6 AEW Stars and why they refused to join WWE

#2. AEW Star MJF

Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) is one of the best talents in AEW today. He kicked off his career nearly six years ago. In 2015, the 25-year-old applied to participate in WWE's reality show Tough Enough. Nonetheless, WWE did not pick him.

MJF wrestled in different promotions for the next four years before joining Tony Khan's company in 2019. Shortly before he became an AEW Star, WWE was interested in signing the 25-year-old. This time, MJF was the one who refused to join Vince McMahon's company.

In an interview with Inside The Ropes, MJF explained why he chose AEW over WWE.

"Deep down, I wanted to be part of something new and something fresh and something where I’d be able to control everything going on with me, because I knew if I went to the other place, and this isn’t me [disrespecting] the other place, it’s just a fact, they would try to change me, and there is nothing to change," he said.

MJF is currently the leader of The Pinnacle. He recently lost against Chris Jericho, the leader of The Inner Circle, at All Out.