Ahead of Sunday’s AEW All In pay-per-view in London, AEW World Champion MJF did a town hall this morning on Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio.
MJF talking about AEW and WWE wrestlers being friends as well as headlining AEW All In:
“I definitely feel I’m the best, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’m the only one. There’s this weird thing going on now in professional wrestling where I’ll see fans online, the way they communicate with each other. It’s like, all out war. Just so you guys know, it’s not like that’s what’s going on, like, with like, the wrestlers, like, we’re all rooting each other on because realistically, the better the two companies are doing, the more money we’re gonna make. So like, stop arguing. We’re all freaking having a blast. I’m watching LA Knight and Cody Rhodes every week and I’m having a blast just like I know everybody else is having a blast. Just like I know that there are fans out there watching Better Than You Bay Bay having a blast every single week. There’s so much great professional wrestling going on and there’s more than enough room for it, clearly, because AEW is about to have the biggest crowd. This is not hyperbole. Wrestling is unfortunately a very hyperbolic sport. The biggest crowd ever in the history of the sport and I’m headlining it. When I think about that, it’s so insane to me.”
“I think another reason why people can’t get enough MJF is because I’m really similar to a lot of the people that watch every week, besides the fact that I’m a freak athlete and I’m way more handsome than everybody and a prodigy, I grew up loving the sport. I had a John Cena Fathead in my bedroom. I woke up to that man staring at me. That’s insane. I had posters of CM Punk and Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine and Jerry Lynn and Buddy Roger, like, I live for this shit, and now I get to look dead into that camera and say that I’m the headliner for the biggest show ever and it’s not hyperbole. I think that the reason people are behind me is because people see themselves in me. I’m a part of that dream and I’m proud to be a part of that.”
MJF remembers his signing with AEW:
“I cried like a baby back bitch. It was so intense because again, it was another moment where I bet on myself. I could have went the easy route. I could have went to the place that was very well established that everyone’s heard of. Everyone knows the three letters, WWE, as you should. It’s an incredible, amazing company that I still watch to this day. It’s awesome. No one knew what AEW was. No one. It didn’t exist. What I saw it as was an opportunity for me to make it something. I saw the opportunity to be the quarterback. I saw the opportunity to be the face of this promotion and I jumped on it.”
If Tony Khan saw it the same way:
“Maybe not at first. I definitely was not a quote-unquote Chosen One. I wasn’t best friends with anyone in power. I wasn’t an indie darling. Frankly, I was Scrappy Doo, like, I was kind of Cody’s sidekick when the company first started if you think about it. I’ve built this all through hard work and determination. When AEW started, I got hit over the head by Joey Janela at a pep rally if you guys recall because Joey was the star at that point in time. I was this kind of undercard guy, maybe he’s got a shot. Cody seems to like him, eh, throw him out there. It’s crazy to think about now, but that was my spot and I’ll never forget the amount of times I looked in the mirror and I said, ‘You’re gonna get there. Just keep going’, because I’ve known what I’ve gotten, and I’m thankful and I’m grateful for the people that have been along for me on this ride, even the people that doubt it because now I’m seeing, which is a very hard thing to do in 2023 because everybody loves to hold on to an opinion, even if they know they’re wrong, deep down for whatever reason. Nobody wants to apologize and it’s okay to have a conversation. People just put their, you know, flag in the sand and be like, ‘No, this is it. Done’, and like, that’s insane, unless you’re talking about a great I am, then by all means plant that flag. But yeah, now I think everyone’s pretty much come around on MJF and everyone’s agreeing that I’m a main event. I’m a headliner. I’m a world champion. I’m literally the headliner for the biggest show ever and that’s not hyperbole.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. Busted Open Radio can be heard on SiriusXM’s Fight Nation (Channel 156), Monday through Saturday from 9 am to Noon eastern.
