AEW World Champion MJF shared insights into his wrestling journey and future plans during a recent interview with Self Made Pro. He discussed avoiding factions, praising the current main event scene, and critiquing modern wrestling styles. MJF also expressed interest in collaborating with John Cena on film projects.
In an interview published on February 24, 2026, with Self Made Pro, AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, known as MJF, opened up about various aspects of his career in All Elite Wrestling.
MJF firmly stated his reluctance to join another stable, citing past involvements with groups like Inner Circle, The Pinnacle, and The Hurt Syndicate. "I don’t think I ever want to be in a stable ever again," he said. "I think what makes me special is the fact that I’m one of the few people in All Elite Wrestling that can stand ten toes down alone by himself and be the most interesting act on the show. I don’t need to rely on others."
He praised the current AEW main event scene, noting competitors such as Adam Page, Brody King, Andrade, Swerve Strickland, and Kenny Omega. "I don’t think it’s an unfair thing for me to say that right now, point blank, this is the best the main event scene has ever been in the history of the company," MJF remarked.
Reflecting on 2023, MJF addressed the period following Adam Cole's ankle injury in September, which sidelined Cole for a year and interrupted their storyline across AEW and Ring of Honor programming. MJF held the AEW World Championship until losing it to Samoa Joe at the Worlds End pay-per-view in December. He admitted struggling during those months: "Three months, I did what I admit — I had an unfun time after Adam Cole broke his ankle... 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."
MJF positioned himself as the youngest top star, comparing himself to veterans like CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, and Jey Uso, and likened his status to Michael Jordan in the current generation. He criticized peers for not studying wrestling enough, leading to homogenized styles: "Everybody wrestles like the next guy in this generation. Everyone’s wrestling the exact same way and it’s a snooze fest for me. The way I wrestle, I’m a traditionalist at heart."
Looking beyond wrestling, MJF expressed enthusiasm for acting, having appeared in 'Happy Gilmore 2' and with roles in post-production for 'Violent Night 2' and 'Stranglehold'. He voiced a desire for an action comedy with John Cena: "I want a MJF x John Cena two-hander at some point. Truly. I think that is going to happen. I’m manifesting that in my head."
MJF is scheduled to appear on the February 25, 2026, episode of AEW Dynamite to announce the stipulation for his match against Adam Page at AEW Revolution.
