MJF Confirms He Has Signed A New AEW Deal

Following his return at All Out on September 4, MJF has confirmed he signed a new deal with All Elite Wrestling that did not require him to pen a contract extension.

MJF had been away from AEW throughout the summer, going on hiatus from the promotion after the June 1 episode of Dynamite. It was noted over Double Or Nothing weekend that Friedman was frustrated with his AEW contract to the point that he no-showed the DON Fan Fest. A plane ticket out of Las Vegas was then reportedly booked for MJF but he did not board the plane and instead worked his scheduled pay-per-view match with Wardlow.

Speaking on the MMA Hour, MJF refused to reveal if a plane ticket was booked but he did confirm a new deal with AEW had since been signed.

"I cannot confirm or deny there being a plane ticket. What I will say is this, I'm a businessman, I do what I have to do in order to ensure that what I need gets done. It got done, I'm back, I'm making a stupid, absurd amount of money now and I didn't have to sign a contract extension," MJF said.

Speaking about why he opted to return to AEW TV, Friedman added: "Money. I'm a simple man. I go out there, all I do is win. I'm winning in the ring. I'm winning on the mic. I'm constantly winning. Obviously, I had no problem with how I was being showcased. That wasn't the issue. The issue was money. I was looking to my left and my right, and I was hearing rumblings about what guys were making when I was two times, three times the draw they were minute-by-minute. I've seen the analytics. I went, 'That doesn't work for me.' I'm MJ freakin F. Pay up. Not just in AEW. Guys in WWE, guys in IMPACT, guys in Ring of Honor at the time."

MJF noted that he went on holiday to Greece and Italy with his now-fiance during his time off TV before he went home and remained there.

"I did not leave my home because I did not one single solitary wrestling fan to see me out in the wild. They don't deserve to see me unless I'm getting paid to be seen. That's why the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he does not exist, which is exactly what I did for three straight months. I take what I do very seriously. If you want to see a star, pay to see a star. I stayed in my home. I went to a gym inside of my home. I did not leave my home. The only time I left my home was for those two weeks. I was committed to making sure that, if any wrestling fan wanted to get a taste of MJF, MJF needed to get that money, and I did." 

Upon his return at All Out, MJF won the Casino Ladder Match and he now has a guaranteed title shot for the AEW World Championship. A new AEW World Champion will be crowned at Dynamite Grand Slam when Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson clash to end the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions. 

H/T to Fightful