Despite dealing with a knee injury, AEW World Champion MJF is continuing to wrestle.
After confirming that he was dealing with a hyperextended knee, Maxwell Jacob Friedman let the fans know that he would not be missing any TV time as a result. On the next episode of Dynamite, Mark Briscoe informed MJF that they would each captain respective teams in a 12-man steel cage match at Forbidden Door on June 28. On the June 17 Dynamite, both men revealed their teams and faced off in a traditional tag match. Picking up the win for his team, MJF submitted Roderick Strong to allow the villains to stand tall as the show went off the air.
Choosing not to vacate the championship, Friedman will wrestle until further notice. In a recent interview, the World Champion gave an insight into just how bad the injury is.
“My Knee Is F*cked”: MJF
While appearing on Shut Up and Wrestle, MJF admitted that he is in a lot of pain right now. However, the World Champion added that he still needs to compete as he is the top star, adding that the AEW medical team wouldn’t clear him if they thought otherwise:
“While you’re interviewing me right now, my knee is f*cked. It’s swollen to shi*, I’m in a sh*t ton of f*cking pain. It’s on me because I’m the f*cking top guy and people are leaning on me to make sure that we’re doing well. So, I’ve gotta lace my god damn boots up and get in that damn ring. Obviously, a doctor is never going to let me go in there unless I’m structurally okay, so don’t think I’m burying the AEW medical team. I’m in a lot of pain, the swelling, but structurally, I’m good.”
It’s generally considered that the modern style of wrestling is a lot more physical than it was in years past. With more high-impact bumps and stiff strikes, the demand on the body is greater than before. Addressing those who think otherwise, MJF spoke about the amount of pain he is in right now, but acknowledged that it is part of the industry:
“There is this new wrestling fandom of these younger kids that think this is all funsies. They don’t understand how much we’re putting on the line physically everytime we go through the curtain. It takes a toll, dude. I’m 30, I’m in pain. I’m only 30. I can’t imagine what I’m gonna feel like when I’m 40 or 50. But I’m also not asking for sympathy either, I’m not a bitch. I fully understand I signed up for this sh*t. This was my decision and my dream to chase. However, I just wish wrestling fans understood more that everytime we go out there, it’s painful. It’s not like it only hurts when you take a bump on the goddamn apron, it hurts everytime we take a bump. No matter what, it hurts.”
“I always laugh, especially earlier on in my AEW career, when fans were like, ‘Why isn’t MJF wrestling more?’ F*ck you, you take a bump, pussy. It hurts. Do you have any idea how much it hurts? Everything we do in there hurts.”
Featured image: AEW
