MJF clears up some rumors and innuendo.
MJF was scheduled to face Wardlow at AEW Double or Nothing, culminating a story that began nearly three years ago when Wardlow was revealed as MJF's bodyguard. Ahead of the event, MJF skipped out on a fanfest and reportedly purchased a plane ticket out of Las Vegas.
MJF did not end up getting on the plane, instead showing up for AEW Double or Nothing and quickly losing to Wardlow.
Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, MJF was asked about the plane ticket.
"I cannot confirm or deny there being a plane ticket. What I will say is this. I'm a businessman. I do what I have to do in order to ensure that what I need gets done. It got done. I'm back. I'm making a stupid, absurd amount of money now, and I didn't have to sign a contract extension," he said.
MJF's contract with AEW still expires in January 2024. MJF was asked if Tony Khan had wanted him to sign an extension.
He replied, "Who wouldn't want to sign me to an extension? If it was up to Tony Khan, I'd be signed until 2060."
On the AEW Dynamite episode following Double or Nothing, MJF cut a promo airing out his grievances with AEW and Tony Khan, specifically his issues with how much he was being paid in relation to other wrestlers.
"It was an oratory exhibition," MJF said of the promo. "At the time it felt warranted."
When asked how he relationship with Tony Khan was at the time, MJF replied, "Not good. Now, it's great."
Asked what it took for him to return, he said, "Money. I'm a simple man. I go out there, all I do is win. I'm winning in the ring. I'm winning on the mic. I'm constantly winning. Obviously, I had no problem with how I was being showcased. That wasn't the issue. The issue was money. I was looking to my left and my right, and I was hearing rumblings about what guys were making when I was two times, three times the draw they were minute-by-minute. I've seen the analytics. I went, 'That doesn't work for me.' I'm MJ freakin F. Pay up. Not just in AEW. Guys in WWE, guys in IMPACT, guys in Ring of Honor at the time."
When asked if he was making less than guys in IMPACT, MJF said, "I'm not saying that I was or that I wasn't. I'm just saying, I saw what a lot of top guys were making across the board, except I don't pay attention to New Japan, that's a garbage promotion. The fact that people still talk about it like it's a thing is hilarious to me. Whatever."
MJF then commented on the PWI 500, believing no one has talked about Kazuchika Okada since 2014. He does however like "Killer Khan" [Great-O-Khan] in NJPW.
During his absence from AEW, MJF was erased from AEW's digital footprint and he went silent on social media.
When asked where he was for three months before returning at AEW All Out, MJF said, "When I went home, I made it very clear to Tony Khan, 'Pay up or daddy doesn't show up.' Fact. I took my now beautiful Fiance to Greece for two weeks. On the last three days of the trip we went to Venice in Italy. I then went home, and I stayed home. I did not leave my home because I did not one single solitary wrestling fan to see me out in the wild. They don't deserve to see me unless I'm getting paid to be seen. That's why the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he does not exist, which is exactly what I did for three straight months. I take what I do very seriously. If you want to see a star, pay to see a star. I stayed in my home. I went to a gym inside of my home. I did not leave my home. The only time I left my home was for those two weeks. I was committed to making sure that, if any wrestling fan wanted to get a taste of MJF, MJF needed to get that money, and I did."
It was explained at AEW All Out via a Tony Khan voicemail that MJF didn't have to sign an extension and he would be paid more money to show up to the event. He would also be placed in the Casino Ladder Match where the winner would earn a shot at the AEW World Title.
With help from Stokely Hathaway and The Firm (Ethan Page, W. Morrissey, Gunn Club, & Lee Moriarty), MJF won the Casino Ladder match.
AEW will crown a new AEW World Champion on Wednesday at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam when Jon Moxley faces Bryan Danielson for the vacant championship.
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