Mick Foley has backed AEW’s MJF, agreeing that wrestlers can create their own WrestleMania moments and don’t need to be in WWE to have them.

Foley praised MJF in his recent interview on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” stating that he has had some memorable moments wrestling in front of a small audience and that it isn’t necessary to have a match at WrestleMania to experience something special.

“I really respect what he [MJF] says about not needing a WrestleMania moment because, Ariel, I’m going to tell you that in life and in wrestling, we get to select our own WrestleMania moments,” he said. “I’ve got, I think, three shows left, and I alternate stories, but the core stories, there’s three or four core stories that stay the same. And two of them were matches in front of less than 150 people or less. And they become so meaningful because of the work that was put in and the lengths that we went to make it special. And no one will tell me those moments were not as good as appearing in front of 101,000 people at WrestleMania Dallas. Don’t get me wrong, that was amazing.” 

Foley narrated an incident involving a sick child, where he dressed up as Santa and put on a performance that left many in the room emotional. He called it his own WrestleMania moment, stating that everyone can create their own special moments.

“So, anyone out there, whatever field you’re in, I really believe we get to pick our own WrestleMania moments, that we don’t allow anyone else to decide what success is. Like, we get to do that for ourselves.”

Mick Foley, despite receiving unflattering remarks from MJF, has lauded the AEW World Champion and recalled the first time he saw him in the ring. At first, the WWE Hall of Famer was unsure whether he would make it big in a major promotion, but MJF eventually proved him wrong. Foley has been pleased with MJF’s development and even went as far as to say that the AEW star is currently the best on the mic.

“I saw him at an independent show in Alaska, maybe 2018 [or] 2019, somewhere around there. I thought, ‘Man, what a fantastic independent heel this guy is.’ Honestly, I didn’t think he could project toughness at that point. And I thought, ‘Hey, nothing wrong with being a great independent heel, but I don’t know if he can project toughness to the point where he can contend with the top guys in either organization.’ And I’m happy to admit I was wrong on that because he does. He can and he does, and he was good already on the microphone, but this guy, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say he’s the best in the business on the microphone right now.”

There’s the possibility that Foley — who came face-to-face with MJF at Double or Nothing — could get in the ring with the AEW World Champion for one final match, which has seemingly been in the works for quite a few years.

Seth Rollins was forced to vacate the WWE World Heavyweight Championship back in October after suffering a torn rotator cuff, an event that became the first domino to fall in a series of events that led to CM Punk and Roman Reigns headlining WWE WrestleMania 42. Rollins was on the WrestleMania card as he faced off with GUNTHER, but it’s clear he felt like he should have been in the main event given his recent comments in an interview with “Prince St. Pizza,” stating that he was disgusted by the match.

“WrestleMania this year was a bit tricky for me man,” Rollins said. “So I tore my rotator cuff back in October, but I was holding that title. I lost it, had to give the title up, didn’t get beaten in a match for it, I had to forfeit it because I had to go get surgery on the rotator. So I was out for five months, in the interim, CM Punk wins the title, takes it into WrestleMania and he’s wrestling, in the main event mind you, my other rival, this fella named Roman Reigns right? So you’ve got two of my worst enemies fight each other for my title, in my main event, and I have to watch that, I have to swallow that. So it’s really difficult for me to feel any which way other than disgusted by the result.”

Rollins isn’t giving up on reclaiming what he thinks is rightfully is. He does have a route back to the title he never technically lost as he will compete in this year’s King of the Ring tournament, with his first round match taking place on the June 8 episode of “WWE Raw” as he takes on Ricky Saints, Talla Tonga, and Je’Von Evans in a Fatal Four Match. If he wins the tournament, he will earn a title shot at WWE SummerSlam, and it’s safe to say that “The Tribal Chief” will be on his mind.

Please credit “Prince St. Pizza” when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.’s coverage of “AEW Collision” on June 6, 2026, coming to you from the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, OH!

Last week on “Collision”, Hazuki made her AEW debut and picked up a victory of Maya World. Her Owen Cup tournament opponent, Persephone was on commentary. Persephone has been cleared from the mist attack she received from Julia Hart and will face Hazuki tonight.

After lasting 5 minutes in the 5-Minute Tag Title Eliminator match last week, TayJay will get their title shot against Divine Dominion tonight.

Last week, The Dogs beat The Gunns. David Finlay used his shillelagh to help secure the victory. Tonight, the Bang Bang Gang’s Juice Robinson looks to get even against Clark Connors.

RUSH came up on the losing end in his match on “Dynamite” against MJF. Tonight, he seeks gold again when he, Dralistico, and Sammy Guevara challenge The Conglomeration for the Trios titles. There will be more trios action between Death Riders (Mox, Claudio Castagnoli, and PAC)  and Shane Taylor Promotions (The Infantry and Lee Moriarty). STP attacked Mox on commentary leading to a big brawl at the end of “Collision”.

Now more than a year into her TNA run, Indi Hartwell seems to be settling in with the promotion, as she has signed an extension to stay with the company for the foreseeable future. Prior to joining TNA, Hartwell was in WWE, and while she is grateful for the opportunities she was given there, Hartwell explained on the “Battleground Podcast” that she feels she’s been able to express herself more fully in TNA.

“I think fans are finally getting to see me on my own,” Hartwell said. “They’re basically seeing me grow as a singles competitor and as an individual, because a lot of my NXT run, I was in a tag team, or a group, or a marriage, so I never got a chance to show me – just me.”

Hartwell acknowledged that she did win the WWE NXT Women’s Championship for about a month in 2023, but the exposure she’s received as a singles performer in TNA has been more sustained. On the topic of titles, the wrestler confirmed that she has her eyes on the TNA Knockouts World Championship, which is currently held by Léi Yǐng Lee, who performed in WWE as Xia Li.

Although she seems creatively fulfilled at this point in her career, Hartwell also emphasized how important WWE was to her development. Among the aspects she was most grateful for was her onscreen marriage to Dexter Lumis.

“I’m just so grateful that I’m a part … of something that people gravitated towards so much,” she said. “I think it’s because, in wrestling, there are a lot of things wrestling fans can’t relate to, like … having a match or winning a title. But they can relate to someone falling in love, or chasing someone in pursuit of love.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Battleground Podcast” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.