MJF claims top AEW star is "gone forever" and never returning to wrestling again

Reigning American Champion MJF has made plenty of enemies throughout his time in AEW, but he's only ever had one friend: his former tag team partner, Adam Cole. The Wolf of Wrestling has now claimed that Cole is dead.

Adam Cole betrayed Maxwell Jacob Friedman at AEW Worlds End last December. Max was out for five months before returning at Double or Nothing 2024 and laying out his former partner.

The 28-year-old has since moved on to a rivalry with Will Ospreay, but his entanglement with Cole remains in the minds of many fans. In a recent interview with WrestleTalk, MJF was asked about unfinished business with The Devil and his Undisputed Kingdom. Maxwell claimed that he'd already cut the head off the snake:

"He’s dead. I've been told by several people he's dead. I murdered him," MJF said. "I cut off the head of the snake; it's over. I see a lot of people bringing this up. Guys, I work smarter, not harder. What, you wanna do MJF vs. like, seven f**king dudes? I’m good, bro. I got my revenge."

In case that wasn't clear enough, Friedman emphasized that Cole would not be coming back after his destruction at Double or Nothing:

"Adam Cole’s dead; he’s never coming back to wrestling. He’s gone. He’s gone forever. You will never hear Adam Cole’s voice, you'll never see Adam Cole’s matches again, you’ll never see another Adam Cole promo, you will never see Adam Cole do anything. I murdered him dead." [H/T WrestleTalk]

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MJF claims that AEW's locker room "hates" him for being rich

There was some doubt about Maxwell Jacob Friedman's status with AEW ahead of his return at Double or Nothing this year. The 28-year-old had spent years building up his "Bidding War of 2024," in which he hoped WWE and All Elite Wrestling would go to war for his services.

Ultimately, Maxwell chose to re-sign with Tony Khan's promotion, and the astronomical sum he was given has made him a target in the locker room. In the same interview with WrestleTalk, MJF claimed that he won the Bidding War of 2024 and that AEW's roster hates him for it:

"I won. I’m f**king rich as s**t. It’s f**king crazy, dude. I literally… you don’t f**king understand… I have so much money. It’s hilarious. The whole locker room f**king hates me because they all know how much I’m making, and they… it’s peanuts in comparison. And I’m only 28. So you’ve got guys walking around in their 40s that have given their body to this industry; they’re like dying practically, and they aren’t even making a fraction of what I make."

MJF is now tied to All Elite Wrestling for the foreseeable future, and he's set to defend his American Championship against Will Ospreay at All In on August 25. Many fans are convinced that The Wolf of Wrestling will be blindsided by Adam Cole at some point, but only time will tell whether Friedman will have to pay that particular piper.