MJF Denies Being ‘Startled’ by Anti-ICE Chants on AEW Dynamite

As previously reported, massive “**** ICE” chants broke out on AEW Dynamite right before the start of the match between AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) and Brody King. The story has since been picked up by NBC News, with the outlet’s X account noting that the chants appeared to “startle” MJF.

MJF later responded to NBC News’ X post, denying that he was startled at all. The AEW World Champion wrote, “The world champion wasn’t startled. He’s better than you, and you know it. Watch @AEW Wednesday night on TBS and streaming on HBOMAX, and watch AEW on Saturday nights on TNT and streaming on HBOMAX.”

Startled or not, the reigning champion lost the match to Brody King in under two minutes. Due to it being a title eliminator bout, King picking up the win now grants him No. 1 contender status to the AEW World Championship. So, it will now be MJF defending his AEW World Title against Brody King at Grand Slam Australia on February 14.

The world champion wasn’t startled. He’s better than you and you know it.

Watch @AEW Wednesday night on TBS and streaming on HBOMAX

And watch AEW on Saturday nights on TNT and streaming on HBOMAX.

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™️ (@The_MJF) February 5, 2026