Backstage News On MJF's AEW Status
The Salt of the Earth has been absent from AEW since Worlds End.
Having been absent from AEW programming since Worlds End at the close of 2023, there's now somewhat of an update on MJF's status with the Tony Khan-led promotion.
Per PWInsider, the Salt of the Earth is still recovering from various injuries. While he's not listed on the AEW roster, and while Tony Khan has publicly played up the idea that Maxwell Jacob Friedman is no longer with the company, the general belief is that, yes, MJF is very much under contract with AEW.
Max has been completely absent from any and all AEW shows since that Worlds End PPV, but he was in Boston last month to meet with AEW officials the day after the Big Business edition of Dynamite.
As of this writing, there is no word on when MJF will be returning to in-ring action or just generally to AEW programming, with the former AEW World Champion still healing up from the myriad of injuries he'd been dealing with throughout 2023.
Of course, prior to this absence, Friedman had talked about the Bidding War of 2024, with that based on how his AEW contract was up at the start of the year. As mentioned, it's understood that MJF is very much tied down to AEW despite some wrestling fans speculating over him appearing at this year's WWE Royal Rumble or WrestleMania XL.