MJF opens up about AEW.
The company world champion penned a passionate column for the Player’s Tribune, where he promoted this Saturday’s Worlds End pay-per-view and spoke on a number of topics surrounding the company’s place in the wrestling industry. He begins by expressing how much better the industry is now that there is a second major U.S. promotion alongside WWE.
There’s a reason that “workers rights” get brought up so often in conversations around AEW: It’s because we have a lot goddamn more of them now. This sh*t isn’t rocket science. Competition = bad for management, good for labor. There used to be one major American wrestling company, now there’s two. That f*cking matters. It matters for the wrestlers who work here, since we all have jobs that literally didn’t exist five years ago. But it also matters for the wrestlers who don’t work here. For everyone in WWE, AEW means not having to work in monopoly conditions. It means more options, which means more leverage, which means more money. (And I’ll take a wild guess and say better treatment.) And for wrestlers outside those two companies, AEW matters not just because it exists, but because of how it exists. Listen … if you google me, I think it says I’m 5’11” — but we all know that’s horsesh*t. I’m like 5’8″, guys. And this is a place where, simply put, a 5’8″ Jew can be world champ. If you know wrestling history then you know that’s a big deal and why. So while I welcome anyone being critical of AEW (God knows I am)….. if you’re actually actively rooting against us? Against us EXISTING? Guess what, you’re the f*cking worst. You’re rooting against workers. And that’s the truth. Because out of all the incredible things that AEW has done over these last five years, #1 with a bullet is “put MJF on TV.” But #2 is “make the wrestling industry just a little bit better to work in.”
MJF later acknowledges that AEW may not be for everyone, but the ones who fell in love with them in 2019 have remained along for the ride in 2023. He then puts over the likes of Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, The Lucha Bros, Adam Page, and other talents who may not have been able to shine elsewhere without AEW’s spotlight.
Trust me, though, AEW isn’t for everyone. “Sink or swim” cuts both ways like a motherf*cker. If you watched us in Year One, you know that. I won’t name any names. But suffice to say, there were guys who had all the buzz in the world coming in at the start — and it turns out it was just that. Buzz. Seriously, there were guys who no one could shut up about. Oh my god, so and so, that dude is a MASSIVE star. Then you’d hear someone mention Darby Allin and it’s like, Yeah, Darby’s cool and all … but he’s little. He’s not REALLY gonna get over. You know who the GUY is? It’s so and so. But here’s the thing: It wasn’t so and so. It was f*cking Darby, who was supposed to be too small and too weird. (And is a b*tch who I’ve beaten twice with a headlock takeover — but still.) And it was f*cking Penta and Fenix, who definitely got dismissed by a lot of people at first as just these “run-of-the-mill” luchas. And it was f*cking Kingston, who is a BUM sure but got crazy over just by being himself, a dude from Yonkers. And it was f*cking me — who was meant to top out at “Cody’s sidekick” or the douchebag of the month or whatever. (And then of course you’ve got someone like Hangman, who everyone said would be great and he was. Prick!) Bottom line: AEW = opportunity in every sense of the word. If you’re good, it’s an opportunity to show that. If you’re mid, it’s an opportunity to show that. If you’ve still got it, it’s an opportunity to show that. If you’re washed as f*ck, it’s an opportunity to show that. And if you’re a generational talent (me), it’s an opportunity to show that.
The Salt of the Earth later goes on to highlight the major players in AEW, including Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Chris Jericho for their contributions to helping it become the #2 option. He also opens up about the horrors that are occurring in Palestine, how he’s against hate in all forms, and how he’ll always stand up against antisemitism. You can check out his full thoughts here.
