During a recent interview with Jason “Solomonster” Solomon for SEScoops, AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) discussed why some wrestling fans hate AEW. Below are some highlights:
MJF on why certain wrestling fans hate AEW: “Yeah, well, here’s why. I’m actually going to relate this to Judaism, because I’m very good at my job. When you think about why people hate us and why we constantly get attacked, it’s because we’re different and being different makes people uncomfortable.”
MJF on fans making making bad-faith arguments: “I genuinely feel the reason that a lot of the time you’ll find a lot of–and don’t get me wrong, there was most certainly constructive criticism online, genuinely.. but you’ll find a lot of non-constructive criticism online. Just wild irredeemably messed up sh*t that people are saying that is either untrue Or just mean, you know? And I think the reason that’s happening is Monday Night Raw is the longest reigning episodic television show of all time. We have only been around for what, four and a half years? That’s new, that’s different, and what’s different scares people.”
On Tony Khan’s comments about AEW being the challenger brand to WWE: “So I actually do agree for once with Tony Khan’s assessment [AEW being the ‘challenger brand’ to WWE] and I think that’s the issue. I think the issue is that we’re fresh. We’re new. We feel dangerous to people – and I kind of get off on that, because I get to be the World Champion of that danger and that change, just like I get to be a champion of the Jewish people.”
MJF on why certain wrestling fans hate AEW: “Yeah, well, here’s why. I’m actually going to relate this to Judaism, because I’m very good at my job. When you think about why people hate us and why we constantly get attacked, it’s because we’re different and being different makes people uncomfortable.”
MJF on fans making making bad-faith arguments: “I genuinely feel the reason that a lot of the time you’ll find a lot of–and don’t get me wrong, there was most certainly constructive criticism online, genuinely.. but you’ll find a lot of non-constructive criticism online. Just wild irredeemably messed up sh*t that people are saying that is either untrue Or just mean, you know? And I think the reason that’s happening is Monday Night Raw is the longest reigning episodic television show of all time. We have only been around for what, four and a half years? That’s new, that’s different, and what’s different scares people.”
On Tony Khan’s comments about AEW being the challenger brand to WWE: “So I actually do agree for once with Tony Khan’s assessment [AEW being the ‘challenger brand’ to WWE] and I think that’s the issue. I think the issue is that we’re fresh. We’re new. We feel dangerous to people – and I kind of get off on that, because I get to be the World Champion of that danger and that change, just like I get to be a champion of the Jewish people.”
