxM?

Madden shared on X that the tag team will appear at three live events in July. MxM’s first appearance will be at Hoodslam on July 5, where they will take on the Stoner Brothers(Rick Scott Stoner & Scott Rick Stoner). Two days later, the popular free agents will compete at Deadlock Pro Wrestling against Sinner & Saints (Judas Icarus & Travis Williams) in the first round of the 2024 Tag Festival Tournament. 

Their last scheduled appearance next month will be at Prestige Wrestling on July 12. MxM will be involved in a Four Way Match against C4 (Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas), Midnight Heat (Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson), and Sinner and Saints for the Prestige Tag Team Championship. 

 MxM could still be booked for more appearances next month, including with ROH. Regardless, they are making the most of their opportunities as free agents and showing that former WWE superstars can thrive in the indies. 

Soft Ground Wrestling Uganda will benefit greatly from the money raised by WWE alum Mace and Mansoor, as well as others. 

SGW Uganda has become a hit online in recent months after notable names began sharing the promotion on social media. Both AEW’s Will Ospreay and TNA Wrestling’s Jordynne Grace donated to a GoFundMe fundraiser aimed at providing a standard wrestling ring as well as other operating needs. 

Now Mace and Mansoor have been able to raise more money for SGW Uganda. On Twitter, Mansoor revealed that through a live stream, they had raised over $28,000. This stream included some notable names in wrestling, including AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland, TNA X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali, Maven Huffman, YouTuber Matt McMuscles, and others. 

Incredibly excited to announce we have raised $28,731.89 for @SGWug thanks to all of your generous support!

We couldn’t have done this without all our wonderful friends who joined us for the fundraiser. Thank you to all who participated and donated.

ACHIEVE THE DREAM! S-G-DUB! pic.twitter.com/yQWOzIGnQk

— Mansoor (@suavemansoor) May 8, 2024

In a subsequent tweet, Mansoor explained that this money can be put towards six months of food, beds and mosquito nets, an extension on their lease and a storage unit for a wrestling ring. SGW Uganda has been using a ring made of mud so far, but that will hopefully change given the money raised. 

One thing SGW Uganda won’t have to put this money towards is a van that’ll allow the promotion to take their show on the road. In a follow-up tweet, Mansoor explained that his mother has donated enough to buy a van in memory of her father who gifted them a win when Mansoor’s sister was born. 

My mother, my actual shoot mom, has told us she is donating enough money to purchase a van for @SGWug

She wants to honor my late grandfather, George Vrakas, who gifted us a van when my little sister was born ??

Now, SGW can go on the road and tour in Uganda. Thank you Mama! https://t.co/29l4LFqOuF pic.twitter.com/LU20umF7fE

— Mansoor (@suavemansoor) May 8, 2024

SGW Uganda isn’t just a wrestling promotion but is a school that trains over 180 students. With this money, SGW Uganda will be able to take huge steps to the future with fans excited to see what’s next. 

Does WWE’s current method of paying talent leave Superstars reluctant to the ‘grind’ that Paul Levesque spoke of during WrestleMania week? 

At a WWE World event, the WWE COO spoke of talent choosing other promotions because they don’t want to deal with the ‘grind’ of being a Superstar. While Triple H didn’t mention any names or companies, AEW’s Will Ospreay saw the line as a dig at him which led to a scathing comment about Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

In a recent interview with WWE alum Maven Huffman, Mace and Mansoor discussed how being paid works in the modern-day. Maven explained how when he was under contract, he was paid a percentage of what events made, giving him a reason to try and work events as much as possible. 

Those days are a thing of the past, as Mansoor explained how like Maven, modern talent are paid weekly, but at a fixed rate no matter what.

“So we do get a check in the mail every week, but it’s the same number every time. No matter how many shows you work; no matter how many times you wrestle. Even if you don’t wrestle at all. We get the same payment every week. We get guaranteed money no matter what.”

Mace added that a talent knowing they will receive the same amount each week may be discouraged from working as they’ll make just as much money sat at home. 

