MJF: There’s no one on the AEW roster that I don’t respect
While there is healthy competition for the top spots in the company, MJF has respect for everyone he shares the AEW locker room with.
The AEW World Champion appeared on the Shut Up and Wrestle podcast for an interview mostly focused on old-school wrestling. During the conversation, MJF and host Brian Solomon discussed how there is no longer as much toxicity between top stars as there was in past eras. MJF has respect for all of his peers who are vying to be in World title contention.
“What I will say is this, this is the most harmonious my locker room’s ever been. But at the end of the day, this sh*t gets competitive, bro. It does. Some people handle it better than others. That’s for damn sure,” MJF said. “But do I think it’s anywhere near as nasty as it used to be? Thank God, not even close. You know, there’s no one on my roster that I don’t respect, unless they give me a reason not to, you know what I mean? But as far as from a talent perspective, I respect every other guy that is in the conversation of being the 1A, 1B, 1C, etc.
“Whereas you hear so many stories from that bygone era, while I fantasize about that bygone era, and I can tell you emphatically, I truly believe, and I don’t give a f*** if anyone has a problem with me saying this, you plot me into any era in any territory, I still become who I am now. I believe that in my heart of hearts. I really do. But I am so thankful that the level of chicanery of top guys trying to f***ing murder each other has really been flattened. Do I think it’s ever going to fully go away? No, some people are f***ing unwell, you know what I mean? They just constantly want more. But, it’s better.”
MJF at Forbidden Door 2026 —
MJF is on his third reign as AEW World Champion. He won’t be defending the title at Forbidden Door on June 28 but will instead lead a team of heels in a steel cage match. It will be MJF, Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, Kazuchika Okada, Andrade El Idolo & Jake Doyle vs. Mark Briscoe, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy, Konosuke Takeshita & Darby Allin at the pay-per-view.
During the Shut Up and Wrestle interview, MJF — without naming specific names — said he is not the only student of the game in the AEW locker room. There are a lot of others who study wrestling history and apply it to what they do.
“I’ll tell you, there are a lot of guys like me, especially in my locker room,” he said. “Now, there’s also a lot of guys not like me, but I think it’s pretty easy to tell who’s students of the game and who’s not when you watch their body of work.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.