Ahead of AEW Double or Nothing 2026, MJF spoke with Ariel Helwani about the current atmosphere inside All Elite Wrestling and why he believes the company is in a much stronger position heading into the pay-per-view.

According to MJF, morale within the promotion is at a high point as talent focuses on delivering the strongest show possible.

“Everyone’s ready to f*ckin’ rock and roll, and everybody wants to put on the best show possible.”

When Helwani asked how AEW reached that point, MJF didn’t hesitate with his response.

“People had to get weeded out.”

Helwani then pressed further, asking who he believed was the biggest example of someone using AEW as a stepping stone back to WWE.

“You want me to say a name?” MJF responded before eventually pointing toward Malakai Black, also known to WWE fans as Aleister Black.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that that’s Malakai Black [Aleister Black]. But I don’t know the guy, like, on a personal level. Do I think he’s a bad guy? No. Do I think he was a mark for, like, wanting to have his, ‘Oh, I need my Mania moment!’ Like, yeah. And there were a couple guys like that. And they got weeded out.”

MJF continued by claiming some wrestlers who left AEW for WWE may not find the experience as rewarding as expected.

“And then they went over there and some of them found out the grass isn’t greener. And perhaps some of them did. Some of them, for them, the grass was greener. But I’d say a majority of the guys that were like, ‘I’m just gonna use All Elite Wrestling to go to WWE’ or to go back to WWE, I think you’re going to see a lot of those guys ask for a 50% pay cut from the office. You’re going to see a lot of those guys just get released.”

He also stressed that AEW performers can succeed without damaging relationships on the way out.

“And it’s unfortunate because if you show up to our company and you work hard, there’s really no need to burn bridges. I’m not sh*tting on him. I’m just simply telling you what I was told by a majority of the locker room about this specific individual.”

MJF BURIES Malakai/Alesiter Black, calls him a mark and says he’s the biggest offender of “using AEW as a stepping stone to go back to WWE” says people like him leaving is the reason for AEW’s current camaraderie and success😭

(The MMA Hour) pic.twitter.com/ix7mDUBqw9

, Self Made AO 💫 (@KXNGAO) May 19, 2026