“In a way you’re actually not incentivized to work because when you’re working house shows, doing all these dates, you have to pay for your car. You have to pay for your hotel and the only thing we don’t pay for are our flights. If you were just sitting at home hurt, you’re just getting your weekly paycheck.”

Maven questioned how factors like merch sales and appearances are relevant given this system and Mansoor would explain how the ‘bucket system’ works. 

“Every time you work a show, you get an invisible payment that doesn’t actually go into your bank account. It goes into the metaphorical bucket. The top of the bucket is your downside… If your downside is $125,000, then every time you work a show, they make an invisible payment of $1,000. Now you don’t see that $1,000 until you make $125,000 worth of bookings on top of your downside. So everything above $125,000 is a bonus for you.”

With the bucket system, talent can be left waiting for some time before they see the benefits of working house shows and other events. Unfortunately, as the pair explained, a talent getting close to overflowing their ‘bucket’ may find themselves be kept off TV and house shows with the reasoning that ‘creative has nothing for you.’ This, of course keeps talent from being paid the bonus they would have had their ‘bucket’ overflowed.

WWE’s way of paying talent has clearly changed since Maven’s tenure and while it may have flaws, it has made many wrestlers (and of course the company) a lot of money. In this new era, we can’t count out that WWE could change its payment to a system more favorable to the talent in the ring. 

A former WWE tag team has scored their first taste of championship gold following their release from the promotion in September of last year. 

September 2023 saw the first wave of talent releases following the launch of TKO Group Holdings that same month. These releases came shortly after WWE cut over 100 employees from its corporate offices. These cuts were made as part of synchronization efforts with UFC to ensure that there was as little unnecessary staff in TKO. 

New Champions

Mace and Mansoor, collectively known as the Maximum Male Models, were among the names cut from WWE in September of last year. Now the pair have captured championship gold. At an event for Beyond Wrestling, the pair won the promotion’s tag titles. WWE NXT Superstar DIJAK was in attendance at the show to commemorate the win for the models. 

WE DID IT! NEW CHAMPS!@GREATBLACKOTAKU @suavemansoor @beyondwrestling @indiewrestling pic.twitter.com/EviJEUlptu

— DONOVAN DIJAK (@DijakFYE) March 9, 2024

In WWE, neither Mace nor Mansoor won championship gold. Mace’s only title opportunity in WWE came at a 2020 WWE NXT live event where he unsuccessfully challenged NXT Champion Adam Cole. Mansoor would never even get an opportunity at a title in WWE, with his biggest win being the 51-Man battle royal victory at WWE Super Showdown 2019. 

Championship Releases

Notable names cut at the time included Matt Riddle and Nic Nemeth, both of whom have gone on to capture championship gold in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Nemeth is the current, and second-ever IWGP Global Champion while Riddle is currently the NJPW World Television Champion. 

Mustafa Ali has gone on to join TNA Wrestling and is the reigning TNA X-Division Champion. The Retribution leader captured the title, his first championship in a major wrestling promotion, in the main event of TNA No Surrender. 

Impact Wrestling’s re-branding into TNA Wrestling is complete, but they are not finished surprising fans with who they bring into the company. They are taping for television tonight, and three new free agents are backstage.

Who’s Backstage at TNA’s Television Taping 

TNA Wrestling is taping another round of television shows over the next two days in Orlando. The company is looking to carry on with their current momentum, and that could come with a few unexpected additions to their roster.

Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select that three free agents are backstage at TNA Wrestling’s television taping event. Two of those are recently released WWE Superstars, and another is a familiar face for NJPW fans.

Fightful Select has learned that Mace & Mansoor, the former Maximum Male Models are backstage at the show. The two were released by WWE in September and are now free agents. In addition, NJPW regular Alex Zayne is backstage at the show.

The report also noted that there is no word on whether Mace, Mansoor or Alex Zayne will be used during the taping, but they are present. They are also, “set to meet with the office at the show.” 

TNA Wrestling’s Plan For Upcoming Television Taping

TNA Wrestling already announced a few matches that they are taping for Friday and Saturday night. It appears that the company has a couple good shows ready for fans.

