Bully Ray believes MJF is firing verbal shots towards CM Punk that are getting under his skin.
Punk and MJF have been involved in a feud and fans have had the pleasure of witnessing verbal battles on Dynamite. The two have yet to have a one-on-one match but they’re expected to collide within the next month or so.
“It’s not a made-up line, it’s dead-on balls-accurate truth. And guess what? Punk don’t like those truths being thrown in his face. You could see it in the phony smile that comes over his face.
“It’s like when a boxer gets tagged in the ring with a great shot and they smile and they try to laugh it off. All that smile says is, ‘Yeah, you got me and you got me good.’ MJF is not pulling sh*t out of thin air.
“He’s hitting him straight between the eyes with brutal honesty and whether or not they discussed it, it doesn’t matter. There’s so many things that you can hit Punk with that can land death blows on him it’s not funny.
“All those smoke and mirrors that he used can go away in the snap of a finger and MJF knows how to do it.”
In storyline, MJF is also flying a little too close to the sun when it comes to his bodyguard Wardlow. Fans have noticed MJF taking Wardlow for granted over the past few months and it’ll likely lead to a split between the two.
As for Punk, many believe he’s been planting the seeds for an eventual heel turn. He seemingly tested the waters while throwing shade at MJF’s hometown crowd in Long Island back in late 2021.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
MJF lost to Capt. Shawn Dean on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. His win/loss record for 2022 now stands at a meager 0-1.
The loss came after CM Punk hit the ring and attacked Dean with the sole intention of awarding him the DQ victory. Punk said he will continue getting MJF disqualified until he mans up and faces him in the ring. It was a clever finish that forces MJF to stop running away and wrestle Punk once and for all.
MJF is not happy about losing his first match of the year. A losing record is no way to earn title shots, so he knows this cannot go on for much longer.
On Thursday, he took to social media and declared that no one has ever, nor will they ever, beat him clean.
Several fans have pointed out that MJF has lost to Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley. The Long Island native argues that those losses were illegitimate.
MJF says Jericho had their match restarted by a crooked official, while Moxley had to use the Paradigm Shift, a move that was banned during that match, to get a win.
JERICHO HAD THE MATCH RESTARTED BY A CROOKED OFFICIAL AFTER I BEAT HIM CLEAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING!
Tony Khan is aware of the report claiming that WWE as well as FOX and USA Network executives have great interest in MJF.
MJF will tell anyone who listens that his AEW contract will expire in 2024. He even mentioned it following the Long Island show on Dec. 8. MJF got on the mic and said Khan will need to roll out the big bucks in order to keep him.
While MJF is having some fun playing things up, it’s a very real situation that AEW will have to face in a couple of years. Many consider MJF to be a top heel in the wrestling business and at the young age of 25, there is plenty of upside.
Tony Khan Welcomes WWE’s Interest In MJF
MJF (Photo: AEW)
Andrew Zarian recently reported that WWE, along with FOX and USA Network execs have their eyes on MJF. Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Tony Khan explained why WWE’s interest in MJF is a good thing.
“I think that’s great. I encourage that. I think they should keep talking about him because he’s a wrestler that’s a big part of AEW and is signed here for a few more years.
“So I think please keep giving us that buzz because he’s been getting great ratings for his segments and those have also been featuring CM Punk pretty regularly as they continue to interact.
“They’ve had a war of words and now there’ll be on opposite sides of this huge trios match where you got Sting [and] Darby Allin teaming with CM Punk against MJF and FTR.
“I think that’s great. You know, [WWE] had some wrestlers I really wanted to sign there and I signed him, Bryan Danielson and Adam [Cole] and Ruby Soho.”
As Khan mentioned, MJF is currently in a feud with CM Punk. A match hasn’t been made official between the two but it’s bound to happen.
MJF may have more issues to deal with other than CM Punk, however. His bodyguard, Wardlow, has been showing signs of frustration. Wardlow told Busted Open Radio that his “contract” with MJF won’t last forever.
Wardlow knows that he won’t be by MJF’s side for eternity.
MJF has been relying on the assistance of Wardlow but he doesn’t always treat his bodyguard with respect. In fact, there have been numerous times where Wardlow appeared to be on the brink of snapping due to MJF’s passive-aggressive tone.
Nonetheless, Wardlow remains by MJF’s side. With that said, the leader of The Pinnacle would be wise to watch his back.
Is the Split Inevitable?
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Wardlow said that his relationship with MJF has always been solely business but the deal won’t stick around forever.
“MJF and I, we strictly have a business relationship,” said Wardlow. “That’s all it’s ever been, that’s all it ever will be.
