MJF has consistently stated over the past few years that his contract with All Elite Wrestling will expire in 2024. Naturally, his comments have led fans and media to speculate about the possibility of the current AEW World Champion leaving the company to join WWE.
As of now, it remains uncertain what decision he will make, but several of his former colleagues, including Cody Rhodes, have set precedents and found great success by switching sides. Rhodes, a friend of MJF, recently discussed the matter in an interview with Yes Network, and he believes that Friedman will eventually go to WWE. Here are his statements:
"I think you will see MJF in WWE one day. One of the things I'm proud of him for is, for those who don't know, MJF was one of my pupils. Probably the one I'm most proud of, just in terms of his potential, his personality. Overall, his professionalism is dazzling.
One of the things I'm proud of him for is, if you look at him, he's put on a ton of muscle and he's been working safely for the last year and a half. When he does make that jump, I don't know when it will be, if it will be. But if he comes to WWE, you've got to be able to hang with guys like Drew McIntyre, Omos, Brock Lesnar...
And I'm not trying to diminish those who don't go to the gym and hit the weights hard, as The Rock would say, but right now, it's part of what we do. You have to be able to go toe-to-toe with the big guys."
On more than one occasion, MJF has made it clear that he will go to the company that pays him the most and values him the most, and he has referred to 2024 as the year when the "bidding war" will begin, alluding to the likely interest from WWE in signing him and AEW in renewing his contract. Perhaps Cody's words are a hint at his choice.