AEW: MJF on Why He Plans on Staying with AEW & Takes Shot at WWE’s Ticket Pricing for Their Shows Compared to AEW, Ricky Saints on “Sleeper Match” From His AEW Run, Backstage Reaction to Paramount’s Acquisition Deal for Warner Bros Discovery

MJF Comments on Why He Plans on Staying with AEW & Takes Shot at WWE’s Expensive Ticket Pricing for Their Shows Compared to AEW

ABC 7 KIVA held a recent interview with AEW World Champion MJF. One of the topics discussed included MJF’s thoughts about why he prefers to remain with AEW despite having opportunities to join other companies.

“What keeps me in AEW is my ability to be myself; there’s no leash on me. I don’t have to worry about anyone sitting me down and telling me what I am doing right or wrong.

My boss knows I am the draw. I have the World title right now. Ratings are up, ticket sales are up. I wonder why? He lets me do my thing. So, I don’t think I’ll ever leave.”

MJF also gave his thoughts about WWE’s current expensive ticket pricing for their shows under TKO’s ownership and how AEW charges normal prices to fans for tickets for their shows.

“You pay me the big bucks, I’m coming. There is a possibility I might be wrestling on that show, who’s to say? You never know. There might be a title defense in El Paso.

Unlike WWE, you don’t have to sell the soul of your firstborn to buy a ticket. There are normal prices. You go to AEWtix.com or Ticketmaster.com. We don’t discriminate against poors, the same way the world champ does. I hate you people. Look, but somebody’s gotta pay daddy’s bills and that’s gonna be people like you, okay?“

Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com 1 & 2

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Ricky Saints Comments on “Sleeper Match” From His AEW Run

A recent episode of the Battleground Podcast featured current WWE NXT talent Ricky Saints, former Ricky Starks in AEW, as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Saints’ thoughts about his Eight-Man Tag Team match with CM Punk & FTR against Jay White, Juice Robinson, & The Gunns on the second episode of AEW Collision from June of 2023 being his choice of a “sleeper match” from his AEW career where fans went from liking him to thinking he’s a star.

“That’s hard, because I felt it twice. Obviously the Bryan Danielson match that I had, the strap match, was really great. But there’s also a sleeper match that I don’t think people really remember. It was a big tag match. It was me, Punk, FTR against The Gunn Club. It was in Toronto. It was amazing, that was such a great feeling that I had where I go, ‘Wow, I get it. I get it now.’ So I think those two are like standout in my mind of that type of scenario. And it still happens, it’s still happening for some people.”

Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com

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Backstage Reaction to Paramount’s Acquisition Deal for Warner Bros Discovery

As noted before, Paramount recently announced their official acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery following the company becoming the winner of the bidding process over Netflix. WBD is the current media broadcast partner of AEW.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that the internal reaction within AEW over Paramount getting WBD instead of Netflix was one of not being negative. Those spoken to reportedly stated that AEW would be looking forward to partnering with Paramount should Paramount’s acquisition deal gets regulatory approval.

Johnson reported that there was absolutely no sort of any “doom and gloom” response to Paramount’s deal within AEW based on those spoken to.

Johnson also reported that had Netflix won the deal instead, they were not acquiring the television division which would have remained with Discovery meaning that AEW would have remained with the existing WBD braintrust.

Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp reported in a recent Q&A article that his sources also confirmed that AEW officials are currently not worried over Paramount becoming the new owners of WBD.