MJF has publicly pushed back against recent reports suggesting All Elite Wrestling could struggle to secure its next major television rights deal, accusing Nick Khan and WWE of intentionally fueling the narrative for competitive reasons.
The discussion stems from a recent report in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, where Dave Meltzer noted that WWE-internal sources have allegedly been circulating the idea that AEW may not land a strong future media deal.
Meltzer wrote:
“But another person in WWE noted to us this week that they have definitely spread word in the company among some if not many that AEW won’t be on Paramount/Skydance and question if they can get a viable deal elsewhere. One person there noted that people at the highest levels are talking like AEW won’t get another deal, but those kind of stories spread previously at the last negotiations, not that they wouldn’t get a deal, but that their deal would be at the same level or perhaps a lower level than the prior deal and instead they had a 2.3x increase.”
The report also pointed out that similar skepticism emerged internally within WWE before AEW’s previous media rights negotiations, which ultimately resulted in AEW reportedly securing a significant increase in value for its television package.
Speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri, MJF dismissed the speculation and said nobody within AEW appears concerned about the company’s media future.
“I do laugh, I think I saw, and again, it’s a business, right? So, it’s dog-eat-dog. So TKO, WWE, what have you, their job is to make themselves look great, and to make us look bad. So, there’s a leak, ‘AEW’s struggling to get a TV deal.’ That’s fcking news to me, bro. That’s news to me, that’s news to everybody on the roster. That’s damn sure news to Tony Khan. Because last time I checked, they’re fcking over the moon with us right now. We do better numbers than f*cking almost everything that’s going on on a weekly basis on cable, because right now, as I was saying, the things that draw on cable are news and live sport.”
MJF then directly referenced Khan, suggesting the alleged leak was a calculated business tactic designed to undermine AEW’s standing publicly.
“I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times, I love Jolly Old Saint Nick, and I love the tricks he’s pulling out. I f*cking get it, it’s smart. But, it doesn’t mean that we can’t use our brains. It doesn’t mean that we can’t go, ‘Oh, this is being leaked intentionally to hurt the company that is the alternative.’ It’d be like if Coke out of the blue was like, hey, I don’t know if you guys knew about this, but Pepsi has ass water in it. Everybody would be like, where is that source coming from? It’s coming from Coke? Okay. I’m not gonna give much thought to this.”
The “Coke vs. Pepsi” comparison continues a theme MJF has leaned into throughout recent interviews while discussing the competition between AEW and World Wrestling Entertainment. Earlier this week during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, MJF compared WWE to “Diet Coke” while positioning AEW as “Pepsi,” arguing that fans trying the alternative product are realizing they enjoy it.
AEW President Tony Khan also addressed the report during the ROH Supercard of Honor media scrum on Friday, calling the WWE-side speculation completely inaccurate and stating that he has largely tried to avoid escalating the public back-and-forth between the two companies.
The conversation comes at a time when AEW continues negotiating and expanding its media footprint amid growing competition within the professional wrestling industry.
