MJF is one of the brightest stars in All Elite Wrestling, but he’s well aware of the looming bidding war for his services.
Since his AEW debut, “The Salt of the Earth” has reached remarkable heights; he’s a three-time Dynamite Diamond Ring winner, and he’s feuded with some of the biggest names on the roster. The leader of The Pinnacle recently defeated CM Punk in Chicago in a buzzworthy bout, and the two foes will clash in a Dog Collar Match at AEW Revolution. While many fans view MJF as one of the foundational stars for AEW’s present and future, he isn’t strictly bound to the company out of loyalty.
During an appearance on iHeart Radio’s Wrestling With Freddie, MJF discussed the looming battle for his services once his contract comes up in 2024. He made it clear that he intends to go wherever he can make the most money, and “The Salt of the Earth” also teased that he could jump to Hollywood eventually. MJF stated that he expects both WWE and AEW to offer him millions of dollars when the time comes.
“There’s talk of a bidding war, and these FOX execs, they’re thirsty for daddy,” said MJF. “I mean they want a piece of me bad. And you know, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I’m not interested. I like money. I think if there’s one thing I love more than gold, it’s green. And I’m gonna go wherever I’m offered the most. By the time I turn 35 though, I’m probably gonna be well and done with wrestling. I’ll probably have achieved everything that I possibly can in the pro wrestling genre. And by that time, I’d imagine you’re gonna be seeing me on billboards for movies and TV shows.
“I’m sure by the time 2024 rolls around, you will see people that were working in AEW already now potentially making the jump to WWE. But what you won’t see is the amount of money being thrown. When I tell you, and this is a straight fact, I know for a fact when 2024 rolls around, we’re talking millions of dollars that I know for a fact that whomever owns WWE by then, we don’t know, is going to be willing to pay Maxwell Jacob Friedman, while Tony Khan, good friend of mine, love TK, great guy, is also gonna be offering me a butt-ton of money. And I love AEW. AEW is a great place. But like I said before, I love money. That’s all that this is. At the end of the day, this ain’t friend business, this is show business, and it’s a business with a capital B. And that’s all that matters to Max.”
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To elaborate, MJF described that WWE will be desperate for “daddy” because signing him would be the equivalent of shooting AEW in the heart with a sniper rifle. He explained that, if he jumps jump, AEW will lose its “glue” because he’s the top heel.
“I think WWE is gonna be willing to do whatever it takes to get me to jump ship,” said MJF. “Because to have me is to pretty much take a sniper rifle and shoot the heart of All Elite Wrestling because that’s what I am, I’m the glue. Because everybody around me hates my guts. Everybody wants to punch me in the face. I am the top-tier guy that everybody has a problem with. When you take your biggest antagonist, even though personally I feel it a protagonist, when you take your biggest antagonist so to say, and you take them away, what do you have? What is the Batman without the Joker? He’s nobody.
“There is no success without having that thorn in your side. And I got no problem being that thorn because it makes me a s— ton of money. So to answer your question, yeah, I do believe that these people are gonna be willing to shell out a lot of cash for me. Because not only am I one of the greatest talkers, not only am I one of the greatest professional wrestlers this sport has to offer, I’m someone like Piper, a gentleman you had mentioned earlier, that is able to make people feel something, viscerally feel something. It’s a lost art in my industry.
MJF went on to note that he is “irreplaceable” because he gets people to tune in and deeply feel something every time he’s on the screen
“I’m the guy that’s gonna make tune in, and I’m gonna grab them by the face,” said MJF. “That’s what I do. That’s why I’m irreplaceable.
Time will tell what MJF’s long-term future holds, but he’ll aim to pick up another major win when he faces Punk at AEW Revolution.
