Swerve Strickland believes MJF no longer has anything to prove to anyone, but the fact that he continues to work hard at his craft is a testament to his passion.

The AEW World Heavyweight Champion recently spoke with Sports Illustrated and was asked specifically about the Salt of The Earth.

Strickland revealed his first impression of the current American champion, claiming he immediately noticed the 28-year-old’s hunger to improve:

“All I remember is his hunger, he had no fear. That was what set him apart – he had no fear of going where he needed to go to get well.”

He will always keep working: Swerve Strickland

According to Swerve Strickland, MJF always wanted to be around great competition. From a young age, he sought out the best talent to test himself and that’s how he got good:

“I don’t think Max has anything left to prove, he’s that good. But he will never tell himself that or allow himself to believe that. He will always keep working.”

Swerve Strickland faces a big challenge at the upcoming All In PPV, where he will have to defend his title in a Title vs. Career Match against 2024 Owen Hart Cup winner Bryan Danielson.

MJF, on the other hand, will be challenged by Will Ospreay on the August 25 show. The current champion originally defeated Ospreay on the July 17 episode of Dynamite for the title, then known as the International Championship.

He then replaced the belt with a new one and called it the “American Championship”. Since then, he has defended the title in Mexico and Great Britain.