MJF relishes being AEW's first in-house star

AEW is five years old. It has rapidly risen to become a top-two promotion in the world. Its roster is arguably the most talented in professional wrestling. 

However, it has struggled to create its own star talents. Instead, the company's biggest names have come from New Japan Pro Wrestling, WWE and Ring of Honor. 

Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) is the lone exception. He is AEW's first in-house star. Not only is he one of the biggest names in the promotion, but he's also known by casual wrestling fans who only tune into one promotion, such as WWE. 

During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso, he shared his thoughts on being AEW's first homemade talent. 

"Can you remember the last time someone became a household name and arenas in WWE were chanting their name when they had zero exposure elsewhere? We’re talking the Crockett era, aren’t we? I take pride in that," MJF said. "AEW is my territory. But I’m a name in every territory because I made professional wrestling my b—. MJF made MJF."