WWE News: AEW Star's Contract Disclosure Drew Heat From Company Founder

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) has made a name for himself as one of the business’ best heels, but his latest revelation has caused some controversy within the company.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com reported that AEW founder and CEO Tony Khan took offense to MJF revealing his contract status with the company and the star not coordinating with its PR team.

“Tony Khan and MJF had a discussion this past weekend that was said to have left both men frustrated. We’re told that the contract status of MJF is what has left the young star frustrated of late, but that Tony Khan took issue with the interview being set up without notifying AEW’s PR team of such,” the report said as quoted by Ringside News.

"Those that we spoke to didn’t think there would have been an issue with the subject matter or the interview in general if that were the case.”

MJF stirred the pot last week when he made his appearance on Ariel Helwani’s podcast that seemed to hint at his discontent with AEW and hinted that he might be looking into leaving the company for WWE.

This caused many to wonder whether there is any merit towards MJF’s claims since he is known throughout the business to blur the lines between his real life and career, as he exemplified in his recently-concluded feud with CM Punk.

However, now that word got out about Khan being frustrated with his top heel worker, it seems like MJF’s statements on Helwani’s podcast have truth in them.

MJF said that his contract with AEW would be expiring on January 1, 2024, and WWE would have more than a fair shot at signing him outright as a free agent by then.

Losing the 25-year-old to another top-tier promotion like WWE does affect how AEW will be seen following his departure, but it would not be as big a loss as many would think.

The AEW roster is arguably as deep--or even deeper--than that of WWE, and its capacity to build future stars is something that has helped the organization stand out in the industry.

However, there could be a bright spot in them losing MJF as the AEW locker room sometimes feels bloated because of the talented names across the card.

With MJF jumping to WWE, this opens up a spot for one of the younger talents to take advantage of the situation and become a star in their own right.