Top AEW star makes explosive revelation; says MJF thought Cody Rhodes was "trying to steal his thunder" during their feud

The AEW locker room has had its share of issues since the young company launched in 2019, and now Britt Baker has confirmed a previous controversy between two of the biggest stars in the company.

Cody Rhodes brought Maxwell Jacob Friedman on as his protégé in the promotion's early days, but this led to The Salt of The Earth turning on The American Nightmare. After a back-and-forth, Rhodes earned his match with MJF, and that came at the 2020 AEW Revolution pay-per-view. MJF ended up getting the win with a Dynamite Diamind Ring shot to the face.

Rhodes surprised fans when he showed up at Revolution with a Nightmare Family tattoo on his neck that night. This appeared to be another instance of the former AEW Executive Vice President trying to show MJF up, but the neck ink was a trending topic on social media for weeks.

Speaking on Barstool Sports' Mostly Sports 100th Episode Spectacular, Britt Baker discussed the storyline and was asked by Mark Titus about why Rhodes got the neckpiece.

"So there was a lot of controversy around that, internally, at the time, because MJF at the time... I don't know if I can say this, but I'm just gonna say it, because f*** MJF... he felt that Cody was trying to steal his thunder at the time, because they were in a feud at the pay-per-view. Do you remember this pay-per-view? This was Cody Rhodes vs. MJF, MJF's big coming out moment, and this was like his hurrah, and Cody shows up, bam, with a neck tattoo, and MJF was like... [stealing the spotlight a little bit?] Yeah, and that's what MJF says. I don't know, I'm sure he doesn't care now because MJF is successful in his own right, but at the time..." she said.

Baker's comments about Friedman are stirring the rumor mill on social media today. However, it is important to remember that her husband, Adam Cole, recently finished an intense storyline with MJF.

MJF to be featured outside of AEW

MJF has not been seen since the end of the Worlds End pay-per-view in late December, and it's believed that he will be away for a while as he deals with multiple injuries.

While MJF is set to be away from AEW TV for the time being, pay-per-view provider Stonecutter Wrestling is featuring the top star in his own "Scarves and Suplexes" special, which highlights footage from before he signed with AEW.

The official synopsis provides a preview of what to expect, and the trailer can also be seen below.

"MJF: SCARVES & SUPLEXES! IN FEBRUARY ON PAY-PER-VIEW AND ON DEMAND! You love to hate him. Michael Jacob Friedman – the heel known as MJF. And why wouldn’t you hate him? He’s obnoxious, he insults everyone, and he even hates children. But he’s an AEW World Champion and a star! You’ve seen him in some of the biggest fights in some of the biggest venues and on prime-time TV. And now you can see the early fights and championship bouts that rocketed this vicious titan into stardom!" Stonecutter wrote.

MJF is rumored to be facing free agency right now, but it's believed that AEW will do anything they can to re-sign him. WWE is expected to have interest as well.

What do you think of MJF as a top star in either promotion? Do you want to see MJF join Cody in WWE? Sound off in the comments below!