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MJF Questions Why Talent Jump From AEW to WWE to be Booked and Paid Worse

AEW World Champion MJF is asking the difficult questions.
Matt Black|
MJF
MJF | All Elite Wrestling

MJF doesn't care about having a "WrestleMania moment" if he's getting paid less money.

Proper compensation for athletes in the sporting industry has been a hot topic lately. Former UFC and WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey has spoken very openly about how poorly UFC pays its fighters. The UFC is owned by TKO Group, which also owns WWE.

While the perception for many years has been that WWE pays its talent well, former stars who worked for the company, like Swerve Strickland, have said they get paid dramatically more in AEW. Even Dustin Rhodes has recently revealed he never received a raise during his entire stint with WWE. That's mind-boggling to think about.

MJF also decided to remain with AEW after the infamous "betting war of 2024." So what exactly is happening?

MJF AEW
MJF | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

MJF says being compensated properly is the most important thing

All Elite Wrestling's MJF recently spoke with Denise Salcedo, and when asked about Ronda Rousey's recent comments on proper compensation for athletes, Friedman questioned why some wrestlers have jumped from AEW to WWE only to be booked and paid worse.

"This is where the best wrestle. We're real premier athletes," MJF said. "We're not models. We're not ex-football players, or ex-volleyball players, or whatever. This is what we've wanted to do from the jump. Everyone whose name just came out of my mouth, the only thing they've ever wanted to be in their life is a professional wrestler.

"And we have honed our craft to the best of our absolute abilities, which has made us so incredible, which is precisely why we are getting compensated the way we should be compensated. I cannot -- God bless people that do it. People will jump to the other place to get booked the same, and or worse, to be compensated far less. Why? I don't know.

"If the answer is legacy, you know what I want my legacy to be? I want my legacy to be that my children are going to be able to afford to go to any school they want, they're going to be able to afford to go to any restaurant they want, they're going to be able to go on vacations, they're going to be able to wear the nicest clothes.

"And that's happening because I get compensated what my talent is worth. I'm not going to settle for less compensation, so I get to have a WrestleMania moment. That doesn't make sense to me. My legacy is my family. My legacy is my wife. My legacy is my children, my grandchildren, etc. My legacy is also what I do inside that squared circle and on this microphone. And I can assure you, if you make a big enough name in All Elite Wrestling, your legacy is going to go a long way in this fanbase."

MJF will headline a very stacked AEW Revolution card this weekend

This Sunday evening at Revolution in Los Angeles, MJF will defend the AEW World Championship against Hangman Adam Page in a Texas Deathmatch. It's not a match that Friedman is overly thrilled about, but he knows a victory will stop Hangman from ever challenging for the AEW World Championship ever again.

Here is the current card for this weekend's AEW Revolution pay-per-view event:

  • Texas Deathmatch for the AEW World Championship: Hangman Adam Page vs. MJF (c)
  • Two out of three falls for the AEW Women's World Championship: Kris Statlander vs. Thekla (c)
  • AEW World Tag Team Championship: Young Bucks vs. FTR (c)
  • AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship: Megan Bayne and Lena Kross vs. Babes of Wrath (c)
  • AEW Continental Championship: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jon Moxley (c)
  • AEW Trios World Championship: JetSpeed and Mistico vs. The Don Callis Family (c)
  • Swerve Strickland vs. Brody King
  • Andrade El Idolo vs. Bandido
  • Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir
  • Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, and Roderick Strong vs. The Dogs
  • AEW TBS Championship: Lena Kross vs. Willow Nightingale (c) (Zero Hour)
  • Ricochet defends the AEW National Championship in a 21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal

The Takedown on SI will have live coverage of AEW Revolution on Sunday evening.

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Published
Matt Black
MATT BLACK

Matt Black got involved in the wrestling media industry over two decades ago, covering WWE video games released by Acclaim, THQ, and 2K. He has been covering professional wrestling for multiple digital outlets since 2019. He is the former Senior Editor of WrestleZone and has extensive knowledge of the entire wrestling industry. In his spare time, Matt enjoys cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Lakers. He's also a diehard comic book movie fan and doesn't pick sides when it comes to the endless debates of Marvel versus DC.

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