Aside from a WWE Tough Enough submission video on the company’s YouTube page and a security guard cameo on an NXT Takeover, AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman has had no association with WWE. That said, he has made teasing jumping ship to the global leader in sports-entertainment a major part of his character. Dating back to Fall 2021, MJF has frequently brought up the fact that his AEW contract expires in 2024 and tends to follow up that fact with an expression of admiration to WWE. In the past, MJF has complimented WWE CEO Nick Khan and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque on AEW TV.
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That said, MJF has always blurred the lines between fiction and reality, as it has never been abundantly clear which parts of his persona are a character and which aspects are authentic. For as long as he is a fully-fledged heel, MJF has been flirting with the competition. While he usually operates as a bad guy, MJF has had brief spurts as a babyface, and when that time comes he shows signs of being an AEW flag-bearer.
MJF Takes Shot at WWE After AEW Dynamite
After AEW Dynamite went off the air on Wednesday, Chris Jericho and MJF hit the ring to share their gratitude towards AEW President Tony Khan. MJF brought up the fact that when AEW was first in the works, WWE was interested in signing him, but he feared what that company would turn him into.
“When this company was started in 2019, prior to that there was only one show in town if you wanted to make real money, and the name of that place was WWE,” MJF said. “And around that time, there was most certainly interest in MJF, but there was a part of me that thought if I went there my name might be Mordecai Schmeckle Jr. I might have to walk out with a dradel on or something.”
MJF went on to thank Khan and the others who helped launch AEW.
“But then, there was a visionary, and there was also a bunch of men called The Elite. There was also Chris Jericho, a guy who took a serious leap,” MJF continued. “All of them created an alternative, and that alternative gave opportunities for guys like your AEW World Champion, who is over as f–k, to get to be the versions of ourselves that we wanted to be.
“Tony, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for making me a very rich man come 2024 because there’s going to be a big bargaining gig. I’m getting ahead of myself. In all sincerity, I’m not the only person who wants to thank you, Tony Khan.”
MJF then brought out the entire AEW roster who applauded Khan from the stage before leading an “AEW!” chant to send the fans home.
If you use any quotes in this article, please credit AEW with an h/t to ComicBook.com.
