There is a long line of wrestlers who want a piece of current AEW Men’s World Champion MJF, but a line that is becoming even longer than the one full of people gunning for the “Salt of the Earth” is the line full of new AEW signings. So far in 2026, over a dozen wrestlers from across the world have been signed to AEW contracts, either on exclusive terms or a dual contract where they still work for companies like CMLL and NJPW, but AEW commentator and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is extremely interested in one new signing potentially getting his hands on MJF. That man is none other than former WWE Superstar Tommaso Ciampa.

“I think [Ciampa’s] going to be a great addition to AEW’s roster,” JR said on his “Grilling JR” podcast. “It’s going to give some guys a chance for some matches. I think a program with he and MJF interests me for example, not that’s the only one, but if I was booking, I somehow or another, I would work my way to that match, or systematically. I think he’s got a great future with AEW because again, there’s so many new guys that he can work with.”

JR’s co-host Conrad Thompson admitted that he was surprised to see Ciampa in AEW given how pivotal he was to the success of the “Black and Gold” era of “WWE NXT,” which in turn would have made him one of Triple H’s guys. However, JR didn’t necessarily make that connection, and regardless of how successful he was in WWE, he believes that Ciampa has a high ceiling in AEW. “He has high quality matches more often than not. As a matter of fact I can’t remember, and we all have those days, I don’t remember him having a stinker. He’s a hard worker, he shares, he’s unselfish, he’s got a unique look…Bald guys with beards, that seems to be the trend in pro wrestling right now, shaved heads and beards.”

Please credit “Grilling JR” when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.