MJF Picked AEW Over WWE In 2019 Because He Had An Opportunity To Be Himself

MJF is one of the hottest names in wrestling today. The brash young heel has taken an old-school approach towards getting over as a villain. The efforts have paid off handsomely.

WWE would love the opportunity to sign Friedman. There is likely to be a major bidding war between AEW and WWE when his contract expires in 2024. That won’t be the first time Vince McMahon’s company pursued MJF.

In a recent chat with Ariel Helwani, MJF said he had to make a difficult decision in 2019. It all came down to which company would let him do what he does the best. A conversation with Cody Rhodes didn’t hurt, either.

“I had a decision to make there. I was [21 or 22] at the time. I knew there was serious interest in me in WWE but I thought to myself ‘Are they gonna let me be me?’. That’s my biggest thing, cause I’m not fake. Everything about me is real.

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Are you gonna let me do what I do best? Then, I got to talking to Tony Khan. I was linked up with him by my good friend Cody Rhodes — hope you’re doing well buddy. We talked for hours on end over the phone about Mid-South, about AWA, about Buddy Landel and Butch Reed.

I immediately thought to myself ‘Okay. This guy gets it and he gets me’. At that point in my career it was a no-brainer. Now, you bring me anywhere and I’m gonna be a top guy in your promotion. [Back then] I needed to make sure I had the perfect launching point in my career.”

MJF will have every opportunity in the world to go wherever he wants once his AEW contract expires. Things could look very different for Tony Khan’s company had he decided to sign with WWE. The future is uncertain, but for now, Khan is thrilled to have MJF on his roster.

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H/T Fightful