MJF has high praise for two of WWE’s rising stars.
The AEW star topped the 2026 PWI 500 rankings, with several WWE names also landing inside the Top 10. Among them were Trick Williams at No. 8 and Oba Femi at No. 9.
Speaking with Pro Wrestling Illustrated about the wrestlers who joined him in the Top 10, MJF praised Williams and recalled getting to know him outside of the ring.
“Trick Williams at the No. 8 spot, talk about a guy who has only been on national television for a very short period of time,” MJF said.
“I got to meet Trick at LaGuardia Airport, in my opinion the best airport in New York state, and we chopped it up a little bit. Got to hang out with him again recently at my friend Dip’s (Bryan Diperstein) party. He’s just a good guy. I like him. Great guy. Boatload of potential… Nothing bad to say there.”
MJF offered similar praise for Femi, pointing to both his size and upside.
“(Oba Femi) Great dude and very large,” MJF said. “A very large man and another guy with a boatload of potential.”
MJF also discussed Gunther, who ranked No. 10 on this year’s list. While praising the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, MJF admitted he is still bothered by Gunther defeating John Cena in Cena’s retirement match.
“Great guy. Pretty upset about the John Cena match, still am. John Cena is the second greatest professional wrestler behind me. And to just see John go out like that it was really upsetting.”
MJF would then dive into his thoughts on “The Career-Killer.”
“I mean Gunther (is) probably the hardest hitting professional wrestler in the game besides me of course. Really talented. Tough SOB. In the words of AEW commentator extraordinaire Jim Ross ‘he’s tougher than a $2 steak.’”
Williams and Femi both moved to WWE’s main roster in January and have quickly established themselves in prominent roles. Williams went on to capture the United States Championship, while Femi has been featured in a high-profile program with Brock Lesnar.
