New report says Miro turned down AEW’s plans for his return to TV

Miro’s worked four matches for AEW this year. The last was three months ago at All Out, and he hasn’t been involved in anything since then, so it seems likely he won’t wrestle again this year.

It’s led to a lot of questions. Sure, he was off doing a villain of the week role on for a CBS cop show. But that’s been in the can for a long time, and this is someone fans have long believed could be a main event talent for Tony Khan. His rollout after signing with AEW was rough, but fka Rusev seemed to find himself with his TNT championship run. What in the wide, wide world of sports & entertainment is going on here?

One answer came earlier this week. It was basically the All Elite version of the old “creative has nothing for you”, and it was received about how you’d expect by the growing number of fans who have pitchforks out for TK. Even among those who don’t pick sides and the AEW faithful, the report was greeted with a collective “WTF?”

A second report is pushing back on that one, though. Since it’s coming from Dave Meltzer, some will dismiss it as spin straight from Jacksonville. But before we get into that, here’s what Meltzer wrote in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Fightful reported that Miro was healthy and not doing acting and was not being used because there was no creative idea for him. The first part is accurate. The second part is very much not. He isn’t injured and he is available. Ideas were presented for him in September for an angle that would go through Full Gear but he wasn’t down with them, so rather than put him on TV for no purpose, they were waiting for him to agree to creative. He’s expected back soon and the sides have been talking.

Dave was a little more blunt on the Observer’s F4WOnline message board. There Meltzer said the plans pitched to Miro were “better than what Ethan Page got” (which was a winning streak so Ricky Starks’ wins over him in the World Title Eliminator Tournament final and Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal would theoretically be more meaningful). Dave claimed it wasn’t a case of Page being given the exact storyline Miro turned down, “but the difference is Ethan Page was seemingly onboard with being the guy who wins a bunch, talks a bunch, and sets up the guy getting the title shot in the end. And that’s why he was all over TV.”

Damage control from Team AEW to make it seem like a case of a wrestler who wouldn’t do business rather than a company leaving money on the table by not using a popular guy?

It’s hard to rule out entirely. But stories about creative clashes and rumors of the dreaded “backstage heat” have popped up throughout Miro’s career, so it’s hard to say he has no role in this either. AEW may see him as an upper midcard monster heel type whose role is to put over rising main eventers. He probably sees himself as a main eventer, and doesn’t mind getting paid while working on side projects if Khan isn’t going to book him like one.

Hopefully they can get back on the same page. I don’t know who’s right about Miro’s ceiling, but I do know I miss promos about angry gods and flexible wives.