MJF has spoken honestly about the emotional struggles he faced during his first reign as AEW World Champion.
MJF won the AEW World Title from Jon Moxley at AEW Full Gear in 2022. He held the title for 406 days, making him the longest-reigning AEW World Champion in history. During that reign, he defended the title against top stars including Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Jack Perry, Adam Cole, Jay White, and Samoa Joe.
His reign ended at AEW Worlds End in December 2023 when Samoa Joe defeated him. One of the biggest highlights of MJF’s title run was the Better Than You Bay-Bay storyline with Adam Cole. However, the story took a major hit when Cole suffered a serious ankle injury.
Speaking with Self Made Pro, MJF admitted that the injury deeply affected him. He said, “I was the drizzling shits for three months after Adam Cole broke his ankle because I was dealing with the loss of a friendship, I was dealing with the loss of knowing who I was as a performer.”
“On multiple levels, I didn’t know who I was anymore for three months. He explained that even though he had spent years proving he was the biggest draw and the best in the ring, that period still haunts him as that three period gave him cold sweat.
MJF Called His Second Title Reign a Wake-Up Call for Fans
MJF said his current second reign as AEW World Champion feels different. He described it as a wake-up call for both himself and the fans. He also made it clear that he believes he is the top star of his generation.
“Let’s talk names of top guys right now… CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Jey Uso. I think you people know where I’m going with this, I’m the youngest top guy by a f*cking landslide. I got 20 more years of greatness, I will go down as the greatest of all time.”
He added that many AEW stars share the same goal of becoming the greatest of all time. “I need this belt to prove that. But you know who else feels that way? Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Andrade, Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, Brody King, this list goes on and on. The reason that our product is must see right now is because we all want to be the goat.”
“The fucking simple fact of the matter is I’m the Michael Jordan of this generation. These other people, they can be Shaq, they can be Penny, they can have fun. Only one person gets to be MJ, I’m MJ.” [H/T: wrestlingnews.co]
Read More: WWE Legend Says AEW Star MJF Proves Himself Time After Time
