WWE veteran Vince Russo has made a bold claim regarding AEW stars Mercedes Mone and MJF. Russo believes that Tony Khan is paying more money to both stars than the Stamford-based promotion would have.
MJF and Mercedes Mone are two of the highest-paid stars in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Mercedes inked a deal and arrived in the company a couple of months ago at Big Business Dynamite. MJF recently signed another contract with the company after his deal expired on January 1st, 2024. Many believed that Friedman was headed to WWE. However, the latter put those rumors to rest after a shocking return at Double or Nothing.
Speaking on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws podcast with Dr. Chris and EC3, Vince Russo reflected on both stars getting a greater amount in AEW than what WWE would have paid them.
"Let's face it, him [MJF] and Rebecca De Mone [Mercedes Mone], they got three times the amount that they would have gotten in the WWE. Bro, they know what they can get out of Tony [Khan]. He's told the world, I'm a billionaire and I wanna collect toys. They know, bro, that they can get any price and he [MJF] got three times the amount. So, good for him, I hope he got 10 million dollars." [3:07 - 3:40]
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MJF recently opened up about staying with AEW instead of signing with WWE
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) shocked the world with a surprising return to AEW last month at the Double or Nothing PPV. The Salt of the Earth revealed that he had inked a new deal with the Jacksonville-based company. However, the duration of his contract is unknown.
In a recent interview with Fox 5, the former AEW World Champion revealed that the decision to stay with the promotion was simple as Tony Khan was paying him exceptionally well.
"Look, it was a very easy decision for me, mainly because Tony Khan is paying me an exorbitant amount of money. But outside of that, I also, I believe in AEW, I believe that is where the best wrestle, I believe that we have some of the most top-tier elite talent you get to see in the world today." [0:06 - 0:20]
MJF is set to face Hechicero at the Forbidden Door PPV this Sunday. It will be interesting to see if Friedman moves on to the AEW World Title scene after the event.
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