MJF is still a scumbag, he's just "our scumbag."
MJF might elicit more cheers than he did this time last year. He might have the crowd chanting for Kangaroos kicks and screaming his catchphrase, but he's still cutting opponents in promos and bending the rules when he can.
There's a reason for that.
“Nobody wants to cheer for a dude who's squeaky clean,” he says. “I think there's a reason why Superman movies have almost never hit, bro. I love Superman, but Batman's where it's at because Batman's more interesting. There's more depth there. The guy's not perfect, and that's something that everyone can relate to," MJF told Jason Diamond of GQ Sports.
MJF has always wrestled his style, one that doesn't involve flips and moves many consider to be high risk, opting to put opponents with a headlock takeover. MJF's connection to the crowd is what separates him from the pack in his mind.
"You can see that through the screen and I'm making you have an emotional response. Other guys in our sport, they're beating the shit out of each other and hitting moves that look crazy. And if you listen to the crowd, they'll come up when the big thing happens. But you'll also hear the big gaps of silence because they're not emotionally invested in the participants. You're emotionally invested in MJF, and you're emotionally invested in anybody I get in the ring with because I give you no choice. I'm involved, and you care about what I'm doing because you care about me.
“There's a level between being able to put your hands up like two kangaroo paws and a crowd literally freaks out and screams at the top of their lungs. Other guys have to do something like a reverse hurricanrana off the top rope to the floor to elicit the same noise level. That's the difference between me and everybody else.”
MJF is set to defend his AEW World Title against Jay White at AEW Full Gear.
He is also set to appear on the October 10 episode of AEW Dynamite, Fans can find the lineup for the show by clicking here.
