MJF Addresses ‘Blackheart’ Lio Rush

MJF is the reigning AEW World Champion. He won this title by defeating the previous champion, Darby Allin, in the main event of Double or Nothing 2026. The Salt of the Earth is one of the most recognisable names in the modern professional wrestling landscape. Tony Khan has immense faith in him, and hopefully, he will end this year on a strong note.

MJF recently made an appearance on Brian R. Solomon’s Shut Up and Wrestle podcast. He spoke about many things. Interestingly, he broke character and showered Lio Rush with praise.

Lio Rush recently underwent a character change. His new ‘Blackheart’ gimmick is dark and mysterious, and fans have been enjoying it. The former WWE star has become a regular on TV. Furthermore, he recently won the ROH World Television Championship at Global Wars Cincinnati.

Big Hebrew has deep respect for the 31-year-old. He said that not everyone might be fond of Rush’s new gimmick, but it is getting him TV time and many opportunities. He also wants more wrestlers in his age group to come up with creative ideas.

“His flavor of ice cream that he’s doing now might not be your flavor of ice cream that you’re interested in, but it’s gotten him on television and it’s gotten him opportunities. So I respect that immensely and I wish there were more guys like him in our age group,” he said.

MJF describes what it was like in his 20s

In a recent appearance on Insight, MJF said that he was the fastest and youngest rising star in the history of professional wrestling in his 20s.

“I can’t sit here and pretend I wasn’t the fastest and youngest rising star probably in the history of the business. If I did, I’d be full of sh*t. My 20s put me on the map, and made me a genuine household name, which a lot of the time if you want to be a household name in pro wrestling, people don’t think of those three letters. They think of WWE. I’ve proven that’s not the case,” he said.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman turned thirty this year. Hopefully, his current title reign will be lengthy.