MJF has been one of AEW’s biggest VIPs since the very beginning. He has been one of the company’s best talkers and has been a part of the company’s most iconic moments.
One of those moments took place last year when he asked company owner Tony Khan to fire him because he felt unappreciated and was convinced that “the competition” – i.e. WWE – would appreciate him more.
On-screen, Friedman’s issues with his contract appear to have been placated. At the end of All Out 2022, Maxwell Jacob Friedman returned after an audio recording was played which strongly suggested that Tony Khan capitulated to his demands and basically gave him whatever he wanted.
And yet, according to Fightful Select, the current AEW World Champion appears to be still playing both companies as he very much continues full speed ahead with his goal of starting “the bidding war of 2024.”
According to the report, MJF has spoken to at least one wrestler in WWE and is alleged to have said that he “looks forward to being there [in WWE] in 2024.” Word of this interaction has spread within that company, and a source that spoke to Fightful’s staff noted that the company is indeed very interested in signing him once his AEW contract comes up.
However, there’s a key issue complicating the matter at this time: no one, aside from Maxwell Jacob Friedman himself, knows exactly when his contract ends.
He has told people that it ends at the start of 2024, but this hasn’t been verified. Anyone that has tried to ask him for more details has been heard more or less the same words he said on TV.
MJF spoke to WWE talent and expressed interest in working there in the new year
In other words, MJF may, for all intents and purposes, be working people behind the scenes as much as he is working the fans.
Because MJF doesn’t have an “off switch” – i.e. a clear distinction between playing his on-screen persona and his real-life self, those that spoke with Fightful noted that they’re taking whatever MJF is saying “with a grain of salt”.
Lastly, even if MJF is indeed telling the truth about his contract’s supposed end date, that may or may not take into consideration whether he has signed any contract extensions.
But because he “took time off” after calling Tony Khan a “f***ing mark” last year, it’s widely being assumed that there was indeed an extension added to his contract which would put said contract’s end date later than when he has said it ends.