AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman sat down with Sam Roberts for an interview on Notsam Wrestling and admitted that he was not ready to be cheered by the fans.
Maxwell returned at AEW All Out in September after a hiatus that lasted several months. Stokely Hathaway’s The Firm faction helped a man in a devil mask win the Casino Ladder match.
The man was later revealed to be MJF when he showed up following CM Punk’s victory over Jon Moxley to become AEW World Champion. CM Punk’s title reign would be incredibly short-lived, as he was injured in the match and was also suspended following a brawl with The Elite after his rant at the media scrum.
All of these factors led to MJF receiving a hero’s welcome from the crowd on the following Dynamite. Maxwell has since referred to his fans as his “devil worshippers”.
MJF On Not Being Prepared To Be Cheered
During the interview on Notsam Wrestling, Roberts asked if he was amused by fans who cheer Max because they believe they are in on it. MJF revealed that he was initially not prepared for the fans to start cheering him.
I’m going to be completely transparent, I was not prepared for the devil worshippers. Now I’m all for it. Grab your pitchforks daddy let’s go. I’m all for it.
When I came out I had what used to be called a LoD (Legion of Doom) pop, it is now an MJF pop.
My ears were bleeding and we were in Chicago of all places. When I got to the back, it was that moment I went ‘oh, this is new, okay’.
And the way I look at it now is this, I’m a megastar. When my music hits, I’m going to get a guttural reaction from the fans.
Because there’s nothing like me in professional wrestling. If you want to cheer me, cheer me. If you want to boo me, boo me.
It also seems to be dependent on where we are at. For example, we were just in Philadelphia and I saw people trying to get over the guardrail to get at me.
MJF is in line for a title opportunity at a time in place of his choosing. Jon Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship against Hangman Page. on Dynamite on a special Tuesday night episode on October 18th.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Notsam Wrestling with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.