AEW star MJF recently called in to the Busted Open Radio show to continue his social media ‘feud’ with host of the show Dave LeGreca. MJF had recent made comments about LeGreca’s wife Loretta on Twitter:
After I’m done whipping the dog shit out of your buddy, I’m going to leave a “human stain” on your wife’s face to celebrate. https://t.co/E6zWOtPH7Q
LeGreca recapped the story on a recent episode of Busted Open; “So I sent out a tweet Bully [Ray]. A tweet about the matchup, about the lashes that MJF is going to give Cody on Dynamite on Wednesday, because honestly I’m intrigued” LeGreca began. “I’m interested about what’s going to take place on Wednesday, as I do all the shows. I mean, God forbid I talk about one show. So I send out the tweet. And then, you know what, I also saw MJF made a remark about what he’s going to do to my boy Cody Rhodes. And I call MJF human filth. I was kind of just like playing along with the story, playing along with what’s gonna take place on Dynamite on Wednesday night. All right, so I call him human filth because you know what, as a pro wrestling host on this show, I figured it’s kind of fun to buy into the story and play along every once in a while.”
LeGreca finished the segment by saying “MJF sent out a tweet about my wife. If I ever cross paths with that piece of sh*t he’s gonna get a fist in the face. This is not some pro wrestling story or angle, this is some piece of sh*t going after my wife.”
“…throw her straight on the maximum ride”
MJF then called into the show. The AEW star then proceeded to push the AEW storyline between himself and Cody Rhodes, whilst also demeaning LeGreca’s wife further. “I just wanted to ask you a quick question” MJF began. “How does it feel knowing that after Wednesday when MJF is done within the absolute dogsh*t and making Cody Rhodes quit live on national television, but he’s gonna walk into your home. Grab your wife by the arm and throw her straight on the maximum ride?”
“how about you jump the guardrail to punch me in the face?” – MJF
MJF elaborated further, saying “I gotta tell you something makes me sick to my stomach. A lot of things that make me sick to my stomach, namely first number one Cody Rhodes. Secondly, you decided to fire off a tweet at me, what did I do? All I did was I simply stated that I am the youngest and fastest rising star in the history of professional wrestling. I’m going to whip the ever living daylights out of Cody Rhodes. Your best friend, right, Dave? And then I’m going to have a good time with your wife. Now, you decided to say that you were going to punch me in the face the next time you saw me. Well guess what Dave, here’s what I’m going to tell you. You know where I live. I’m sure would be very easy to find out where I am.”
MJF (Maxwell J. Friedman)
MJF then finished by saying “matter of fact, you have all these big fans, I’m sure, in Alabama, which is where this Wednesday the [AEW] show will be held. I invite all your friends…how about you jump the guardrail to punch me in the face? How about you guys do that? Because here’s the thing. All of you people, all of you people you’re nothing, you’re minimum, you’re mouth breathing, knuckle dragging people.”
All Elite Wrestling’s Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) has claimed that his name “pops” a crowd more than Jon Moxley or even Chris Jericho. He also promised that it’s only a matter of time until he is AEW World Champion.
Speaking with News Chief, MJF explained how the character fans see every week is, in fact, “110 percent me” before adding how “This isn’t a gimmick.”
Despite his antagonistic personality, MJF believes he gets a more immediate reaction than even some of AEW’s top stars:
“I love Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley… but my name pops up more than them. What I’m capable of doing is grabbing you by your face through the TV set and pulling you in. You’re not going to be able to stop watching me. That’s called having ‘it,’ and I’ve got ‘IT’ in spades.”
“MJF Is Going To Be The AEW World Champion”
Turning his attention to the AEW World Championship, MJF reflected on his journey so far in the company. Many have named MJF as the one to watch in 2020, including WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page and AEW’s own Dustin Rhodes.
“I came into the company as a relative unknown to being one of the most talked-about wrestlers on the planet, that’s unheard of. Much sooner rather than later, put all your chips on it, MJF is going to be AEW world champion.”
MFJ is currently feuding with his former best friend, Cody Rhodes. On last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, MJF laid out the stipulations that Cody needs to accept in order to get the opportunity to face off against him.
All Elite Wrestling’s Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) was recently interviewed by local Florida newspaper, News Chief. During the interview, MJF took the opportunity to discuss his mentality when it comes to pro wrestling, portraying a loathsome heel, and which wrestling legends he has drawn inspiration from.
MJF recalled how, growing up, he loved all of the performers that most people hated. From Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Buddy Landel to “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. He highlighted how his “biggest inspiration would be the Hot Rod.”
Like those that pushed the envelope before him, MFJ is willing to throw himself wholeheartedly into being hated. He explained how, “If there’s a line that people make, I hop over it as far as I can.”
He continued, “No one can tell me how to do my job. I’ve had people jump guardrails, try to stab me, throw (urine) on me, throw batteries. All that means is I’m being myself. The issue isn’t me, it’s everybody else.”
MJF Wants To Be Hated “For The Right Reasons”
Despite not caring if fans boo him, MJF is adamant that people should dislike him for the “right reasons,” pointing to his former mentor, Cody Rhodes, claiming that Rhodes is a “sociopathic monster.”
