MJF says AEW is in a better place after ‘problem children’ left
MJF believes AEW is in a stronger place right now in part because some “problem children” are no longer with the company.
During a recent interview with the New York Post, MJF said some former AEW roster members believed they were taking a step forward in their careers when they left, but in his view, they ended up moving laterally or backwards.
“To put it mildly, I don’t have to name names, it’s not necessary to name names, but problem children tend to have a way of finding their way out the door,” he said. “And some of those problem children, in my opinion, they thought they were taking a step forward when all they were doing was taking a step laterally or backwards.”
MJF also pointed to the competitive atmosphere backstage in AEW as a reason for the promotion’s recent momentum.
“Everybody’s pushing each other to be the absolute best version of ourselves,” MJF said. “I’m pushing Swerve, Swerve’s pushing Hangman, Hangman’s pushing Kenny [Omega], Kenny’s pushing [Kyle] Fletcher, Fletcher’s pushing [Will] Ospreay and so on and so forth.”
He credited recent storylines featuring multiple wrestlers pursuing the AEW World Championship as another factor in the company’s recent success.
“It’s a domino effect. And that’s why our show is so incredible right now. We are all biting on each other’s heels. We all want the spot. We all want the championship. To top it off, we all care deeply about All Elite Wrestling.”
MJF’s comments come following his successful defense of the AEW World Championship against Brody King at AEW Grand Slam this weekend. Up next for MJF is AEW Revolution, where he is scheduled to defend the title against former two-time champion Hangman Adam Page.
MJF’s full interview with the New York Post is available here.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has appeared in award-winning publications such as NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and was named managing editor in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.