“He pays me to make sure his jaw isn’t wired shut and thus far, his win record and the fact that he’s still talking his sh*t every week I think I’ve done pretty well at my job. However, that contract isn’t forever and the way he treats people, we’ll see what the future holds with that.”
“I will be the future CM Punk, the future Bryan Danielson…I’m gonna be above and beyond that, because look at me.”
– Wardlow
Working Hard to be Wardlow
Wardlow (Photo: AEW)
Wardlow is undoubtedly in tremendous shape. He admitted that maintaining his physique is no easy task.
“It’s a full-time job. It truly is the hardest part of this job is dieting and maintaining this type of shape. You have to cook your meals and you have to pack them with you and you have to travel with meals.”
“If it’s time to eat in the middle of a flight, sorry everyone around me I’m opening up a container full of rice and ground beef or bison or salmon and everybody’s gotta deal with it cause it’s time to eat. You have to do what you have to do.”
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) says there will be a bidding war for his services when his AEW contract expires in 2024. He’s not bluffing.
The Long Island loudmouth has teased the “bidding war of the century.”
MJF still under contract for almost 3 more years. However, in what has become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy, MJF has gotten attention of TV executives from the Fox and NBC Universal (USA Network). They want WWE to make a play for him.
According to Andrew Zarian of the We’re Live, Pal podcast, MJF’s talk a 2024 bidding war has ‘got people buzzing.’
”It almost worked the corporate side of stuff on USA and even Fox,” said Zarian. “It perked their ears like ‘hey, this guy is really good. Is his contract ending in 2024? Is that true? There have been conversations and I know WWE is very interested in him.”
WWE and its television partners realize they need to invest in young talent. MJF is with AEW for the foreseeable future, but WWE could make a play for him in a few years.
Zarian’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Tony Khan Comments On An MJF Bidding War In 2024
Tony Khan appeared on Busted Open Radio shortly after MJF made the comment about a bidding war in 2024. The AEW President is fine with the idea that he could be bidding for MJF’s services come that time.
“I have no problem with it,” Khan said. “I signed him to a five year contract two years ago, he has three years left. I’m totally fine. There may be a bidding war in 2024, I’m fine with that.”
While many believe CM Punk got off to a slow start in AEW, things have picked up since then. The straight edge star has gotten in a feud with MJF. As expected, the two have created an incredible buzz using their mic skills and their recent promo on Dynamite created a lot of headlines. Though if we believe Punk, then what we have seen is just the start. The former world champion was part of the AEW panel at C2E2. Among other things he was asked about his rivalry with the young star.
Replying to it, Punk mentioned how it’s the one matchup everybody wanted to see even when he hadn’t made his return. The wrestling veteran then admitted that MJF is somebody he wanted to share a ring with himself:
“I think that’s one matchup that everybody wanted to see. Before I even came back, I always heard about ‘oh, I want to see MJF and CM Punk go back and forth.’ A lot of people think I am off to a slow start and AEW doing certain things a certain way. But to me, just like Adam Cole just said, there’s five years worth of stuff with all these interchangeable characters and players. MJF is definitely somebody I wanted to share a ring with. I think now that we’re getting to it, people kind of can maybe see the bigger picture. And they can trust AEW as a whole for like the direction of where stuff goes.”
CM Punk also discussed how the fans want to know the behind the scene stuff. He claimed that everybody including himself is an armchair booker and it’s just human nature. However, he later mentioned how AEW enjoys giving fans what they want and making them happy. The former WWE star then teased an epic conclusion to his already extraordinary feud with MJF:
“The fans I understand they want to know the behind the scene stuff. They want to peel back the curtain. Everybody’s an armchair booker. I am. Everybody’s an armchair coach or quarterback or whatever. That’s human nature. You watch sports and you’re like, ‘ Oh come on, why did you put that guy in? Why is he in the bench? Why is this guy a healthy scratch? Why didn’t you do this? blah, blah, blah. And it’s no different than I think pro wrestling and the fans.
To me one of the best things about AEW is we enjoy payoffs. We like making the fans happy instead of just for some reason making them miserable. Doing stuff just to piss them off. Sometimes the happiest outcome is the most obvious one. We don’t really feel the need to beat anybody over the head with switching it just because they figured it out first, you know? I enjoy making the fans happy. The juice for being a pro wrestler is getting reactions out of the crowd. When it comes to me and him, without me trying to say anything too positive about him – you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
MJF is ready to do his absolute best to take the All Elite Wrestling world championship from Adam Page in 2022 or die trying.
The salt of the earth recently had an interview with Josh Martinez. He talked about things such as coming home to long island, CM Punk and more.
