10 Unexpected Origins Of Wrestling Characters

5. The MJF Backstory You Don't Know About

Uncle Howdy
AEW

MJF, in a stunning twist to an instantly seminal storyline, revealed his genuine motivation to enter the world of pro wrestling earlier this year. He was savvy enough to incorporate as his villain origin story.

He saw a social media post of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan shaking hands in an ROH tribute as they began the 2011 Royal Rumble match, and, feeling that his nascent football career wasn't for him, was inspired to finally undertake the journey that had beckoned him. This tied, deftly, into his first interaction with his hero on AEW television, a segment that deepened the heft of the storyline in retrospect. This was all very real - online sleuths subsequently dug up MJF's reply to the post declaring his intention to be a wrestler - but MJF also has a worked character backstory that you may not be aware of.

In a film made by Kenny Johnson - made all the more fantastic by the fact that Johnson had made (tremendous) shoot documentaries before this - MJF broke character to reveal that, beneath the baddie facade, he was actually a great guy who had a humble upbringing before his father made serious money. Throughout, it is slowly revealed that he had rented a house to make him seem like a "salt of the earth" figure when, in reality, he had corrupted the child protective services system by claiming that his impossibly wealthy family had abused him, allowing him his inheritance early.

So why did he make this decision to become a super-villain?

His father told him he wasn't allowed to watch WrestleMania XXVIII after he'd crashed the family's Lamborghini.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!