MJF says he likes only one person in AEW - "We get along"

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is one of AEW's most insidious and hated on-screen characters - as such, the star is not known for having a lot of friends in the locker room. However, The Wolf of Wrestling recently revealed that at least one All Elite figure he supposedly has a decent relationship with - the latter being Taz.

Over the course of his AEW career, MJF has established himself as one of the company's top stars. His success owes itself, in kayfabe, primarily to his manipulative, self-serving tactics. In fact, Friedman's consistently exceptional and layered character work as a villain, barring his brief 2023 face run, has elevated him to the position of one of the Tony Khan-led company's foremost heels.

During a recent conversation with SI Media, MJF was asked if there was anyone in All Elite Wrestling whom he liked. The former AEW World Champion responded by claiming he had a somewhat amicable relationship with wrestling veteran and All Elite broadcast personality Taz.

"No......you know what, I tolerate Taz. I tolerate Taz. He is a Long Island guy himself. He’ll say he’s from Red Hook. This man has been living in Long Island far longer than he lived in Red Hook. This man is a Long Islander through and through. We get along. We talk about bagels and delis and diners. I tolerate Taz," MJF said. [H/T - Fightful]

However, someone MJF seemingly cannot tolerate is Hangman Page, with whom he is currently embroiled in an intense rivalry. The Salt of the Earth will Page at Revolution 2025.

AEW's MJF on the real winner of the 2024 bidding war

The narrative core of MJF's All Elite Wrestling World Title reign was his plan to hold on to the belt as a bargaining chip to negotiate a better deal when his contract with the company expired at the end of 2023. After losing the championship at Worlds End 2023, Friedman went on a long hiatus but eventually returned to the Jacksonville-based promotion at Double or Nothing 2024.

While this suggests that All Elite Wrestling won the so-called "bidding war of 2024" for MJF's contract, speaking on the SI Media podcast, Friedman recently argued that he was the real victor in this situation, stating:

"I won the bidding war. WWE didn’t win the bidding war. AEW didn’t win the bidding war. I won the bidding war because I’m making an absurd amount of money. By the time the contract is up, I will still be absurdly young, and then I will be able to, once again, make an absurd amount of money in the next bidding war. You know who is going to win again? Me."

It remains to be seen whether MJF will emerge victorious in his upcoming bout with Hangman Adam Page.