Val Venis and MJF are back at each other—and the former WWE star just unloaded on AEW in the process. After MJF claimed the company had won over the “real wrestling fans,” Venis dismissed the entire idea and called AEW nothing more than “video game wrestling.”
MJF made the comments during an interview with Us Magazine ahead of AEW All In 2026. With AEW preparing to run Wembley Stadium for the third time in four years, MJF argued that repeatedly drawing tens of thousands of people to the same venue proved the size of the company’s international audience.
AEW distributed 43,845 tickets for All In 2026. The company previously moved 53,922 tickets for its 2024 Wembley event, while the original All In at Wembley drew a paid attendance of 81,035 in 2023. MJF called AEW’s ability to keep returning to the stadium with massive crowds a nearly impossible accomplishment. He then doubled down on the significance of AEW repeatedly filling Wembley Stadium.
“The simple fact that we’re about to run the exact same venue three times within the span of four years, and we’re about to have close to, if not more than, the exact same amount that we had the second time we ran it, I think is very telling of the amount of fans that we have around the world.”
“I think what we’ve accomplished here is borderline impossible. When you think about the fact that we’re running the same venue in this short a span of time, and that we’ve gotten this many people in the building, it is a genuine accomplishment.”
MJF also took a shot at AEW’s competition without directly naming WWE. He admitted that other wrestling shows can be good, but argued that AEW is the company capable of leaving viewers completely blown away. The former AEW World Champion then claimed the wrestling war had shifted in AEW’s favor during 2026.
“We’re where you get to feel the most watching pro wrestling. You watch other products—they can be good. But are you walking away saying, ‘Holy shit, my brain just exploded’? I think that’s what we’re kings of. That’s what we do.”
“I think that’s why, in 2026, the pendulum has swung to the degree that it’s swung in the fans’ eyes—in the real wrestling fans’ eyes.”
Venis saw that claim and immediately jumped back into his ongoing beef with MJF. He rejected the idea that AEW had won back serious wrestling viewers, attacked the company’s politics, mocked its in-ring style and brought up the money lost on its video game.
“Ummmm… I’m sorry, but catering to a leftist cult of turdardation is not winning back real wrestling fans. AEW is video game wrestling—which AEW just lost $30 million on with the latest AEW game. Selling is almost nonexistent.”
This is not the first time Venis has gone after MJF. Their online war exploded in May after Venis posted a warning about the AEW star, writing, “Don’t get me started on MJF.” MJF answered by resurfacing an old Cody Rhodes post that completely shredded Venis’ wrestling legacy. The message accused Venis of never drawing money and surviving by riding the success of bigger stars.
“Stop. You know nothing. You have drawn zero dollars. No fan has ever left a show thinking about you. You were lucky to be a juiced-up double-lifer, ‘over with the boys’ type in an era where you hid in plain sight, coasting on others’ success. Couldn’t hang then, can’t get booked now.”
That response kicked the door open. Venis followed up by attacking MJF’s television drawing power and comparing AEW’s current audiences to the millions of people who watched WWE during the Attitude Era.
“Let me get this straight. The Salt of the Earth, pushed by a billionaire’s broadcast machine, can barely draw 600,000 viewers per week on a good week, yet he tries to drag the man, the myth, the legend—the Big Valbowski, Val Venis?”
Venis then took the feud below the belt by targeting MJF’s height with personal insults, writing, “P.S. He’s short. Mop-handle extension required.” The strangest part came several weeks later when Venis completely changed direction. After spending days tearing MJF apart, he suddenly called MJF the best professional wrestler in the business and said he should eventually take over Triple H’s responsibilities.
“It is my current opinion that MJF is the best pro wrestler in the business. If I were to run an organization like WWE, AEW, NJPW, CMLL or AAA, I would run MJF at the top of the card or top storylines until he retired, and then have him go into retirement with the duties Triple H currently sucks at. There, I said it. MJF over Triple H.”
That praise did not last. Venis is now back to attacking MJF’s company, its audience, its wrestling style and its business decisions after the “real wrestling fans” comment gave him another opening.
MJF has already shown that he is willing to humiliate Venis publicly, while Venis has gone from trashing MJF to praising him and right back to trashing him again. Will MJF fire back and restart their war of words, or ignore Venis this time? Leave your feedback in the comments.
