"That's no ego" - WWE veteran gives props to MJF for being selfless against 32-year-old AEW star (Exclusive)

WWE logo (left), Maxwell Jacob Friedman (right)
WWE logo (left), Maxwell Jacob Friedman (right)

AEW World Champion MJF recently garnered high praise from WWE veteran Vince Russo.

The Salt of the Earth has often been a target of appreciation, due to his considerable talent on the mic. While his skills inside the squared circle are inferior, his ability to walk the line between kayfabe and reality makes him stand out. All his prowess was on display recently as well, as he went up against former FTW Champion Ricky Starks in a promo battle.

While MJF was as usual great on his part, fans were pleasantly surprised to see Ricky Starks hold his ground. In the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo on WrestleBinge, the WWE veteran partially credited Friedman for the Absolute's impact.

"[Ricky] Starks did a great job, I am agreeing with you 1000%. But let's not overlook this. MJF let him go. MJF did not attempt to cut him off when he was getting the best of him, when Starks was on a roll. You gotta give MJF [credit]... That's a pro. That's no ego, that's when you know 'I can shut this guy down like this' and you don't, because now 'I got my stuff in now he's gonna...' That's a pro," said Vince Russo. [From 6:34 to 7:19]

You can check out the exclusive video here:

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The AEW World Champion was also praised by the WWE legend Diamond Dallas Page

MJF's brilliance as a performer has undoubtedly put him in the spotlight in the pro-wrestling world outside of AEW, as WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page also heaped praise on Friedman.

In an interview with Wrestling Inc., DDP compared the Salt of the Earth with Ric Flair. He also stated how he saw potential in MJF early on.

"Like Ric Flair, people love to hate him. I mean, because nobody did it better than Flair. But I'll tell you what, this kid can cut a promo as good as anyone ever. And what I tried to do with him was explain to him the dos and don'ts, because I took him under my wing to a certain degree, because I loved being around him, thought he was a great kid, and I knew he had a lot of potential," DDP said. [H/T: WrestlingInc]

With Friedman successfully defeating Ricky Starks in his first title defense, it remains to be seen what MJF plans to do next in the coming weeks.


Do you agree with WWE veteran Vince Russo? Sound off in the comments below!

If you use the quote from the first half of the article, please embed the exclusive YouTube video and add a H/T for the transcription.

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Edited by Jeevak Ambalgi
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