Speaking about Adam Page winning the AEW world title recently at Full Gear, MJF reminded everyone that he has beaten Hangman before:
“Here’s the problem, I’ve already beaten him [Adam Page], and I know I can beat him again, especially with something on the line as important as that world title.”
The fastest rising star in pro wrestling then said that there is nothing in the world that MJF wants more than seeing the AEW title around his waist:
“There is nothing in this world that I want more than that strap around my waist, you’re going to see me become the world champion [In 2022], or I am going to die trying,”
MJF also talked about what it would mean for him to become a world champion at 25. He mentioned how he could become one of the youngest world champions among guys such as CM Punk and Bryan Danielson.
The AEW star previously faced Adam Page during a Dynamite episode in 2019. He defeated the current AEW champion for the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
Posted December 10th, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: MJF.
Hometown hero Maxwell Jacob Friedman addressed the Long Island crowd after Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite and Rampage tapings.
After the Rampage taping wrapped up, AEW President Tony Khan came out to thank the crowd for sticking around late night. He then introduced MJF, who came out to Billy Joel’s classic song, My Life.
MJF called Tony Khan his “best friend” but once again joked that TK will have to cough up a lot of money to re-sign him in 2024 when his contract expires.
He then took some shots at CM Punk, saying he “f**king sucks” and so does the city of Chicago. MJF said Long Island is the “most magical place in the world” and he’s living his dream by competing on this big stage in front of his friends and family.
MJF Addresses AEW fans on Long Island
You can check out video sof MJF addressing the Long Island crowd in the tweets embedded below:
The war of words between AEW and WWE has reached a new level in the past few weeks with both sides acknowledging each other in various promos. It all started when MJF and CM Punk delivered an instant classic promo on Dynamite a couple of weeks ago. One of the most noteworthy moments of this battle was when Punk dubbed MJF as a ‘less famous Miz.’
This prompted a response from WWE on the following Raw episode. In an exchange of their own, Edge told the Miz that he has got people in other companies saying his name for a cheap reaction. MJF was asked about this reference in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated. The fastest rising star of pro wrestling said that he is not mad:
MJF Says He Might Be Working With Edge In 2024
“They’re just trying to make their show the best they possibly can I’m not mad, I completely understand it. And who knows, I might be working with those two guys in 2024.
And that line by Punk about me being a ‘less famous Miz,’ that resonated because people used to actually think that. But I’m smart enough to know better. My match last month at Full Gear against Darby Allin proved otherwise. I am equally as outstanding in the ring as I am on the stick. That match with Darby proved I’m anything but one-dimensional.”
MJF and CM Punk have continued their verbal feud since the fiery promo. The promotion is building towards a match between these two but they haven’t confirmed a destination for the same. The Miz and Edge on the other hand are set to battle each other at the upcoming Day 1 PPV on January 1, 2022.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman spoke with Renee Paquette and Miesha Tate on Monday’s edition of Throwing Down with Renee & Miesha on Sirius XM.
MJF was there to promote Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite from the UBS Arena on Long Island, NY. Renee introduced him as one of the 4 pillars of AEW and one of the best sh*t talkers in all of professional wrestling. MJF called the introduction “mid” and proceeded to introduce himself in typical MJF fashion.
When asked how it feels to have an AEW event in his home town, MJF says it feels great. Long Island is his home, it’s where the best people live and it’s the most magical place in the world. If you live there, you know MJF. He expects a huge ovation on Wednesday and wrestling fans will finally get to see how he should be treated everywhere.
On Wednesday, he expects to win his third consecutive Dynamite Diamond Ring battle royal. Unlike CM Punk, he won’t struggle to win.
Long Island Homecoming
MJF said that when he’s on the road, there’s oddly a perception that he’s not a good guy. In reality, he’s salt of the earth and the fine people of Long Island understand that. He can’t wait to have a packed arena of fans chanting his name.
MJF called his mother a disgusting skank and a huge glory hog, if we’re being honest. Everything is always about her. You’d think it’s enough for her to say that she raised a god. She always wants more and it’s disheartening.
Does MJF have any haters on Long Island? It might come as a shock, but in his hometown, he’s known as a hometown hero. People call him, “The King of Long Island.” No issues here, but he has issues when he leaves and has to deal with the poors and the fats.
MJF celebrated Hanukkah alone this year with his cat, Piper. He chose to not spend time with his family, because they just want this autograph so they can sell it on eBay.
When asked if he has a lot of friends, he said the Pinnacle are his friends. Shawn Spears, FTR, great guys. “Wardlow? Ehh. But the rest of em? Love them.”
