MJF believes the current crop of indie talent needs major improvements.
The reigning AEW World Champion has used his latest title run as a conduit of opportunity for young talents. With a number of indie appearances in the past few months, the Salt of the Earth has put the spotlight on some young rookies not yet signed by big promotions.
He spoke about his experience of these trips during a new interview with Sports Illustrated. MJF said that the guys he has wrestled are ones that are working hard on their craft, but there are many others who are not doing the best they can:
I think a lot of these new guys are lazy, they’re not getting in the car, they’re not traveling to do ring crew. Brother, when I was on the independents, I would get in my car, and I would drive to, name a state in North America, I drove there.
Name a place in Canada, I drove there. Name a place in Mexico, I drove there. And I did it for $20 and a can of Coke and a hot dog and a handshake. I did it because I wanted to get better, and I needed reps.
You F—ing Suck: MJF
MJF warned such people not to assume that they’re going to be handed opportunities just because of the current wrestling boom. The 30-year-old said that AEW is not a lazy promotion, so anyone who wants to be part of the company needs to be ready to put in the work:
A lot of these guys that are coming into the industry, they’re thinking, ‘Oh, there’s AEW, there’s WWE, there’s TNA, there’s MLW, why aren’t I signed yet?’ You’re not signed yet because you f—ing suck.
Get better. Apply yourself. Go to training three to four times a week. Find a ring. Roll around. Make yourself better. Do tape study. Become a student of the sport.
After defeating Hangman Page at Revolution, MJF has found his next challenger in the form of another former world champion. You can check out more about it here.
