MJF is putting more than pride on the line at AEW Double or Nothing, and according to the former AEW World Champion, fans who see hair matches as comedy can point the finger directly at Vince McMahon.
Ahead of his AEW World Championship showdown with Darby Allin on May 24 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York, MJF addressed criticism surrounding the Title vs. Hair stipulation.
While some fans have treated the angle like sports entertainment, barber shop theater, MJF insisted the stakes are no laughing matter.
Speaking with Jon Alba on The Takedown on SI, MJF bluntly explained why he believes wrestling audiences no longer treat hair matches seriously.
“You can thank Vince McMahon for that,” MJF said. “It wasn’t comedy in Memphis. It wasn’t comedy in World Class. It wasn’t comedy in Mexico.”
The feud escalated after Allin forced MJF into accepting the stipulation. If MJF loses at Double or Nothing, his trademark look goes with it.
If he refused the match, he would lose future AEW title opportunities against Allin. That left Maxwell Jacob Friedman between a headlock and a hard place.
MJF says his Hair is part of his Wrestling and Hollywood persona
MJF also made it clear that losing his hair would impact more than just his image inside the ring. According to him, the stakes extend into his growing film career as well.
“All I know is I make money off this hair,” MJF said. “I’m in movies, I’m a top guy in this industry, and if I want to continue to be a top guy in this industry, I can’t be bald.”
He later added, “Jason Statham can pull it off. I’ve seen what my head looks like with no hair. It wasn’t pretty, man.”
The match became official on the May 13 episode of AEW Dynamite after Allin defended the AEW World Championship against Konosuke Takeshita. Since then, tensions between the two rivals have only intensified, with MJF repeatedly attacking the champion ahead of Double or Nothing.
Whether fans view the stipulation as serious business or not, MJF clearly isn’t ready to let his “generational” hair take the fall.
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