MJF believes All Elite Wrestling distinguishes itself from the rest of the industry through authenticity and a genuine commitment to letting fans be heard. The reigning AEW World Champion has been making the media rounds at Super Bowl Radio Row, promoting the company and reflecting on its growth.
While speaking with former NFL player Ross Tucker, MJF discussed AEW’s rise since launching in 2019, crediting Tony Khan for recognizing a gap in the market and successfully positioning AEW as a true alternative on a global scale.
“It’s massively successful,” MJF said. “Tony Khan is a visionary. He’s a mark, but he’s a visionary. He loved professional wrestling and he saw that there was an opening in the marketplace for an alternative to WWE. Where there is Coke, you can have Pepsi. Where there is McDonald’s, you can have Burger King. And so on and so forth. And they just jumped in and they were able to pitch it in Hollywood. And here we are seven years later, and we’re killing it. We’ve had events with 82,000 people in a stadium at Wembley that I main evented and won, no big deal. We have pay-per-views almost monthly. We’re always normally in the top five on cable and streaming for our shows for Dynamite and Collision. And we’re proud of what we’re doing right now, man. We’re up year-over-year in ticket sales with me as champion — duh, must-see.”
MJF went on to explain what he believes separates AEW from other promotions for both long-time wrestling fans and casual viewers. Using a food analogy, he described the difference in presentation and quality between AEW and its competitors.
“And the thing that I would want to impart on people who, if you’re not a professional wrestling fan or if you are a professional wrestling fan and you haven’t given us a look yet, I think what we bring is, it’s an authenticity,” MJF stated. “You know, the other companies, it kind of feels like McDonald’s. They’re giving you fast food. We make gourmet burgers. And I think that was a part of Tony Khan’s pitch for sure.”
To further illustrate AEW’s philosophy, MJF pointed to a recent moment on AEW Dynamite in Las Vegas, where the crowd broke out into “f**k ICE” chants. According to MJF, the company’s willingness to let the audience express itself—even on sensitive topics—is a defining trait.
“Another thing that’s great at AEW is our fans have a voice. Literally last night, we were in Vegas and they started an ‘f**k ICE’ chant. Now, I don’t care what side of the political line that you land on, there’s no other wrestling promotion that wouldn’t censor the fans,” MJF said. “But we don’t do that, we’re the listening company. So if all the fans want to chant that, we’re going to let them chant that. And I think that that’s inherently really cool and awesome. And I think that’s what makes my company special. We don’t censor the fans. It’s nice. It’s really nice.”
As AEW continues to grow its global footprint, MJF’s comments reflect the company’s ongoing effort to position itself as a fan-driven alternative—one built on authenticity, creative freedom, and an unapologetic connection with its audience.
