AEW may be struggling with some of its lowest attendance and TV numbers in company history, but that didn’t stop MJF from going on the offensive—and trying to shift the narrative.
During an interview on Mostly Sports, MJF lashed out at wrestling media for what he claims is a bias against AEW, while painting the company’s 2025 as a banner year. The numbers, however, tell a different story.
AEW has spent much of the past year downsizing to smaller venues, with weekly attendance dipping well below prior years and ratings consistently underperforming. Yet in this interview, MJF insisted that AEW is being overlooked—because some outlets just won’t give them credit. When the host praised AEW’s current product, MJF took that as his cue to call out the media:
“Normally journalists, no matter how many tickets we sell, no matter how many pay-per-view buys we get, no matter how many top acts we have, they’re just not able to say what you just said.”
“It’s like this weird thing. It’s almost as if they’re chasing a hug from a certain company.”
MJF argued that he gives credit where it’s due—even to WWE—but claims the same energy isn’t returned when AEW delivers.
“I can’t comprehend it because when WWE does good stuff, I’ll f*cking say it. I’m sitting here right now—I’m the first person to say congratulations and kudos. But for some reason, for some strange f*cking reason, it’s almost as if there are certain journalists that are in a certain company’s pocket. It’s just odd.”
Despite the company’s very public struggles, MJF still insisted AEW was on a hot run—and vowed to take it even further into the new year:
“If you thought 2025 was great, after I win the world title tonight for a second time before I even hit 30… I’m going to make 2026 the greatest year AEW has ever had.”
The comments are part of what feels like a broader PR push by AEW in recent weeks, as several top stars and executives have attempted to reframe the narrative—claiming 2025 was a turning point rather even though the numbers paint a different story.
Will MJF’s title reign actually change AEW’s momentum heading into 2026—or is the company trying to talk its way out of a deeper problem? Let us know what you think in the comments—we’re watching this one closely.
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