During an interview with Self Made Pro, AEW World Champion MJF reflected on the period following Adam Cole’s serious ankle injury in September 2023, admitting that both he and the fans had an “unfun time” as the natural conclusion to their “Better Than You Bay-Bay” storyline was derailed.
MJF’s first world title reign concluded at the Worlds End pay-per-view in December 2023, where he lost the championship to Samoa Joe. He described those final months as a period where he lost his identity as a performer while dealing with the loss of a key on-screen friendship.
“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,” MJF admitted. He noted that while he had spent years proving he was the biggest draw and the best “bell-to-bell,” that three-month window is something he still thinks about in a “cold sweat.”
However, MJF noted that his return to the company and his current second reign as AEW World Champion has served as a wake-up call for both himself and the audience. He claimed that the fans who “lapsed” during his absence are now returning to watch the product because the “best version of MJF” has arrived. He boasted that despite his status as one of the industry’s top stars, he has at least 20 more years left in the sport.
“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 fucking landslide. I got 20 more years of greatness, I will go down as 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,” he said.
MJF captured the “Triple B” for a second time at Worlds End in December 2025, defeating Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, and “Hangman” Adam Page in a four-way encounter. Since then, he has successfully defended the gold against names like Bandido and Alec Price.
MJF’s next major test will come at the Revolution pay-per-view, where he is scheduled to defend the AEW World Championship against “Hangman” Adam Page. The match carries a significant stipulation: if Page loses, he will never be allowed to challenge for the world title again. Page earned the opportunity by defeating Andrade El Ídolo at Grand Slam Australia on February 14.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Self Made Pro with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to full interviews on the Self Made Pro YouTube channel or follow their latest updates on twitter.com/SelfMadePro.
