MJF Reveals Why He Turned Down WWE Contract For AEW

MJF has revealed that he was once approached by WWE, but he turned them down.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is one of the top wrestlers in All Elite Wrestling and the current World Champion in his second reign.

Friedman defeated the then-champion Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page at Worlds End in December 2025 in a four-way match for the title.

He later defended his title against Bandido on the January 14 episode of AEW Dynamite, choking out the challenger with the LeBell Lock. After the match, he praised the masked luchador, calling him a future world champion. However, he soon attacked him to a chorus of boos from the live audience.

MJF recently spoke on Ross Tucker’s YouTube podcast, where he revealed that he was approached by WWE and AEW, but decided to turn down the Stamford-based company.

I got signed at the tender age of 19 to a wrestling promotion called Major League Wrestling. It was unheard of to get signed that young.

I won many a championship there, and then at the age of 22, WWE came knocking to offer me a contract, and AEW came knocking to offer me a contract, and I went with All Elite Wrestling because I believe in the mission statement of All Elite Wrestling.

It’s where the best are meant to wrestle.

MJF’s Title Defense Set For Grand Slam Australia

Of late, MJF has found himself caught up in a web with multiple challengers claiming their stake to the AEW World Championship.

The likes of Adam Page, Swerve Strickland, Kenny Omega, Andrade, Brody King, and Samoa Joe have desired to get their hands on the title. Except King and Andrade, everyone else has held the title at least once.

On the Februay 4 taping of Dynamite, Friedman faced King in an Eliminator Match, where if he lost, he must face the 38-year-old at Grand Slam Australia.

Before the match even began, Page came out and distracted Friedman. King appeared behind the champion and put him in a chokehold, making him pass out.

He then brought MJF back into the ring and hit him with his Ganzo Bomb finisher for the victory. As a result, their match was finalized for the February 14 event.