MJF isn’t shying away from the talk surrounding his future.
The reigning AEW World Champion recently appeared on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, where he revisited the much-discussed “bidding war of 2024” storyline and opened up about WWE’s interest in him, both in the past and right now.
And according to MJF, that interest is very real.
“You know the answer, there was a lot,” MJF responded when asked how interested WWE was in him. “I had some nice calls with some nice folks who are high up on the chain, and they were interested in me. They’re still very much so interested in me. And I understand why. But I am, for all my faults, one thing I am not is unprofessional. If you put a contract in front of me with the right amount of money, I’m going to do this. I’m going to broadcast how important those three letters [AEW] are. Those three letters are just as important as these. Because you’re paying me to say that. Now, do I believe it’s true? You’ll never know. And that’s the beauty of it. No matter what promotion I’m working for, I’m going to shamelessly shill what’s going on. That’s the beauty. Now, can I look in the camera and say, I really do believe everything I’ve said prior to this? Yes, I can. But they’ll never know.”
That’s vintage MJF, blurring the line between reality and performance.
During the interview, MJF also praised AEW as a legitimate alternative in the wrestling landscape, comparing the company’s product to “gourmet food.” He specifically named talents such as Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland, Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, Samoa Joe, Darby Allin, and Will Ospreay as household names built under the AEW banner.
When he initially signed with AEW in 2019, MJF revealed he spent two hours on the phone with Tony Khan bonding over their shared love of old-school territory wrestling.
At the time, choosing AEW over WWE was, in his words, an easy decision.
Still, he made it clear he has no doubts about what would happen if he ever made the jump.
“I know I would have been successful if I went over there. I know I’d be successful if I go over there now. That’s why they’re still interested in me,” MJF said about WWE. “I respect what they’re doing. I respect their product. I know that they respect our product because they’ve about a million times tried to counter-program us, slash us any way they can, hurt us any way they can, which, by the way, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. That’s smart business. Try to kill me. Try to kill me before I kill you. It’s f***ing smart. I’m not going to take that away from them.
“But I knew I would have a better opportunity and I would be given more of a leash [in AEW]. Now there’s no leash at all because I’m just stupidly over and I just do whatever the hell I want. But I know I’d be given more of a leash based on the way my now-boss was talking about what his vision is for professional wrestling.”
It’s confidence, and calculated candor, rolled into one.
MJF went on to say he’s proud to represent AEW as its World Champion. While he admitted he doesn’t know exactly what the future holds, he believes AEW is where he’ll remain. He also emphasized that being champion isn’t just about holding gold, it’s about driving ticket sales, boosting ratings, and helping secure television renewals.
