MJF Sounds Off on the State of Pro Wrestling, Being a Fan, Andrade and More Ahead of All In

This Sunday, AEW will head to Wembley Stadium in London, England, for the annual All In PPV.

Most of the matches will have titles on the line, but one of the few that doesn't still has title implications, as the winner of the Casino Gauntlet will earn a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.

MJF is set to be one of the first two competitors to enter the gauntlet, and he will have to contend with his current rival, Andrade El Idolo, in the process.

We had a chance to speak to MJF ahead of the PPV to discuss his feud with El Idolo, why studying the past is important and more.

All In Casino Gauntlet

Bleacher Report: You're set to enter the Casino Gauntlet, and so is Andrade El Idolo. What is it about him that gets under your skin so much?

MJF: "What is it that gets under my skin? How much time do you have? I don't like the fact that he walks around acting like he's some sort of sex symbol. I'm far more attractive than him.

"I don't like that he claims to be the best wrestler. How is that possible when I'm the one who is the one true champion? I don't like the fact that he parades around with this national title, acting as if he is about to make this title more important than my title. That's never happening in a million years.

"I don't like the simple fact that he talks about, 'I'm the real Latino man.' Well, what's special about that? We've got plenty of Latinos in All Elite Wrestling. We've got some of the best luchadores in all of the world. But there's only one Big Hebrew.

"So I guess what I don't like about the guy is he's so pompous, and frankly, I don't know what for. He's accomplished a couple of big wins. Has he ever beaten me? No. Will he ever beat me? No. Will he ever be AEW world champion? No. And the fact that he is even in this match, to me, is laughable.

"This guy doesn't have a prayer of winning this thing. Here's exactly what's going to happen at All In. And I really, really hope everybody is paying close attention when I say this.

"I'm going to win the Cadino Gauntlet contract in back-to-back years because that's what I do. I'm going to execute that contract and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that neither Kenny Omega nor Will Ospreay were ever actually world champion.

"Only MJF has ever been world champion because Ospreay is a little cheat and got involved in my match with Kenny Omega at Beach Break, so the match should have been thrown out. This whole entire situation is preposterous, but I'm going to right all those wrongs on August 30."

Ospreay or Omega?

BR: "You mentioned Omega and Ospreay. Do you have a preference for which one you would rather face for the title?"

MJF: "I couldn't give a s--t. I've beaten both of them, and I did with an easy, easy, lax amount of effort. Hell, I've beaten Kenny Omega twice. I had Will Ospreay beat in the same building we're heading to on August 30, and then he cheated because Daniel Garcia got involved.

"Are you noticing a pattern here? The only time MJF loses is when somebody else sticks their s--tty little nose in my business."

Wembley Stadium

BR: "Wembley Stadium has taken on a life of its own leading to the PPV. Do you like performing in big venues, or do you prefer the more intimate atmosphere of somewhere like the ECW Arena?"

MJF: "Frankly, I don't have a preference. Listen, I wrestled in front of one of the biggest crowds of all time. It was 82,000 people. I main-evented that match, and I won. That's a feeling Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega will never get to have.

"But what I will tell you is this. I'm not concerned with who is outside of the squared circle. The only thing I'm concerned with is who's in it. And the fact of the matter is, when this match starts, it's going to be me at No. 2, Andrade at No. 1, and I don't want other people to come into the match.

"I don't want this to become a clusterf--k. I want to get in and get out, and that's exactly what I'm going to do, and I don't give a s--t if there's 30,000, 40,000, 50,000 people. Doesn't make a difference to me.

"I'm winning, I'm hitting the pay window, and I'm leaving."

What Has MJF Learned About Himself?

BR: "When you came into AEW, you were billed as this young prodigy who could go in the ring and was great on the mic. Now that you have been in the business for over 10 years, what is the biggest thing you've learned about yourself as a performer in that time?"

MJF: "I think the biggest thing I've learned about myself is to only trust myself. The only time I've ever really gone south in my career, which was, in my opinion, one time and for a very brief period of time, was when I trusted Adam Cole.

"I put my head and my heart on the line. I have not put my heart on the line since. My heart's on f--king vacation, okay. I don't know if it's ever coming back home. The reason I've gotten to the position I'm in, and I will say it proudly, is because I'm heartless.

"The only thing I'm concerned with is being world champion, which I am. The only thing I care about is becoming incredibly rich and leaving a legacy in this industry. And I've managed to do all three of those things at the very old, hunched-over age of 30.

"In all sincerity, I think one of the biggest issues that young people in the industry make is that a lot of guys are busy walking around trying to find veterans in the locker room. Here's the deal and the god's honest truth.

"Not all of them, but 99 percent of the veterans in the locker room, they don't have your best interest, they don't want you to beat them, they don't want you to be better at talking than them or better at wrestling than them. Because if you're better than they are, that's taking food off their plate.

"The only person you can trust in this industry is yourself. Now, if you're a young reader who has piss poor instincts, then I can't help you. You're better off being a follower. Trust me, there are plenty of followers in this industry, and they make good money being followers, just not MJF money.

"And that's fine. Not everybody is a lead. Some people are born to be backup dancers. Some people are born to be stars. That is truly what I've learned. The only person that I can trust and should trust is myself and my own instincts."

