Summary

MJF spoke about AEW's locker room and said he believes top wrestlers should be paid in line with their value.

He contrasted that view with wrestlers leaving for the other major company while, in his view, getting similar or worse booking for less money.

MJF said his long-term priority is financial security for his family, and he added that he is not willing to accept lower compensation just to have a WrestleMania moment.

MJF ties career decisions to compensation and family security

MJF framing contract choices around compensation creates a concrete consequence, his public stance strengthens AEW's message that top in-ring talent can build both status and financial upside without leaving.

By connecting legacy to family stability as well as his work in the ring and on the microphone, he also sets a clear benchmark for how he wants his run to be judged.

Quotes

Quote from MJF

"This is where the best wrestle. We’re real premier athletes. We’re not models. We’re not ex-football players or ex-volleyball players or whatever. This is what we’ve wanted to do from the jump. Everyone whose name just came out of my mouth, the only thing they’ve ever wanted to be in their life is a professional wrestler. And we have honed our crafts to the best of our absolute abilities, which has made us so incredible, which is precisely why we are getting compensated the way we should be compensated. I cannot — God bless people that do it — people will jump to the other place [WWE] to get booked the same and/or worse, to be compensated for less. Why? I don’t know. If the answer is legacy, you know what I want my legacy to be? I want my legacy to be that my children are going to be able to afford to go to any school they want. They’re going to be able to afford to go to any restaurant they want. They’re going to be able to go on vacations. They’re going to be able to wear the nicest clothes. And that’s happening because I get compensated what my talent is worth. I’m not going to settle for less compensation so I get to have a WrestleMania moment. That doesn’t make sense to me. My legacy is my family. My legacy is my wife. My legacy is my children, my grandchildren, etc. My legacy is also what I do inside that squared circle and on this microphone."

Sources

As reported by NoDQ.