MJF Says AEW Would Have Been Dead In The Water Without Ex-WWE Star
MJF had some good things to say about a former WWE superstar who helped AEW in the early days of the company.
The current All Elite Wrestling World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman (aka MJF) isn’t shy about giving his opinion on any topic when it comes to pro wrestling.
During his five-year run in AEW, MJF has shown a willingness to say whatever is on his mind, which is something that has endeared him to the fans of the company.
As the youngest and longest reigning AEW World Champion (400+ days and counting) in company history, MJF went from being one of the top heels in AEW to his current state as arguably the most popular man on the roster. All of that happened during his championship reign that has seen MJF successfully defend the World Title against some of AEW’s biggest names.
In a lengthy article for The Players Tribute titled “I Have Some Things To Say, Please Read,” the AEW World Champion MJF had some kind words to share about the first AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho.
“Jericho — it’s really fun to sh*t on him, I know. (Trust me, I do it all the time.) But people have the weirdest, shortest memories when it comes to who he is and what he represents. Like: I respect Tony and the EVPs a lot. But if AEW at the start had just been those guys, plus a ragtag group of indie wrestlers with zero TV exposure (myself included)?? Sorry…… but no. We would have been dead in the water.”
“Chris gave us a legitimacy that people take so f*cking for granted now it’s insane. And he didn’t just make AEW feel legit — he also made AEW’s world title feel legit. Which might seem like the same thing but it’s different.”
When AEW launched in January 2019, Jericho was present as one of the first major signings in AEW. It was a big deal since Jericho spent most of the previous 20 years with WWE, but rather than re-signing with WWE, he chose to go to AEW instead. Jericho would go on to win the AEW World Title in August 2019 and held it for six months before losing it to Jon Moxley.
MJF Claims He Has Not Re-Signed With AEW
For several years now, MJF has openly spoken about “The Bidding War of 2024” about his AEW contract expiring at the end of 2023, which means he could be a free agent on January 1, 2024. Recently, MJF claimed he has yet to sign a new deal with AEW.
“I’ve been saying the same thing (about my contract expiration date). I never lied. January 1st, 2024. When stuff like that gets leaked out, it makes me laugh because I remember something leaked out about Cody (Rhodes) having secretly re-signed and then he showed up (in WWE).”
“Something got leaked out about, you know, CM Punk and Tony Khan or you know… I think fans leak out things that they want to be true. I love AEW, I wanna stay in AEW. After this pay-per-view (Worlds End), it’s time to assess the situation for a professional setting. So… not yet (I haven’t re-signed).”
As for what WWE believes, it was reported that the company thinks that Max is staying in AEW and likely has some new deal, but it hasn’t been announced officially yet.
MJF will put the AEW World Title on the line against Samoa Joe this Saturday, December 30th at the AEW Worlds End PPV in MJF’s hometown of Long Island, New York.