Emotional MJF shares heartwarming story with former champion, addresses looming bidding war

Fans are raving about the high-octane main event of last night's Collision, in which MJF defended his AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega in a 30-minute slugfest. After the show went off the air, the 27-year-old had some emotional words to share with the crowd and with his opponent.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman engaged in a desperate struggle with The Best Bout Machine last night. The stakes were high, with The Devil set to break Omega's record as the longest-reigning AEW World Champion if he won. In the end, the Long Island native pulled out the win, stunning fans with a clean victory over Omega to close the show.

Afterward, MJF took a microphone and shared a story from his early days in the wrestling business, noting that he aspired to be like his opponent:

"I was 19 years old at an independent wrestling promotion," said MJF. "It was literally the first wrestling promotion that I went to outside of my training school, Create A Pro Wrestling Academy. It was called Five Borough Wrestling. I had a match on the opening of the show. Guys that I aspired to reach the heights of in this sport were guys like Bryan Danielson, guys like Samoa Joe, who’s kind of an a**hole, and most certainly, guys like Kenny f**king Omega."

Friedman then revealed that Kenny pulled him aside and gave him pointers at that show, and it was a moment that stuck with him:

"Now that night, you had no reason to stop and watch my match. I was a p**s pot. But you watched my match, you pulled me to the side, and you let me pick your brain that night. You might not remember that, but I sure as hell do." [H/T WrestleZone]

MJF went on to name WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes while giving credit for the creation of AEW. You can check out what he said here.

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MJF's 'Bidding War of 2024' may have a new layer after AEW World Championship match

Throughout his rise to stardom in All Elite Wrestling, Maxwell Jacob Friedman has often referenced the 'Bidding War of 2024' – an event in which he expects WWE and AEW to put up huge offers in order to sign him.

While many believe that The Devil will follow his mentor, Cody Rhodes, and head to the Stamford-based company, it seems that Kenny Omega putting him over and allowing him to become the longest-reigning AEW World Champion may have influenced his decision of who to sign with.

Speaking to the crowd last night after Collision went off the air, Max had this to say:

"I still don’t know what I’m gonna do for the bidding war of 2024. But what I do know is that when I get the opportunity to wrestle the Best Bout Machine, Kenny Omega, it tends to sway my opinions a little bit."

While some believe that MJF has already signed an extension with All Elite Wrestling, nothing has been confirmed. The only thing that's for sure is, as of this Wednesday, Maxwell will become the longest-reigning AEW World Champion in history.

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Do you think MJF will sign with WWE next year, or will he stay with AEW for the foreseeable future? Let us know your predictions in the comments section below!