During his interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, MJF confirmed that Tony Khan gave him a pay raise, but he did not sign a contract extension. This confirms what was said after he returned to All Out.
MJF continued by saying that the only thing he cares about is money, and that when the bidding war of 2024 occurs, he will sign with the company that offers him the most money, regardless of whether it is WWE or AEW.
He said, “I run the show. Tony [Khan] knows where his bread is buttered… Isn’t it interesting how, throughout the summer [the ratings] were kind of a struggle. And then MJF is back and BOOM… Minute for minute, I’m one of the biggest ratings [draws] in all of professional wrestling… If you want MJF on your show, you have to abide by MJF’s rules. I do what I want to do, when I want to do it, because [AEW] really wants to keep me around… A lot of people think I’m leaning towards one place or the other. All I’m leaning towards is money. That’s all I live and die by. I go where the money is at. Whoever is going to offer me the most amount of money, that’s where I’m going to do. It’s that simple.”
“I came back with no contract extension. I love Tony Khan, but I have him by the balls… I cannot confirm or deny there was a plane ticket [on Double or Nothing weekend]. I can confirm I’m back, I’m making a stupid amount of money now, and I didn’t have to sign a contract extension… When I went home, I told Tony to pay up, or daddy doesn’t show up. Fact. I took my fiance to Greece for two weeks. I went home, and I stayed home… I got a stupid bump in pay. And still, January 2024 [my contract expires]… When Jan. 1, 2024 rolls around, the devil goes to the highest bidder.” (quotes courtesy of PWTorch.com’s Mike McMahon)
In addition, during the course of the interview, MJF chose not to comment on the altercation that occurred between The Elite and CM Punk, and he denied the notion that the inmates are in control of the asylum. When questioned about whether or not he had witnessed the fight, he responded, “I do not deal with rumors and innuendo.”
He went on to say that the environment backstage at AEW is similar to that of a team, and that while there may be disagreements from time to time, those differences are quickly resolved. Regarding the question of whether AEW needs CM Punk, he responded with “no comment,” but he is confident that his feud with Punk will be remembered as one of the greatest feuds in history.
You can watch the show below:
