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Speculation continues to emerge on the possibility of AEW star MJF moving to WWE. There were rumors among fans that Maxwell Jacob Friedman could appear at some point after WrestleMania 40, even though there was no concrete evidence that this would happen.
According to the latest updates, it appears that MJF joining WWE is unlikely to happen soon, mainly due to the injury issues he is currently dealing with. The AEW star has been out since the Worlds End pay-per-view in late December and there has been no timetable as to when he will be medically cleared to return.
"Still healing up; I know some things were progressing slower than what they anticipated, but he was always planned for some time off anyway, from what I understood. I don’t know if that was once the injury started to happen, but it had become clear by a month out of that pay-per-view, Worlds End, that he was going to have a pretty extended amount of time out," said wrestling insider Sean Ross Sapp.
During his time as the AEW World Champion, MJF had repeatedly addressed his contract status with AEW and wouldn't rule out the possibility of moving to WWE. He even went as far as to say that he would start a 'bidding war' between the two companies for his services.
Fast forward to today, AEW has removed MJF from its official roster page as well as his official merchandise shop, which could be a sign that the former champion could perhaps be his way out of the company soon. This, though, doesn't mean that a move to WWE might happen right away.
Another indication that hinted at a likely MJF move to WWE is that Cody Rhodes cut a promo on The Rock last week, where referred to 'The Salt of The Earth,' which is MJF's finishing move.
What's next for MJF?
Taking into account all the above details, one maybe tempted to say a move to WWE was possible, but anyone with knowledge of MJF's history would not buy it easily. This seems more like a storyline built to take advantage of MJF's injury-enforced absence and entice the fans into buying into rumors about his status and build on the anticipation for his subsequent appearance in AEW.
All said and done, one thing is guaranteed: Fans are waiting for MJF's next step with bated breath and his return, whether re-signing with AEW or debuting in WWE, will surely create a big splash in the pro wrestling industry.
MJF says he has a great relationship with former AEW and current WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes
MJF has been linked to a move to WWE, and if this does happen, he will reunite with Cody Rhodes. The former AEW World Champion recently had high praise for The American Nightmare, who was one of the first stars who moved from AEW to WWE.
"We have a beautiful friendship, in a business where friends are like unicorns, and I’ll just leave it at that," MJF told The Players Tribune back in December.
MJF and Cody Rhodes spent three years together at AEW between 2019 and 2022. Cody Rhodes even served as Executive Vice President of the Jacksonville-based promotion before his exit. Rhodes is now on the verge of main-eventing his second consecutive WrestleMania, with a re-match against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship scheduled for Night Two at WrestleMania 40.