His Beef With CM Punk
MJF explained that he’s got beef with CM Punk because Punk disrespected him. He tried to be respectful. He offered Punk his hand to shake. He tried his best. Not many people can say CM Punk offered to shake their hand. Instead of being a man, Punk walked away and snubbed him. He believes Punk should be shaking his hand for making him relevant again.
CM Punk recently said that Britt Baker should replace MJF as one of the Four Pillars of AEW. Baker’s significant other Adam Cole recently did an interview and said he’ll sock MJF in the face if he talks about her again.
“All respect to the Boom Boy,” MJF said of Adam Cole. “You know, Adam, Adam’s a great, great guy. I don’t have a problem with Adam. My problem is with Punk.”
MJF says Punk doesn’t care about younger talent. He’s working with up and comers to steal their spotlight. Punk needs the rub from MJF, but he’s not so sure that Punk has earned that respect.
Miesha Tate asked MJF about CM Punk’s short-lived UFC career. MJF actually gave Punk some credit for venturing outside pro wrestling. You won’t see MJF fighting in an MMA cage. “God bless him, he went for it. but if he’s in the ring with me, the same outcome will happen. He’ll be left a bloody mess.”
MJF on The Miz
CM Punk recently compared MJF to a low-rent version of WWE Superstar The Miz. Renee asked MJF what he thinks about The Miz.
“The Miz is a tremendous, tremendous performer,” he said. He then made the distinction, “I am a professional wrestler.”
When Renee said she’s a big Miz fan, MJF replied, “How could you not be? The guy is gold on the stick. In the ring, very solid too. If I’m being completely fair here, I’m not talking shit – it’s just factual. There are no holes in my game. And that is not a jab at Miz. Miz is great. But he’s not me.”
MJF said guys like Bryan Danielson, CM Punk and Kenny Omega are great, but they’re all lacking something. There’s nothing that MJF can’t do.
MJF grew tired of the “softball” questions and told Renee to give him something good. She asked what it’s going to look like when his AEW contract expires in 2024.
MJF said there’s a lot of intruiging match-ups for him outside of AEW. A lot of people want to see him wrestle guys like The Miz, Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns. They might get their wish, if Tony Khan doesn’t shell out the right type of cash. He told people to expect the greatest bidding war in the history of our sport.
Catch AEW Dynamite this Wednesday night on TNT and listen to Throwing Down with Renee & Miesha Monday afternoons on Sirius XM.
Mark Henry recently revealed the backstage reaction to the CM Punk – MJF segment which kicked off Dynamite last week. According to Henry, the promo battle got a big reaction from the AEW roster.
Henry also said that he had to walk out to the crowd to feel the live reaction as well.
“I started off at the monitor. I’m sitting at the monitor. There’s 30 wrestlers sitting around that area, and everybody is popping,” Henry said on Busted Open Radio.
“If you’re popping wrestlers, you’ve done something in your life. You won. I had to get up, walk out to the crowd to feel it because that’s why people go to wrestling. People go to wrestling because of how you feel, not because you just want to be entertained.”
Live reaction to CM Punk vs. MJF
Mark Henry continued to speak on the reaction from the live crowd inside Chicago’s Wintrust Arena.
“It felt like electricity moving my clothes one zinger to another one, one zinger back and forth. The city of Chicago, everybody that was there, will get to tell people for the rest of their lives, ‘I was at that show where CM Punk and MJF went toe to toe, a battle of wits, over 20 minutes, and not one punch connected.’ It was arguably the best verbal jousting that I’ve ever seen.”
Amongst the many verbal shots that were taken in the promo was CM Punk referring to MJF as a “less famous version of The Miz.”
One of Punk’s lines that got a big reaction was when he said that the only way MJF will ever become the #1 guy is if Tony Khan has a daughter that he marries.
AEW has posted the entire segment to YouTube. It is available in the player below:
Booker T is a fan of MJF and Darby Allin, and he likes how AEW has utilized them.
MJF and Darby Allin are considered to be two of the four pillars of AEW in terms of young talent. The two collided at the Full Gear PPV with MJF picking up the win.
Many believe the sky’s the limit for MJF, who is widely considered to be one of the best heels in wrestling, and Darby, who is a top babyface.
Give em props
During an episode of the Hall of Fame podcast, host Brad Gilmore expressed his belief that AEW does a good job balancing established stars while still building towards the future.
Booker T was in agreement, naming MJF and Darby Allin as prime examples.
“It’s a balancing act and you got a guy like MJF who’s definitely pulling his weight as a young guy. Like you said, under 25. There’s not very many young guys under 25 that’s gonna be in that position.
