MJF is not one to mince words. In fact, he has no problem boasting about his accomplishments and his capabilities, and whether you love him or you hate him, he’s definitely doing his job, which is to get ‘heat’ for the company he works for, the story he’s trying to tell, and the feuds he’s put in.
Case in point: The last promo we saw between him and CM Punk (all of his promos are equally scathing, really). He definitely didn’t pull any punches, which was also how he operated in the feud with Darby Allin. He spoke what was on his mind and in the end delivered to the fans what they expect of him: Scathing promos that make you cringe and say to yourself: ‘Now that was just too far.’
But for MJF, there is no ‘too far.’ MJF feels that what he brings to the table is indeed what makes him the attraction that he is. And so it is in this way that he is undoubtedly quite the draw for AEW. He feels so as well, as some comments he made on Busted Open Radio will show. He said:
“I don’t put on a costume like Luchasaurus does. I don’t have to because I already am a real-life superhero, especially to the people of Long Island. I am not changing anything about myself, but I can assure you, when my music hits, for the first time ever in my career, I will not be met with [boos]. I am going to be met with cheers…
This is me being completely genuine as I always am. It’s going to be emotional. It’s going to be the most emotional part of my career. I’ve been inside the ring with my heroes growing up as a kid, I have defeated my heroes. I have slain them as the dragon,” he said. “Now, here I come as a triumphant dragon slayer, back home. It brings a rush of nostalgia to my head of being the kid in class and saying, ‘I am going to be a professional wrestler.’ …
And everybody says, ‘Okay, yeah, sure Max. We love you, man, you’re the best. But that’s a pipedream.’ But now here I am and I am on the precipice of walking out to an arena filled with people chanting my name at the top of their lungs…
I find that a lot of guys on the AEW roster are wrestling because they feel that they need to impress our fan base. I don’t got to impress anybody. Everybody is already impressed by me. You’re impressed by me the second my music hits…
There’s a reason that when my music hits, I get one of the loudest reactions, positive or negative, in all of wrestling. I don’t have to wrestle every single week to make people feel that way to get people that excited about me. Of course, I’m an attraction. I’m Andre The Giant is what I am…”
via Busted Open Radio /Wrestling Inc (Transcription)
“That’s why my people love me. I’m not like CM Punk, I’m not like Bryan Danielson and the list goes on…. What I mean when I say that is I am 110% authentic. Nothing about me is fake, I am 100% real, I never waiver, I never quiver. I am not playing a character. I am not playing anything when I go out there.”
via Busted Open Radio /Wrestling Inc (Transcription)
So no, he really doesn’t need a gimmick per se, as Andre didn’t either. Andre, God rest his soul, brought to the table what he had…a charisma and awe-factor that brought people to the show, and not only in WWE, but at small parks in Montréal, Québec, Canada. I have an Uncle Frank that still remembers walking into that park and laying eyes for the first time on Grand Andrea, as the Italians in the old neighborhood used to know him and endearingly call him—he still remembers this, my uncle, and he’s over 70.
Now that’s a draw, and draws like that last forever in the minds and hearts of those watching on the sidelines. Does MJF have it? I’d say definitely he’s got it, but in the end, it’s the fans that decide.
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