Top AEW star says the company would have been "dead in the water" without Chris Jericho

A top AEW star recently had some interesting words about the route All Elite Wrestling would have gone if it weren't for former WWE Champion Chris Jericho.

The star in question is none other than the current AEW World Champion MJF. Max had some respectful comments about Jericho and stated that the veteran gave the company the legitimacy it needed at the time of its launch.

Chris Jericho has been on All Elite Wrestling's side ever since they arrived in the wrestling business in 2019. Jericho was the first-ever AEW World Champion and has provided the fans with numerous incredible matches over the years. The veteran also has an important role backstage and helps a lot of talent in promos and in-ring.

Speaking in an interview with The Players' Tribune, Friedman stated the following:

"It’s really fun to sh*t on him, I know. (Trust me, I do it all the time.) But people have the weirdest, shortest memories when it comes to who he is and what he represents. Like: I respect Tony and the EVPs a lot. (See above.) But if AEW at the start had just been those guys, plus a ragtag group of indie wrestlers with zero TV exposure (myself included)?? Sorry…… but no. We would have been dead in the water. Chris gave us a legitimacy that people take so f*cking for granted now it’s insane. And he didn’t just make AEW feel legit — he also made AEW’s world title feel legit. Which might seem like the same thing but it’s different. (It’s harder.)"

He continued:

" And let’s be clear: Chris also gave legitimacy to MJF. I mean, when he decided to deal with me for a YEAR?? I was already doing well, of course, but his buy-in cemented me. To our fans, to my bosses, to myself. It was like, Yeah, go ahead and get invested in this MJF guy. He’s for real. He’s worth a year of CHRIS JERICHO’s time. I assure you I’m forgetting no one when I say: Chris was the biggest star AEW had at its inception, and most likely still is (besides me, duh). " H/T:[ThePlayersTribune]

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AEW star MJF recently commented on his scenes being cut from The Iron Claw movie

MJF was a part of the cast in The Iron Claw movie and also had some scenes that were cut from the final version of the film. Speaking in an exclusive interview with ComicBook, The Salt of the Earth addressed the issue:

"There most certainly is [an extended scene]. I don't know where it's going to live," MJF said. "There was a scene where me and him were talking, but me and Sean both completely understood that 'Listen, I want this film to succeed, and the film needed to be about the brothers.' As fun as I had shooting that scene, realistically, it didn't add to the overarching story and the importance of the story between the brothers and what they were going through in dealing with the pressures that their father put on them. It didn't fit in the pieces of the puzzle."

Friedman further called the movie a masterpiece and speculated a director's cut version which would include his parts:

"There were a lot of other things that were cut in regards to their history. If there is a director's cut, I think people will have a lot of fun with it, but again, if there's not, the theatrical cut is good," MJF said. "I'm not just saying that because I'm an EP. The story kicks you in the f***ing b***s, man. That's what you want. That's what you want in a drama."

What is your favorite moment of MJF in AEW? Let us know in the comments below.