“Guys like Darby Allin who definitely has been a bright light in that company being one of the guys that you wouldn’t think ever would be working in that position just because he’s not the prototypical guy.
“Sometimes talent, man, trumps everything. Really, hard work it trumps even more. So, when you watch guys like that go out there and do their thing, yeah they definitely are doing a hell of a job. Give em’ props.”
MJF seems to be gearing up for a feud with CM Punk. As for Darby, he’s gotten involved in a feud with the Gunn Club.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
CM Punk admits that he was open to the idea of doing a swerve for his AEW debut.
Most agree that AEW pulled off Punk’s debut perfectly. The company dropped several hints about CM Punk making his promotional debut on the second episode of Rampage. As a result, AEW was able to sell out the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Fans weren’t disappointed as Punk made his way down the aisle to a thunderous ovation.
Ahead of the big debut, some fans speculated the possibility of Punk’s theme song playing only for MJF to make his entrance and troll the crowd for massive heat.
Appearing on Z100 New York, Punk claimed that the MJF swerve was actually in consideration.
“Lowest hanging fruit in that aspect. That, of course, did cross my mind. Once I realized that was the thought on everybody’s mind, to me, it wasn’t the right thing to do yet. Not yet.”
Punk has yet to feud with MJF but the general consensus is that it’s only a matter of time. A recent sheet of potential AEW Full Gear matches leaked. Tony Khan said these matches are simply ideas. On the bout sheet was Punk vs. Wardlow, who is MJF’s bodyguard.
MJF is currently in a feud with Darby Allin. While it hasn’t been announced, many expect that match to take place at the Full Gear PPV on Nov. 13. It’s a match that was also seen on Khan’s bout sheet.
AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman thinks Roman Reigns is “absolutely incredible” – but not as good as him, of course.
AEW Rampage topping WWE SmackDown in the key demo during last week’s head-to-head collision has been the topic of discussion among fans the past few days.
The self-proclaimed Fastest Rising Star in Pro Wrestling appeared on Rasslin’ with Brandon Walker this week. In typical MJF fashion, he complimented Roman Reigns while also getting in some not-so-subtle digs.
“Roman Reigns lost in the key demographic to Ruby Soho, and Ruby Soho sucks so I don’t know what to tell you,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, that’s not me shitting on Roman Reigns. I think Roman Reigns is a hell of a performer, he really is.”
He added, “I think [Reigns] is absolutely incredible. Am I better than him on the mic and in the ring? Sure, but I’m not gonna go out of my way and talk shit about him because I respect him.”
MJF with Pinnacle
“I know that they’re all watching our stuff.”
– MJF
WWE executives have said they do not consider AEW to be competition. MJF isn’t buying it.
MJF is under contract with AEW until 2024. He loves working for AEW, but he’s a businessman first and foremost. He’d consider jumping to WWE (for the right price) and would welcome the chance to work with Roman Reigns.
“Again, someday I might work there. I’m also sure if he sees this, he’ll pretend he doesn’t know who I am because that’s what they do over there. When in reality, I know that they’re all watching our stuff. Again, I cannot stress this enough, a huge fan of Roman Reigns. I think he’s great. Would love to work with him one day.”
WWE extended last Friday’s episode of SmackDown an extra half hour to go head to head with Rampage. Though despite putting out a segment between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, the company still lost to Tony Khan’s promotion in key demo ratings. You can check out a detailed breakdown of numbers from Friday here.
Legendary play-by-play ace, Jim Ross, has some high praise for MJF.
It’s clear that MJF is one of the fastest-rising stars in the wrestling industry. Many have praised him for his heel work. While he is known for his impressive mic skills, his in-ring work has also been nothing to dismiss.
One person who has taken notice of MJF’s potential is JR. During an edition of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said that MJF fits in with any era past, present, or future.
“I think MJF is going to be a star in any era. He understands the fundamentals of being a villain. He doesn’t want to entertain you so much as he wants to infuriate you. Cowboy (Bill Watts) would have loved him. He may have made him a manager because of his size, but I don’t think so. MJF is as big as Buddy Roberts. Buddy Roberts headlined cards all over the world. I believe in MJF’s abilities.”
Ross went on to say that he feels Maxwell Jacob Friedman hasn’t even scratched the surface in terms of what he can do. MJF is only 25 years old and made his pro wrestling debut back in 2015.
MJF has already mixed it up with some of the biggest stars in the business. He’s gone one-on-one with the likes of Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes, and others. The match with Moxley was for the AEW World Championship but MJF fell short.
Do you think MJF would’ve fit in with any era in pro wrestling?
Posted September 27th, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: MJF.
