This past weekend was big for AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman. At AEW Full Gear, the young pro wrestling prodigy successfully retained the ROH Tag Team Championships alongside impromptu tag team partner Samoa Joe, who was substituting for an injured Adam Cole. Following the match, MJF was viciously attacked by The Gunns and was sent out of the arena screaming in an ambulance. The main event was then changed to feature Cole, who cannot compete, defending Friedman’s title in his stead. However, Friedman made a miraculous last-minute return to the arena just before the match and successfully defended against Jay White.
The win further solidified Friedman as the biggest fish in the AEW pond, something he is not shy about discussing. Late last week, in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Friedman again played up the idea that his AEW contract comes up next year and that Tony Khan is trying desperately to keep him. In the interview, he also mentioned that “there’s also a lot of things about WWE that I like” and noted that his final decision will come down to whoever offers him the most money. Of course, throughout the year, Friedman has occasionally used the phrase “the bidding war of 2024” to hype his upcoming free agency.
Haus of Wrestling has heard from several WWE sources who believe Friedman has quietly re-signed with AEW. One higher-up WWE source stated that there have been “zero talks” between the two sides. They further noted that the idea Friedman is set to enter free agency imminently is a “false narrative” and that they believe he has re-signed into 2027.
“This is a completely in his head storyline,” one WWE source said.
“1000%,” another WWE source stated. “I was told a while ago he is under a long-term deal, which is why they stopped pushing the 2024 stuff.”
Haus of Wrestling has reached out to AEW for comment regarding Friedman’s contract status and has not heard back. If we do, we will update this post with their response.