MJF Backstage Reputation in AEW Has Improved After Turbulent Past Year

MJF’s name has never been far from controversy, but 2025 might be the year the Salt of the Earth turns things around—at least backstage. After years of being involved in multiple locker room incidents, the 29-year-old AEW star is said to have worked hard on his image among peers in recent months.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select’s Q&A, MJF’s backstage reputation has taken a major step forward over the last year, especially after a stretch when he was reportedly seen in a less-than-flattering light behind the scenes.

“It’s improved a lot over the last nine or ten months, and he’s worked hard at that. There were times when it wasn’t great and the perception of him backstage wasn’t great. I think a lot of that comes with being the top singles act, top tag act, and the main guy getting promo time all at once.”

This comes after months of fallout from his reported backstage confrontation with Britt Baker in August 2024. The incident, which stemmed from Baker’s comments about MJF and his girlfriend Alicia Atout, exploded into AEW locker room drama. MJF allegedly punched a wall in frustration backstage, leading to an internal investigation and a brief suspension for Baker.

While speaking to Cultaholic Wrestling’s Jack King after the drama had circulated, MJF denied the situation happened the way it was reported.

“Tell me if this passes the smell test. I barge into a woman’s locker room. I scream in the face of an 110-pound woman, and then I physically threaten her by punching a wall in her vicinity…and I don’t get suspended. Does that pass the smell test to you? Almost everything that was written didn’t happen.”

He added that backstage friction is normal in wrestling and accused certain outlets of inflating the story for clicks.

“Everybody has co-workers at work they may not get along with. I have a feeling that this was blown out of proportion because all of the English wrestling commentary places that make money off of people like me, who are far more rich and talented and handsome and humble, need clickbait.”

Still, not everyone in AEW was happy. Multiple reports claimed that talent were angry MJF didn’t face any real punishment, while Britt Baker returned to television without public mention of the situation.

Since then, however, it appears MJF has changed course. Once labeled difficult, the former AEW Champion is now apparently earning respect behind the curtain. Whether it’s maturity, awareness, or just good PR, MJF is on a mission to shift how he’s viewed in the locker room—something his critics may not have expected this time last year.

Do you think MJF has truly changed behind the scenes in AEW? Or is this all part of managing his public image? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know what you think.

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