Add as a preferred source on Google MJF once again defended AEW in blunt fashion, this time taking aim at fans who still argue that the company is in a bad spot.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the former AEW World Champion said the company has the best weekly wrestling on television, pointing to the depth of the roster and the quality of the matches currently being presented.
“We have the best wrestling on television. It’s not even close. WWE has incredible wrestlers, TNA has incredible wrestlers, NXT has incredible wrestlers. But I can look into the camera and say we put on the best matches.”
MJF also acknowledged that AEW has gone through rough stretches in the past, but said that no longer applies in 2026. In his view, anyone still using the “AEW is bad” argument simply is not watching the current product.
“I find that, in the year 2026, people struggle to take a joke now more than ever, which is also what’s made me very rich, because I hit a nerve now. It’s way easier than when I first started wrestling.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 19, 2026
Words cut more now than they did when I started.” – @The_MJF pic.twitter.com/1zg7WLuXdo
Friedman also pointed to the company’s growth in several U.S. markets, the increase in pay-per-view buys, and the fact that he is about to be part of one of the biggest domestic events in AEW history.
MJF will challenge Darby Allin for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing on May 24 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City. The match will carry a Title vs. Hair stipulation, meaning Friedman will have his head shaved if he loses.
The event will also feature FTR against Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, Kazuchika Okada against Konosuke Takeshita, and a Stadium Stampede Match involving Chris Jericho, The Hurt Syndicate, The Young Bucks, Ricochet, and others.