Booker T is of the belief that no one can touch MJF on the mic.
It’s clear that Maxwell Jacob Friedman has become one of the breakout stars of AEW. Many have praised him for his heel work, particularly when cutting promos. MJF has proven he can hold his own in the ring as well.
Taking to his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T explained why he gets chills whenever MJF speaks.
“I can’t lie to you. The best promo guy right now in the whole damn world is MJF. He’s good. He’s so good. He’s so believable. He sounds like one of those promos from back in the day where you get caught up in just looking at the guy’s eyes. The feel of the promo makes you go, ‘Good God, man.’ This guy is really good. You can tell it’s natural just having the feel of which route to go during his promos. I give that guy a whole lot of credit. Damn good promo guy, MJF.”
MJF has already been a part of many high-profile feuds at just 25 years old. He’s mixed it up with the likes of Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Cody Rhodes. He is set to do battle with Brian Pillman Jr. on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite on Sept. 22 in New York City.
Many believe that it’s only a matter of time before MJF captures the AEW World Championship. He has competed for the gold before against Moxley but the timing simply wasn’t right for the title change. Whether or not a title run sometime next year is in the cards remains to be seen.
Chris Jericho battled MJF once again in a match, but this time, he put his career on the line at the AEW All Out pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL. If Jericho had lost then his in-ring wrestling career would’ve been over.
However, as expected, that didn’t happen as Jericho won the match. MJF had Jericho’s old countdown titantron. Jericho had a guitar player do his entrance song. The match started slowly. MJF with Judas Effect and pinned Jericho, who had his leg on the bottom rope. The match was restarted. Jericho with the walls to win the match.
On the August 25th edition of Dynamite, Jericho cut a promo about how he couldn’t end the feud between him and MJF without getting a win. He pitched the All Out match with the stipulation that if he could not beat MJF, he would no longer wrestle for AEW. MJF came out and accepted the match.
The week before, MJF submitted Jericho with an armbar in what was billed as the fifth labour of Jericho. Leading up to their previous match, they had been the leaders of two different stables with MJF leading The Pinnacle and Jericho leading The Inner Circle.
In May, both teams worked a Blood and Guts match that saw The Pinnacle win as The Inner Circle surrendered after MJF threatened to throw Jericho off the cage. After the match, MJF threw Jericho off the cage anyway.
AEW has built several wrestlers into home-grown stars since their inception. MJF is one such wrestler. He has flourished in the heel role, fast becoming one of the key members on the AEW roster.
MJF has the in-ring ability, a natural character and talent on the mic that means he can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Chris Jericho and no be overwhelmed or beaten down.
Talking during a recent appearance on Inside the Ropes, MJF talked about his inspirations growing up and which wrestler he would most like to go up against on the mic.
“Roddy Piper,” MJF said with no hint of hesitation. “Before me, I’m going to say the only person who would equal the ability to get a visceral reaction from the crowd was Piper. Piper made me fall in love with wrestling.”
MJF continued to talk about the influence Rowdy Roddy Piper had on him growing up, slipping effortlessly into character as he did so.
“And if I was able to have an opportunity to have promos back and forth with Roddy, and then a match that I know would be vicious as all hell. I think that would probably go down as the greatest match in the history of professional wrestling.”
MJF Stands on the Precipice of History
A match with Piper is impossible, and speculation is always easy. However, MJF does stand on the point of making history.
During the interview, MJF also reserved certain praise for his AEW arch-nemesis, Chris Jericho. Reserving special praise for the man whose career he hopes to end at AEW All-Out next week.
“Chris Jericho was up there [as a heel]. As much as I hate to admit it. I would say Chris Jericho is most certainly up there.”
Until now, MJF has had Chris Jericho’s number at every meeting. However, at All-Out the stakes are considerably higher. Maxwell Jacob Friedman has the chance to retire the leader of the Inner Circle if he can pick up a fourth consecutive win over Jericho.
Posted August 31st, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: MJF.
Chris Jericho is set to end his feud with MJF but it may come at the expense of his in-ring career.
Jericho addressed his future on the Aug. 25 edition of AEW Dynamite in Milwaukee. He admitted that MJF’s three victories over him are stuck in his mind. It’s gotten to the point where he laid down one final challenge to MJF for the All Out PPV. If Jericho loses, he will end his in-ring career with AEW.
“I am proposing one final match. One final fight at All Out on September 5th. And I’ve been thinking about this long and hard, and I’m serious when I say this, if I can’t beat MJF maybe I don’t belong in AEW anymore. It’s inside my head. If I can’t beat MJF maybe I don’t deserve to be ‘Le Champion’ anymore.