Who Should Young Wrestlers be Studying?

BR: "You're a student of the game and watch both old and new wrestling. Who are the people you think young wrestlers should be studying?"

MJF: "Honestly, they should study me. You know, I always harken back to the '80s because that is the best era in professional wrestling, in my opinion. I would also talk about territory wrestlers, and I'll tell you why.

"I'll give you one name and say, Gino Hernandez. He is somebody I have been studying a lot, and the cool thing about Gino is that he's a guy that not a lot of people know. So if you're able to take something from somebody that nobody's ever seen, it's going to feel original. What's old school is new school, right?

"Gino had so many interesting ways he would approach both matches and promos. Then you have other guys from that era. This is a manager, and he was a great manager in that area. A guy by the name of Gary Hart, and no, he was not part of The Hart Family, which is probably why he's not boring as s--t.

"Gary just had a very intense way of speaking and approaching talking on camera, and there's a lot of guys like that who have been lost not only because of time, not because of a great legacy. I could honestly go on and on and name random names.

"You know what's another fun one? When people think of Jimmy Garvin, I fear that they predominantly think of that failed tag run that he had in WCW when he had to pretend to be a Freebird even though he was assuredly not a Freebird.

"If you watch Jimmy Garvin in his heyday when he's got the hair all the way out and the gorgeous robes, and was walking around with a gorgeous girl and talking all this mess. I remember the first time I saw him and I was like, "Whoa, where did this guy come from?' And he had a lot of stuff that I was able to implement as well.

"I guess my point is, if you're a young wrestler, the best thing you can be is a student of the game. Playboy Buddy Rose. That's another one lost to the annals of time.

"I think there's always names and people that the mass public don't know that were actually really quite good for a period of time that you can take a lot from."

The State of Pro Wrestling

BR: "What are your thoughts on the state of pro wrestling across the board right now?"

MJF: "I don't know if you can say it's not in a good place when in the history of pro wrestling, this is the most amount of money that's ever been made off of pro wrestling ever between TV deals and gates.

"I'm a 30-year-old man and I've already sold more million-dollar houses than most Hall of Famers. I think wrestling is in a really good place. Now, do I think that much like any sport or platform, there's a way that it can improve? Absolutely.

"For me personally, I'm getting really sick of there's like a homogenized standard of what good is bell to bell, and I would love to see more styles. It's like cake batter ice cream. I had cake batter on an almost daily basis, over and over and over again.

"But eventually, because the flavor was so rich, I kind of got sick of it. And I yearned for the days of vanilla. I couldn't handle anymore. And I think that's happened with wrestling.

"It's a good thing to have options. If there's one thing I can critique pro wrestling for, while also stating the reason that my rise was so meteoric, is because I gave people that different flavor of ice cream they've been yearning for. So that's my take."

Being a Fan

BR: "Do you ever get to watch wrestling just for enjoyment anymore?"

MJF: "Enjoyment is such an interesting word. I watch more professional wrestling than any professional wrestler that is professional wrestling today, a billion percent.

"I am watching everything. I'm an unwell person when it comes to that, but I wouldn't say I watch it for enjoyment. I watch it for a couple of things. Product knowledge. I watch it for what the next big thing is, what the next big idea is.

"Most importantly, I like to tape study people that I could potentially be wrestling down the line so I am prepared for them. I know their weaknesses and strengths. But I can say easily that I'm sitting down, and much like a wrestling fan would but in a very different way, I am watching Raw and SmackDown and TNA and MLW and MLP and New Japan and Stardom. And I'm also watching indies, and I'm watching AIW, AAW, Beyond Wrestling."

BR: "Is there anyone right now that you are a particular fan of watching?"

MJF: "I was just in a three-way with him, and I think he's got a lot to offer. Nick Wayne. I think Nick Wayne's really special, and he also understands this is an aesthetic business and he's gotten himself in really good shape in a short period of time. That's something I really respect.

"I don't like them, but I think both Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher are the guys I'm going to be wrestling in the main events of pay-per-views, probably for the next 10-15 years. Outside of that, I don't think he's a sleeper pick because he's a former singles champion in our company, but I think Mark Davis, to me, is my favorite big man right now in wrestling, for my taste.

"He is so good, and what I love about him most is that everything he does feels different to me, and it feels like something that harkens back to old, like a Stan Hansen or a [Bruiser] Brody. So yeah, I enjoy his work quite a lot."

Burberry and Movie Review

BR: "You're the only world champion in AEW with his own custom belt, the Triple B. Has there ever been any contact with Burberry?"

MJF: "It's a double-edged sword. They're either beyond over-the-moon happy, or they're upset. I don't know if they think they should be getting a kickback. Frankly, sometimes I think I should be getting a kickback for making Burberry as cool as I made it feel. But there has not been a conversation yet with Burberry."

BR: "The way we always like to end an interview is having the wrestler review a movie. Is there something you have watched that you would want to talk about?"

MJF: "I really, and this is not a deep take, but I thought the new Spider-Man movie kicked ass. That's my take. I love action and I love action stuff, so I adore both the DC Universe and the Marvel Universe."

---

You can listen to the full interview in the video above, and you can see MJF competing in the Casino Gauntlet match this Sunday at AEW All In.