Eric Bischoff Speculates On Potential Upcoming Contract Decision For One Top AEW Star

On his "83 Weeks" podcast, former WCW executive Eric Bischoff was asked by a fan if he thought MJF was still signed to AEW or headed to WWE. MJF's contract with AEW was due to expire at the turn of the year, but no official details have emerged regarding "The Salt of the Earth" signing a new deal.

"I think MJF is really, really smart," Bischoff said. "I think he's probably as good as a businessman intuitively as he is on the mic. He's inexperienced. He's young. I just have a lot of faith in his critical thinking process. So my guess would be is he stays, because the more of these big names that go, the more valuable he becomes. Now if he's going to make an emotional decision, that will be different because he's frustrated — or emotionally, perhaps he gets a little greedy and thinks that, 'Uh, I can make a little bit more money over there or whatever.' But if I'm a smart guy like MJF and I'm seeing all these big names that came in with all this promise and hope ... I'm staying put, and I'm raising my price."

It was recently reported that MJF had signed a new contract with AEW through 2027. However, he denied that was the case during an interview, mentioning that he would be assessing his future professional prospects after Worlds End. At that pay-per-view at the end of December, MJF, who is said to be dealing with various injuries, lost the AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe. After that defeat, MJF's recent associate Adam Cole revealed himself to be The Devil — who had been targeting MJF — with Wardlow, Roderick Strong, and The Kingdom's Mike Bennett and Matt Taven as his henchmen. The group then attacked MJF as Cole watched on, ultimately writing him off television.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "83 Weeks" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.