TNA Wrestling Card For 1/19/24

• Nic Nemeth vs. Trey MiguelMoose vs. KUSHIDA
• Alex Shelley vs. Eddie Edwards
• Trinity vs. Gisele Shaw
• Chris Sabin vs. Jaon Hotch
• Josh Alexander vs. Alan Angels

TNA Wrestling Card For 1/20/24

• TNA Digital Media Championship Match: Crazzy Steve vs. Rhino 
• Moose, Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers vs. KUSHIDA, Kevin Knight & Alex Shelley
• Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside
• Ash by Elegance vs. TBA
• Jake Something vs. Frankie Kazarian
• Killer Kelly vs. Dani Luna

Four days before Christmas, several former WWE stars will get the gift of free agency. On Friday, their 90 day non-compete contracts will be up.

In September, WWE cut over 20 wrestlers. That list included Mustafa Ali, Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, and Emma.  

The wrestling world rallied around all of the athletes who lost their jobs, including John Cena, who leant support to longtime friend Dolph Ziggler:

One thousand five hundred and fifty four matches. @HEELZiggler #Respect

— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 21, 2023

Plans for free agents released by WWE

So, what’s next for these former WWE Superstars? Here’s a list of what we know so far:

Dolph Ziggler:

Ziggler had been with the company for nearly two decades and competed in 1.554 matches. He (Nic Nemeth) has been doing comedy shows with his brother, Ryan Nemeth. 

He is rumored to be joining his brother in AEW. On Jan. 6, 2024, he will wrestle in Puerto Rico against Ray Gonzalez. 

Mustafa Ali

Ali posted on social media last Friday night a clip that said 12/21/23 with music playing in the background. He captioned it “12/21 12:21 PM EST.” 

The tease lead up to the announcement of the 2024 Mustafa Ali World Tour:

‘Top Dolla’ AJ Francis

On Thursday, the former “Top Dolla” AJ Francis posted “Thank you WWE. Tomorrow begins the Dolla Era. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Thank You @WWE ??
Tomorrow begins the Dolla Era ?

Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You… pic.twitter.com/xyp15z8hm2

— A.J. FRANCI$ ? (@AJFrancis410) December 20, 2023

At midnight on December 21, his new single dropped. He performed the song at Busted Open’s holiday party. He is also scheduled to wrestle on January 6 for Coastal Championship Wrestling. On January 26, he’s set to make his GCW return at “Look At Me”. 

WE OUT$IDEEEEE @SIRIUSXM

S/o @BustedOpenRadio for having me perform my new single DROPPING AT MIDNIGHT at their Holiday Party! ?? pic.twitter.com/Z28lmxxQzr

— A.J. FRANCI$ ? (@AJFrancis410) December 21, 2023

Mansoor

Mansoor and the former Mace, now known as Mason Madden, are hitting the indies as MxM. They’ve been announced for EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch and GCW in January. On December 10, they showed up at Deadlock Pro Wrestling’s 2nd Anniversary Show to say they were there “until the wheels fall off.” Their first match will be against West Coast Wrecking Crew on January 20. They are also lining up singles matches. 

Surprise, motherfuckers @deadlockpro pic.twitter.com/od6AJdeOkt

— Mansoor (@suavemansoor) December 11, 2023

Tenille Dashwood & Riddick Moss

Tenille Dashwood posted a video of herself and fiancé Riddick Moss with the caption “Day 89 mood. See y’all tomorrow!” Moss yells “freedom!” at the end of the video. 

Day 89 mood ? see y’all tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/CaZedLHrcG

— Tenille Dashwood (@TenilleDashwood) December 20, 2023

The couple also has a travel show launching on YouTube on Friday. 

We’re just ONE WEEK away from the launch of our new show, and we picked a name! We can’t wait to share our crazy travel adventures with all of you, so make sure you subscribe to the YouTube channel (link in bio) and look for the first episode on December 21! The only question… pic.twitter.com/VZJvBqiqHb

— Tenille Dashwood (@TenilleDashwood) December 14, 2023

We at SEScoops wish everyone the best moving forward. 

WWE has many ideas floating around, but not every concept comes to fruition within the company. One such discarded idea involved a faction inspired by Antifa, which WWE swiftly abandoned.

