Massive update on MJF's WrestleMania 40 status amid AEW absence - Reports
MJF has been out of action since AEW Worlds End on December 30, with hardly a peep from the former World Champion over the last three months. With WrestleMania XL just days away, a new report has shed some light on his current situation.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been teasing the "Bidding War of 2024" for years, and fans started wondering about the possibility of his WWE debut when he was removed from AEW's official roster on January 1, the day his contract supposedly expired.
While many believe Friedman secretly re-signed with Tony Khan's promotion back in 2022, there's always the possibility that he could join his mentor, Cody Rhodes, in WWE. According to Fightful Select, however, that isn't expected to happen this weekend.
Fightful noted today that MJF is not expected to debut for WWE at WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia this weekend. The report also claimed that he is still with All Elite Wrestling.
After losing his AEW World Championship at the Worlds End pay-per-view late last year, Max went on hiatus to recover from a torn labrum and other injuries he accrued throughout his year-plus reign.
MJF calls out The Rock ahead of WrestleMania XL
It's been radio silence from former AEW World Champion MJF since January 1st, but he came out of the shadows to throw some shade on The Rock today as WWE gears up for its biggest show of the year.
The Rock returned to WWE television on the Road to WrestleMania and is currently part of one of the biggest storylines the Stamford-based company has produced in years.
When MJF's ex-fiance, Naomi Rosenblum, showed off a picture she had painted of The Great One assaulting Cody Rhodes, The Rock expressed interest in purchasing it. Maxwell then chimed in, surprising fans by calling out The Final Boss:
"First you steal my glorious idea to lash Cody. Now you try to cop art from my ex. I’m a fan. But please Leave me be, Dewey."
In all likelihood, Friedman is still rehabbing his injuries in his time away from the spotlight. It's unclear when he intends to return and if it will be for AEW, but he certainly has unfinished business in the Jacksonville-based promotion.