MJF has no sympathy for wrestlers who get signed, get comfortable, and then start crying about opportunities.
While speaking on Shut Up and Wrestle, MJF said he was grinding nonstop before AEW came calling. He wasn’t just waiting around for TV time — he was wrestling several times a week and still training on top of it.
“Before I got signed to AEW, I was wrestling a minimum of four times a week on the independent circuit, a minimum. And then on top of that, I was training at Create A Pro.”
That’s why MJF said it drives him crazy when young wrestlers get signed and suddenly stop putting in the same work. In his view, some talent get the contract, start making real money, and think that means they can coast.
“I will see guys get signed young like I did, but they didn’t wrestle three to four times every single week and nor are they training after they got signed because it’s, ‘Oh, I’m making big money now. Great. I’m just going to rest on my laurels.’”
MJF didn’t soften the message either. He said it makes him sick, and he does not feel bad for those same wrestlers when they complain about not being featured. For MJF, the answer is simple. Don’t complain about television time if the work is not there. Get better, get polished, and find a way to make yourself impossible to ignore.
“And that makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t relate to it. I don’t feel bad for these guys if they’re bitching and whining about the way that they’re being given opportunity. Earn the opportunity. If you want to earn the opportunity, get polished. Work hard, figure something out, figure a way in.”
He said he cannot understand anyone expecting to be treated like a top act while not actually putting in the work to become one: “I can’t comprehend wanting to be great at something or expecting television time when you’re not putting the work in. I don’t get it.”
At the end of the day, MJF thinks a contract is not the finish line. It is where the real work starts. If young wrestlers want TV time, he says they need to earn it instead of whining from the sidelines.
What do you think about MJF calling out young wrestlers who stop training after getting signed? Drop your thoughts below and leave your feedback.
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