AEW star set to replace MJF at weekend indie show
With AEW World Champion MJF having to pull out of a Friday indie match due to a knee injury, another AEW star is stepping up to take his place.
First reported by Justin Barrasso, Andrade El Idolo will now face Bobby Orlando at Beyond Wrestling’s event in Cranston, Rhode Island. It will be the the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion’s first appearance for the promotion.
MJF hyperextended his knee in Wednesday’s title defense against Rush and is currently not cleared to travel or wrestle.
Andrade joins Wheeler Yuta and Lio Rush as new additions to the show since the news in addition to TNA also making travel changes in order for Bear Bronson to appear as well. The show, which is airing live on IWTV, will also feature AEW’s Megan Bayne against indie standout Gabby Forza.
Beyond Wrestling founder Drew Cordeiro told Barrasso they even had “people in WWE exploring options as well.”
“My heart swells with pride that so many people within the wrestling industry care about Beyond Wrestling and our fans. To me, independent wrestling doesn’t mean avoiding all of the biggest companies — it means pulling out all the stops to navigate the different dynamics to give this Cranston crowd the best possible show,” he said.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.