With news of MJF potentially departing AEW for WWE when his contract expires, Tony Khan has praised him for capitalising on the matter.
MJF will remain a focal point of All Elite Wrestling until at least 2024, having signed a five-year deal when he first joined the fledging Tony Khan-helmed promotion in 2019. However, it’s possible ‘The Salt of the Earth’ may depart the promotion when this contract expires unless a new arrangement can be agreed upon.
Fightful Select was first to report the MJF-AEW contract situation earlier this month, which reportedly left the former feeling bitter about the whole situation and leaning towards leaving the company at the earliest opportunity. A jump to WWE would be the likeliest option for him in that circumstance.
Tony Khan has since praised MJF for bringing the situation up on social media and on AEW programming. Replying to a question from Inside The Ropes’ Kenny McIntosh on AEW’s pre-Double or Nothing media call, Khan stated that wrestling is at its best when real-life mixes with the televised product:
“I think wrestling thrives when real-life merges with the things on-screen. The real-life conflict is often just as exciting as any conflict on-screen which is one of the great things about what AEW has brought to the wrestling business. There was no real, major free agent market with the top stars crossing between promotions.
Frankly, the competition needed to be brought to the biggest stage and in the ’90s, we had TBS and TNT both in the wrestling game. Now, with the launch of AEW, we’ve been able to bring that back. We’re taking what’s happening in real-life and potential movement and these contract negotiations – it’s exciting stuff – and it’s added another element to what’s already a very exciting match at Double or Nothing with Wardlow vs MJF.
MJF has been very vocal, not only about his own contract, but about his former bodyguard and how he’s tried to hold down his career. For Wardlow, this is a huge opportunity to officially become part of AEW but also to shed that image that he’s just MJF’s heavy, MJF’s thug. For MJF, it’s been a great opportunity to not only air some real-life grievances but also his status, contractually or otherwise.
I think it’s just been great to see these two on television and people are really excited about the fight this Sunday at Double or Nothing.”
Tony Khan is asked about MJF by Kenny McIntosh.
Tony Khan says wrestling thrives when off-screen conflict sometimes carries over on-screen. For MJF, this storyline has been an opportunity to air some real life grievances
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) May 26, 2022
A three-time Dynamite Diamond Ring winner, Maxwell Jacob Friedman has mentioned the prospect of him joining WWE on a variety of occasions. He’s claimed he would indeed join the company if the offer was right, addressed comparisons between himself and The Miz, and most recently, praised the WWE Performance Center.
MJF will collide with Wardlow at Double or Nothing this Sunday following Wardlow passing all of MJF’s contractual obligations. The latest of these saw the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match winner defeat Shawn Spears inside a steel cage with MJF serving as the match’s referee.
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