“So this is what I propose. If you beat me MJF, I will go to that commentary table full-time on Rampage, hell maybe someday I’ll commentate Dynamite as well because if you beat me I will never wrestle in AEW again.”
It didn’t take long for MJF to respond to Jericho’s proposal. He gladly accepted but urged Jericho to consider the consequences if he loses to him a fourth and final time.
“Being able to say that I ended Jericho, now that’s legendary. So you know what, Chris? You want the match? You got it.
“I want you to really consider this, Chris. I want you to really mull this one over. Because you are putting your in-ring career on the line against the same man who has mopped the floor with you not once, not twice, but three times! You sure you want this match, bud? Because if I were you I wouldn’t because I’m better than you and you know it.”
All Out will take place inside the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Sept. 5. The event will feature the in-ring return of CM Punk, who will face Darby Allin. Also set for the card will be an AEW World Title match between champion Kenny Omega and Christian Cage.
Chris Jericho has moved on to the fifth labour and he’s got a doozy of a stipulation to deal with against MJF.
Jericho competed against Wardlow in the main event of this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. During the match, MJF attempted to hand Wardlow the Dynamite Diamond Ring to use as a weapon. Referee Aubrey Edwards caught MJF in the act and threw him out of the ring.
Jericho was one step ahead of both MJF and Wardlow. With Aubrey focused on MJF, Jericho struck Wardlow with a bat and nailed the Judas Effect for the three-count. After the match, Jericho was attacked by Shawn Spears. Sammy Guevara ran down but the numbers game caught up as MJF and Wardlow jumped in.
Before substantial damage could be done, Jake Hager chased off members of The Pinnacle.
Dynamite didn’t go off the air until MJF revealed his stipulation for the fifth labour. When the match goes down on the Aug. 18 edition of Dynamite, Jericho cannot walk down the ramp to his entrance music and is barred from using the Judas Effect against MJF.
“Next week, I’m gonna take away something from you that you love, something you cherish, something that has helped you win each and every single one of these labours thus far. Chris next week, no Judas Effect, no Judas music. You are going to be coming out here to dead silence! These schmucks are not gonna be able to sing along to your crappy little song! And if you hit me with Judas Effect, Chris, I automatically win.”
Who will win the fifth labour of Jericho? Will it be MJF or Chris Jericho?
Leader of AEW’s The Pinnacle group MJF recently appeared on the Game Marks podcast. Game Marks is a show based around classic pro wrestling video games including interviews with wrestling personalities discussing some of their favorite games from past generations or current.
MJF would reveal that he did play games such as Day of Reckoning 2 when he was younger, although he now doesn’t have time for video games as they’re for ‘virgins.’
“I always thought that I was going to be this dark, brooding, black face paint around the eyes, Kane-like, Legion of Doom-esque character” MJF began on the podcast, describing the sort of CAW he would create and what he saw himself being as a pro wrestler when he finally got to live his dream.
‘Complete F*cking Losers’
“The character name was Mad Max and I remember, I always gave my guy a red mohawk with long tights, black boots, and a skull with a big leather jacket” The Pinnacle leader would continue.”
“Then, I grew out of being a complete f*cking loser and I realized I should just be myself and start making Maxwell Jacob Friedman, a fun-loving guy that everyone likes” MJF jokingly added.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman would finish by taking a shot at video game players in general, saying “video games are for virgins, but wrestling video games — that’s for winners.”
“Okay, I think anybody can agree on that” MJF noted. “But regular video games like ‘Zelda’, you know, or Cuck Central part two, or whatever the f**k people are playing nowadays, I don’t know, I’m not a simp.”
AEW’s wrestling game for consoles is currently in development and will be released for the latest generation of consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
AEW star and leader of The Pinnacle MJF recently spoke to Steel Chair Magazine. One of the questions posed to the outspoken and controversial character involved WWE and his Four Horseman-esque group potentially being lured over to the company.
“Me and my boys, we’re willing to go wherever the money’s at, it’s that simple” MJF began, speaking to Steel Chair. “Don’t get me wrong, AEW runs deep in me. I don’t want to leave, but I am a businessman at the end of the day. I can’t help myself if somebody’s got an offer for me, I’m going to listen to it.”
“I’m a prodigy” MJF claimed. “But people have been saying that about me since birth and the reason why it doesn’t shock me, but it shocks everybody else, is because, let’s face it, there’s ageism in this world.”
MJF on Being a ‘Prodigy’
“When people hear the number 25? They think, ‘Oh, that person probably doesn’t have their ducks in a row, he’s probably immature; he’s probably not ready for a big opportunity’” The Pinnacle leader concluded.
