As MJF prepared for the biggest match of his career, wrestling Adam Cole in the main event of All In at Wembley Stadium in front of 81,035 paid fans, he stopped by Busted Open Radio with fellow New Yorkers Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer to discuss the emotions surrounding the journey from All In 2019 to the most attended show in professional wrestling history.

How, Busted Open wondered, did it feel to go from an opening act on All In 2019 to the face of AEW at the company's biggest show five years later? Well, for a wrestling fan like MJF, who admitted he could have taken the “easy route” to work through the WWE developmental system, becoming a headlining act in an upstart promotion felt like a dream come true.

“I cried like a baby back b**ch. It was so intense because again, it was another moment where I bet on myself,” MJF said via Wrestling Headlines. “I could have went the easy route. I could have went to the place that was very well established that everyone’s heard of. Everyone knows the three letters, WWE, as you should. It’s an incredible, amazing company that I still watch to this day. It’s awesome. No one knew what AEW was. No one. It didn’t exist. What I saw it as was an opportunity for me to make it something. I saw the opportunity to be the quarterback. I saw the opportunity to be the face of this promotion, and I jumped on it.”

Had MJF joined WWE, what would have happened? Would he have been allowed to become the world's favorite scumbag, a detailed, nuanced performer who can get even the most basic maneuver over due to his effortless charisma? Or would he have instead been forced to surrender everything that would make him special in favor of a WWE-approved character that fits into their vision of him as a character? Fortunately, fans will never have to know… unless, of course, Nick Khan outbids Tony Khan in 2024.

MJF believes Cody Rhodes' co-sign helped to establish himself in AEW.

Elsewhere in his conversation with Busted Open Radio, MJF was asked if he knew he was going to be a big star in AEW when he signed with the promotion.

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Unsurprisingly, considering his usage, the answer was no, but the “Salt of the Earth” credits Cody Rhodes for helping to get him matches, as his co-sign led to future opportunities with the promotion.

“Maybe not at first. I definitely was not a quote-unquote Chosen One. I wasn’t best friends with anyone in power. I wasn’t an indie darling. Frankly, I was Scrappy Doo, like, I was kind of Cody’s sidekick when the company first started, if you think about it. I’ve built this all through hard work and determination. When AEW started, I got hit over the head by Joey Janela at a pep rally if you guys recall because Joey was the star at that point in time,” MJF added.

“I was this kind of undercard guy, maybe he’s got a shot. Cody seems to like him, eh, throw him out there. It’s crazy to think about now, but that was my spot, and I’ll never forget the amount of times I looked in the mirror and I said, ‘You’re gonna get there. Just keep going,' because I’ve known what I’ve gotten, and I’m thankful, and I’m grateful for the people that have been along for me on this ride, even the people that doubt it because now I’m seeing, which is a very hard thing to do in 2023 because everybody loves to hold on to an opinion, even if they know they’re wrong, deep down for whatever reason. Nobody wants to apologize, and it’s okay to have a conversation. People just put their, you know, flag in the sand and be like, ‘No, this is it. Done’, and like, that’s insane, unless you’re talking about a great I am, then by all means plant that flag. But yeah, now I think everyone’s pretty much come around on MJF, and everyone’s agreeing that I’m a main event. I’m a headliner. I’m a world champion. I’m literally the headliner for the biggest show ever, and that’s not hyperbole.”

If it wasn't for Rhodes, would MJF have ever signed with AEW? Maybe yes, maybe no, but his pairing with the once and future WWE Superstar certainly got his foot through the door, his decision to throw in the towel on the “American Nightmare” during his championship match with Chris Jericho made him into a certified heel, and his decisions from that point on got him to the top of the All In card, which is a pretty incredible accomplishment for someone who started off their career as “Scrappy Doo.”