Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s professional wrestling future is a bit uncertain. The self-proclaimed generational talent made it crystal clear that his initial AEW contract was set to expire on January 1st, 2024, often bringing up the “bidding war of 2024” in televised promos as far back as Fall 2021. Upon turning face in Summer 2023, MJF refrained from bringing up free agency teases. This led to speculation that he had quietly signed an extension with AEW. Nonetheless, MJF lost the AEW World Championship this past December at AEW Worlds End and has been absent from programming ever since.
John Cena Wants MJF to Sign With WWE
Big Match John has his eyes on MJF.
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Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, John Cena praised the former AEW World Champion, providing some insight into their interaction at The Iron Claw premiere last year.
“Sports-entertainment is a finicky business, and again, there’s a lot of chances to make moments. This is one of their top performers for AEW and I don’t know if I’m going to be the target of a moment. I’m just going to support my friend in a movie. He couldn’t have been nicer,” Cena said. “He couldn’t have been more cordial. We met each other and I got pulled away to take some pictures [but I went back to him]. I shook his hand. I said, ‘Man, I’m so sorry. Excuse my ignorance, I didn’t know what to expect from you today. You are a class act. I can’t believe you’re as professional as you are. That’s just my ignorance. I’m sorry I had that judgment. I want to thank you for being so special. Thanks for making my night.’”
Cena and MJF’s conversation continued later that evening, where Cena eventually shared his hopes that MJF lands on WWE’s books down the line.
“Then we got back and I was able to talk to him more. I kind of was like, ‘Maybe we can get you to play for the right team one day’, and all that,” Cena continued. “There’s no denying the fact that he’s doing good work and I don’t think that I should ignore that. Honestly, I was floored by his professionalism.”
MJF spoke with ComicBook.com this past December and provided his perspective on the interaction.
“This dude was a fathead on my wall in my bedroom. I was kind of s–tting my pants frankly,” MJF said of Cena. “The professional answer is I was very excited to meet with a peer, but the realistic answer is this was a guy I grew up watching. It’s a guy that I bought merchandise for. I bought tickets for. “I look forward to working with him at some point down the road. I most certainly feel I will. I can’t wait.”