It’s highly unlikely that Maxwell Jacob Friedman or The Pinnacle would be heading over to WWE anytime soon. FTR themselves left the company to join AEW; citing a want to have more creative freedom and to be in an environment where they felt tag team wrestling was more ‘respected.’
Posted May 9th, 2021 in AEW, News, WWE. Tagged: MJF.
Factions are a big part of AEW. MJF and The Pinnacle are one of the most talked-about factions on the roster. Tonight, they go head-to-head with The Inner Circle in a Blood and Guts match.
Yet, in speaking during an interview with Steel Chair, MJF admitted that he was looking beyond dismantling The Inner Circle and would be open to further expanding The Pinnacle.
MJF admitted that the Pinnacle have a goal in AEW, and that is to hold every title belt. That would naturally include the women’s belt. When pressed on this, MJF said that his group would consider opening their doors to a female star joining their ranks.
Rumours abound that Britt Baker is set to join the Pinnacle at some point in the future. Putting both her and MJF together has the potential for magic. They are both the ultimate heel at the top of their game. Ironically both call themselves the face of their respective divisions. As long as a power struggle could be avoided, Britt joining The Pinnacle could be a fantastic move.
MJF on Britt Baker Rumors
However, MJF was coy when discussing the matter. Remaining in steadfast character as he does so well.
“I will say this about Brittany, she is clearly not just the face of the women’s division in AEW, but at this point, I think it’s fair to say she’s the face of women’s wrestling as a whole, just like I feel it’s fair to say that I’m the face of men’s professional wrestling as a whole. I get why people keep bringing this up, it makes complete sense.”
This is a clear non-rejection of the notion, which could very easily be read as a cryptic admission that MJF has an appointment with the doctor.
AEW star MJF recently discussed All Elite Wrestling and how their ongoing ratings successes appear to mean they are ‘creeping up’ on WWE RAW on Monday nights.
Although last week’s rating fell below the 1 million mark, AEW has been doing extremely well ever since NXT were forced to move nights and broadcast on Tuesdays.
This week’s episode marks the 4th episode of Dynamite unopposed and looks set to break the 1 million rating mark again. This week is of course Blood & Guts between The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle.
MJF: Dynamite Hunting Raw
“There has not been a wrestling show that has been able to even sniff ‘Monday Night Raw’ in decades” MJF began in a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports. “We’re creeping up every single week in that key demo.”
“If I’m not mistaken, I believe we beat them a few weeks at points on their show in the key demo,” MJF said, discussing the key 18-49 demo. “Which is absolutely insane, because we have only been a professional wrestling company on television for a year and a half, two years. It’s unheard of and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Although AEW will have to be extremely consistent to challenge WWE going forward; it is interesting that such a young show has grown in today’s television landscape to be even this close to the market leader in WWE.
Do you think that AEW could match RAW at some point? Let us know in the comments
MJF surprised everyone when he formed his own faction in Pinnacle featuring FTR, Wardlow, Shawn Spears, and Tully Blanchard and took out Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle on Dynamite a couple of weeks ago.
Since the big reveal, people have been wondering if the storyline will lead us into the Blood and Guts match between the two groups which the company originally had to halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
MJF commented on the possibility during his recent interview with Sports Illustrated.The Dynamite diamond ring holder said that if the WarGames match does happen, then it would be the best version ever of the bout.
“Those old-school WarGames matches, they are absolutely incredible spectacles, If Inner Circle-the Pinnacle does happen, it would be the best version ever of that.
Personally, I’m not sure it would be the right fit for me. I’ve seen the ‘Lights Out’ matches, the death-matches, and I don’t know if that’s for me. But down the road, if it made sense, this would be the best blood-and-guts match in the history of the business.”
On Thursday morning, MJF tweeted that the Inner Circle are “scared shitless” of The Pinnacle.
Inner circle are scared shitless of The Pinnacle.
Shawn spears has a chip on his shoulder the size of his chair.
MJF also discussed the comparisons between his new group and the Iconic four horsemen faction of the past. He revealed why he chose to have 5 members in his group saying that he wanted to put a modern spin on things:
“I wanted to take something that was old and put a modern-day spin on it, it’s incredible to me that we are so talented that we have Wardlow in a Big Bubba Rogers position. He’s gigantic and a freak athlete.
FTR is the best tag team in the world. I’m also so excited for the world to see Shawn Spears. He’s never received the proper spotlight, but now people are going to recognize how incredible he is.”
Apart from this, MJF discussed how he is the biggest homegrown talent of AEW and said that he plans to be the face of the company for a long time.
