The May 27 episode of AEW Dynamite in Philadelphia gave fans another classic MJF moment when the AEW World Champion instantly shut down an “ECW” chant with just two words.
MJF made his entrance being carried to the ring by four men. Right away, he mocked the city by joking that if he wanted to hear people from Philadelphia make noise, he would have made the mistake of being born there.
Friedman then bragged about beating Darby Allin and becoming a three-time world champion before turning 30.
But the celebration didn’t last long though.
Mark Briscoe interrupted and ripped down MJF’s banner. He told the champion he didn’t belong in Philadelphia because the city represents tough, hardworking people. Briscoe also reminded MJF that he had already pinned him before and demanded a world title shot.
MJF refused. He insulted Briscoe several times and tried to leave the ring before being stopped by Rush on the entrance ramp.
Rush also called out MJF for avoiding challengers and accused him of not being a fighting champion. After trading insults, MJF finally agreed to defend the AEW World Championship against Rush next week on Dynamite.
MJF Fires Back At AEW Crowd’s ECW Chants With Harsh Response
The ECW comment came while MJF was interacting with Briscoe.
Philadelphia is known as one of wrestling’s most passionate cities because of its strong history with ECW. Whenever a major wrestling show happens there, fans almost always break into “ECW” chants. That happened again during MJF’s segment on Dynamite.
Instead of ignoring the chants, Friedman fired right back. Without missing a beat, he called ECW a “dead company,” which immediately got a huge negative reaction from the crowd.
The moment perfectly matched MJF’s arrogant heel character and is a testament to his heel work.
ECW’s run began in 1992 and officially ended in April 2001. Although WWE tried to revive it in 2006 and launched it as a third TV brand, it eventually ended in 2010.
It’s worth noting that MJF’s comment was not meant as a real insult toward ECW. Outside of storylines, Friedman has often shown respect for wrestling history and has spoken positively about ECW in past comments.
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