MJF is arguably one of the biggest stars in AEW currently. He was previously signed to MLW, where he was contractually obligated not to compete in WWE and Impact Wrestling. However, as AEW did not exist at the time of signing the contract, he was able to work at AEW on the first episode itself.
WWE have released Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Ruby Riott, Santana Garrett, and Buddy Murphy. The reason cited was part of budget cuts, and Strowman was being paid $1.2 million per year according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The former WWE Universal Champion signed a new contract in October 2019, so the budget cut regarding Strowman is the WWE’s biggest saving financially from all of the talent cuts in the last year plus during the pandemic. Braun Strowman was fired by WWE for a very surprising reason as well.
Previously, more details regarding WWE’s decision to release Braun Strowman from his contract had been revealed. Braun Strowman’s contract definitely played a role in him getting fired. On top of that, Braun Strowman was viewed as an ‘obsolete’ WWE Superstar and ‘two years past his prime.
That was only just the beginning as WWE continued to release several Superstars o the past few months. Their latest set of releases included the likes of Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Ember Moon, Mia Yim and Nia Jax.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE might not offer MJF a huge contract once his contract with AEW is over in 2024.
“I had a conversation with him about it and I don’t think he is going anywhere. I mean, if the deal, the financial deal, was really ridiculous by WWE, but who knows what they’re thinking in 2024. They usually don’t give ridiculous deals to someone who has never, in their mind, been a big deal. I could see there being a big bidding war. It’s just a question of how high they’re willing to go. I wouldn’t say he’s locked into AEW, but all things being equal, he won’t be leaving AEW.”
h/t to Ringside News for the transcription
