MJF Explains Why He Chose AEW Over WWE After Getting Competing Offers

At a time when most young wrestlers would have jumped at the chance to sign with WWE, MJF says he made a conscious decision to go in a completely different direction—and he’s not pretending it was an accident.

Speaking about the crossroads moment in his career with Ross Tucker, MJF explained that his rise through the wrestling world happened faster than expected. He compared the industry to baseball’s minor league system, noting that most wrestlers grind for years before ever getting a real opportunity at the top. In his case, that opportunity came early.

“Before AEW, I was on what’s called the independent circuit of professional wrestling. No different than in baseball — you have single A, you have double A, you have triple A. You start single A, you get yourself to double A, then triple A, and then if you’re good enough, you play Major League ball.”

That fast-track continued when MJF landed a contract with Major League Wrestling at just 19 years old, something he made clear was extremely rare at the time and put him well ahead of the curve compared to most wrestlers his age.

“I got signed at the tender age of 19 to a wrestling promotion called Major League Wrestling, which — it was unheard of to get signed that young. I won many championships there.”

By the time he turned 22, MJF said he found himself in the position many wrestlers spend their entire careers chasing. WWE came calling. But they weren’t the only ones. AEW also made him an offer—and that’s where the decision became about more than just name value.

Instead of defaulting to WWE as the industry standard, MJF said he chose AEW because he believed in what the company was trying to build and how it positioned itself within the wrestling landscape.

“And then at the age of 22, WWE came knocking to offer me a contract, and AEW came knocking to offer me a contract. And I went with All Elite Wrestling because I believe in the mission statement of All Elite Wrestling. It’s where the best are meant to wrestle.”

That choice ended up defining his career. Rather than entering WWE’s system, MJF became one of AEW’s foundational stars, eventually rising to the top as World Champion and positioning himself as the face of the company’s identity.

Looking back now, MJF isn’t framing his decision as a gamble—it’s presented as a belief-driven move that paid off exactly the way he thought it would.

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