Mace joined WWE in 2016 and marked his main roster debut in 2020 as part of the Retribution faction. Unfortunately, the plans for this group, led by Mustafa Ali, were inadequately conceived. 

During a conversation with Denise Salcedo on Instinct Culture, Mace shed light on the initial concept behind Retribution. He disclosed that WWE initially envisioned the group resembling Antifa but decided against it due to the potential controversy that would have ensued.

“[Where did the pitch come about? When did you think of it? How did you feel being part of Retribution?] There was no pitch. If you remember correctly, the initial appearance of Retribution was a bunch of extras because there were a bunch of like really small guys at the time. That’s why, that’s actually how I ended up being in it. There were a bunch of little small guys that were extras. They had no idea who they wanted them to be from what I understand. And I think they were trying to do an Antifa thing. I think that was the idea.“

“But at the same time, it’s a very big company. There’s not really much room for controversy anymore. So, at some point they were like, ‘Yeah, maybe we shouldn’t. But we already did this big angle and we need to kind of finish it in some capacity.”

What Is Antifa?

Antifa is short for “anti-fascist.” The group emerged with roots in various political ideologies, united by a shared opposition to fascist and far-right ideologies. Operating primarily in response to perceived threats of fascism and white supremacy, Antifa often employs direct action methods to counter such ideologies. 

Members of Antifa groups emphasize decentralized, grassroots organization, with no formal leadership structure. The movement’s tactics include protest, direct action, and, at times, confrontations with those they perceive as promoting fascist ideologies.

WWE may have considered making Retribution fall in line with this idea, but they went in a different direction.

WWE’s Wild Booking Of Retribution Stable

WWE didn’t make Retribution a politically-charged angle on television, but that doesn’t mean they had a plan in mind. 

WWE started that Retribution angle during the pandemic, with no live crowds or pay-out planned. This stable was a Vince McMahon vision from the beginning, and it did create interest during their early stages.

I was told at the time that Vince McMahon was mostly writing the angle on a week-to-week basis. This is why things changed so much about the faction, how many members there were, and who were even under the masks, until the big reveal.

Notable members included current AEW talent Mercedes Martinez, NXT standout Dijak, former NJPW star Shane Haste, and SmackDown’s Michin. Despite their introduction in August 2020, the faction disbanded seven months later with very little fanfare, and without giving Mustafa Ali much of a chance to really lead the stable.

In September, WWE released several talents, and that came as a big surprise. WWE fired over 100 people from their corporate headquarters, right after the TKO Group Holdings deal closed, and then they axed several members of their roster.

The NXT Superstars who were fired during that list of releases has already seen their non-compete clauses run out. NXT Superstars only have a 30-day wait, but main roster talent must wait even longer.

Although WWE released all of those Superstars at once, they saved Matt Riddle on his own the next day. He had a laundry list of infractions, personal drama, and other backstage controversies with WWE; so, he burned his last bridges and nobody could protect him from a release this time around. The Original Bro will be among those names that will enter the free agent market this week.

As of next week, around December 21st, those released WWE Superstars will be officially free agents. Their 90-day non-compete clauses are going to expire, leaving a lot of possibilities in the pro wrestling world. 

Those former WWE Superstars will officially become free agents, granting them the freedom to work with any organization. The list of wrestlers includes Mustafa Ali, Aliyah, Shelton Benjamin, Rick Boogs, Emma, Dana Brooke, Dabbo-Kato, Elias, Quincy Elliot, Mace, Mansoor, Riddick Moss, Matt Riddle, Shanky, Top Dolla, and Dolph Ziggler.

We previously reported that Dolph Ziggler already has a pro wrestling gig announced. Odds are, his schedule will be as busy as he wants it to be. 

AEW is also always a part of the conversation whenever non-compete clauses start to expire. It stands to reason that Bryan Danielson would pull to have Tony Khan sign Mustafa Ali, someone he also pulled to work with during his final run in WWE.

We will have to see where all of those former WWE Superstars appear next. It could result in some big headlines in the not too distant future.