MJF isn’t one to sugarcoat. In the wake of some more recent AEW departures, he believes the company’s locker room is in the best place it’s ever been.
Wrestlers have gone back and forth between AEW and WWE’s rosters since the former’s creation in 2019. Some have even switched back and forth multiple times, like Andrade El Idolo and Aleister Black. However, the latter — known as Malakai Black in AEW — has failed to find his footing in either company, falling victim to WWE’s latest roster purge.
Speaking in-studio on Tuesday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” MJF said that Black was the “biggest offender,” regarding names who simply wanted to “use” AEW rather than help it thrive.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that that’s Malakai Black,” MJF told Uncrowned ahead of Sunday’s AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view. “But I don’t know ‘the guy’ on a personal level. Do I think he’s a bad guy? No. Do I think he was a mark for wanting to have his whole ‘Mania moment? Yeah, and there were a couple of guys like that, and they got weeded out. Then they went over there, and some found out the grass isn’t greener. And perhaps some of them did — for them, the grass was greener. But I’d say a majority that were like, ‘I’m just going to use All Elite Wrestling to go back to WWE’, I think you’re going to see a lot of those guys [get asked] for a 50% pay cut from the office, or just get released.
“It’s unfortunate because if you show up to our company and work hard, there’s really no need to burn bridges. I’m not s***ing on him; I’m just simply telling you what I was told by a majority of the locker room about this specific individual. So, as a team captain, as a leader, and somebody who has been part of this company since day one, I don’t want to deal with guys that don’t want to be team players. F*** off, go elsewhere. Or, f***ing prove me wrong. I would love to be proved wrong. It would be great.”
Black may have been the name most singled out by MJF, but he wasn’t alone. There’s been a list of wrestlers who made similar attempts within AEW, MJF said, though he declined to specifically name them. Ultimately, everything has sorted itself out for the better, as AEW heads toward its big Double or Nothing 2026 pay-per-view in New York.
“We had some guys come in and be like, ‘Pshh, I’m going to be a top guy and go back to [Former WWE CEO] Vince [McMahon,]’“ MJF said. “Really, motherf***er? You’re going to leapfrog me? Good luck, p****. Not happening on my watch. And it didn’t, because no one’s nearly as good as me, or Hangman [Adam Page], or Swerve [Strickland], or Kenny [Omega], or [Will] Ospreay and Samoa Joe. The list goes on and on.
“So I think a lot of guys came into my company, they thought they were going to be able to brother-brother themselves to the top, and it didn’t happen because we are where the best wrestle. OK? We are where the realest of real wrestle. So we no longer have that in the locker room, and it’s a breath of fresh air, man.
“I don’t have to look anybody in the eye and think, ‘This guy doesn’t want to be here,’“ MJF continued. “Everyone in my locker room wants to be there. Everyone’s ready to f***ing rock and roll, and put on the best show possible.”
It may not have worked out for everyone who has come and gone between the two pro-wrestling giants. The most infamous case since 2019 involved CM Punk, who held the AEW World Championship after making his long-awaited return to pro wrestling in 2021.
Punk and MJF enjoyed a thrilling feud in Punk’s brief run with the company before Punk returned to WWE in late 2023. The latest run for Punk has seen him maintain his superstar status as a major player, having recently held WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship.
For MJF, seeing Punk succeed is no surprise. That doesn’t mean he likes his former rival as a person.
“No, I’m not surprised at how good he’s doing, doesn’t change the fact he’s a f***ing c***,” MJF said. “He just sucks, he’s a bad guy, but he’s an incredible professional wrestler.
“How many times do I have to repeat myself: He’s a piece of s***, but he’s a great wrestler.”
MJF is set to challenge Darby Allin for the AEW World Championship in the Double or Nothing 2026 main event this Sunday. Uncrowned will have you covered all event long with our live blog, results, highlights and grades for each match.