“I want them to boo me for the right reasons,” he said. “Cody is a sociopathic monster. He’s been on a blood rage since AEW started by trying to make himself the face of AEW. I saved them from a Ghengis Khan, and I gave them a face everybody could love.”
“When They Die I Will Not Care”
One legend that MJF is eager to learn from is Ring of Honor’s Bully Ray. Despite his willingness to listen to Bully Ray, however, that doesn’t mean MJF is open to advice from just anybody. MJF likened some veterans to old dogs, saying “They want to be fed treats to feel important.”
When it comes to those few he does regard, he noted how he simply wants to “use them” and “when they die I will not care, and I’m going to make sure the business is in good hands.”
In an interview with Sportskeeda, All Elite Wrestling’s Dustin Rhodes named who he believes will be the next major star in pro wrestling. For him, it’s somebody on the AEW roster. He confessed that, as a coach, he likes everybody in the AEW locker room, however one name stood out to him: Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
“Oh, man, a new up-and-comer, who not a lot of people know and they are starting to get to know now is MJF. He is really something special on the mic, and we haven’t seen too much of his ring ability yet but he’s good. He’s really good. I like his style.”
He continued, “Unfortunately he stabbed my brother in the back so I take that kind of personal when you’re messing with family – but as far as him being something special and big in this business, I think he’s going to be.”
Rhodes isn’t the only veteran to name MJF as a future star. Diamond Dallas Page recently answered that question with the same answer, noting how talented MJF is. Like Rhodes, DDP highlighted MJF’s ability to connect with the audience comparing his charisma and mic ability to talents like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Steve Austin and even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. His ability to make fans react is what has helped him stand out.
MJF is currently feuding with his former best friend, Cody Rhodes. He recently took credit for the assault Rhodes suffered at the hands of the Butcher, the Blade and the Bunny during a previous episode of AEW: Dynamite.
Cody Rhodes wasn’t the wrestler to dethrone Chris Jericho as AEW World Heavyweight Champion.
Jericho successfully retained the title over Rhodes in the headliner of the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The three judges for the contest were Great Muta, Arn Anderson, and Dean Malenko.
The stipulation coming into this match was the fact that if Cody didn’t beat Jericho then he will never allow himself to challenge for the AEW World Title again. MJF threw in the towel while Jericho had Cody in the Walls of Jericho, which resulted in the finish.
Post-match, MJF kicked him in the nuts and stood over Cody.
This contest was set up due to Rhodes having the best singles record in the promotion at the time as All Elite Wrestling protected his character on-screen to elevate him as the top babyface title challenger.
Jericho became the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he beat Hangman Page in the headliner of the All Out pay-per-view event back in August at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago.
At this same show, while on the undercard, Cody defeated Shawn Spears to improve his singles match record.
What are your thoughts on Chris Jericho retaining the AEW World Heavyweight Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes has spoken out about his best friend MJF. He addressed his role as a mentor to his often brash protege, stating that he sees MJF as a talent he wants to help cultivate.
In an interview with Wrestlezone, Cody reflected on how he has been a “bad guy” on numerous occasions, having turned on tag team partners himself in the past. It’s something he is well aware of when fans speculate that, one day, MJF will turn on him.
“I’m not oblivious to the fact that MJF is an ass,” he said. “I’m aware. I’ve done signings with him too and I’ve asked never to do signings with him again because he is fully committed to you hating him. However—he was my handpicked project before All In.”
He continued, “Whether it’s because he’s in your face asking questions, whether it’s because he’s literally growing—his body’s growing, knowing that he’s putting work in in the gym—his matches. He’s able to mix the modern style with a new style, creating his own style, or it’s just the X factor, whatever it was. I sold him to Matt and Nick for All In, and then after that, I never had to sell him again.”
Project MJF
When it comes to their friendship, Cody wants to take responsibility for MJF as a talent, referring to his friend as a “project.”
“He’s entertaining, and I feel like he’s mine. I want to cultivate that,” Rhodes admitted. “My Dad had so many projects through the years, so many projects. So, this is my project. And maybe I don’t have that many, but this is one of my first projects as a leader and as a mentor.”
“I’ve never been a mentor before, or at least I didn’t know I was until now. Some of those guys—‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry, Kip Sabian, Max—a bunch of projects that we have that we’ve homegrown and developed. I want Max to have the best chance to succeed and win. I know he’s not friendly and I know he’s not sociable, but in the ring he can get it done. If you watch last week’s Dynamite, he will make the right decision from time to time.”
Cody faces AEW World Champion Chris Jericho for the title at AEW Full Gear on November 9th.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman was victorious over Brandon Cutler on the debut episode of AEW Dynamite Wednesday night. Following the show, however, MJF was not in a good mood as he explained he was concerned for Cody Rhodes after he was assaulted by Chris Jericho and his new faction.
MJF’s post-event media scrum can be viewed in the player below:
Maxwell Jacob Friedman On Chris Jericho:
“I’m not in a good mood at all,” MJF started off the interview with. “My best friend just got completely bludgeoned in the middle of the ring and I had no idea it was going on because I was back in the locker room after my match and I had no clue, I just found out after the fact.”
“What should have been a night of me celebrating the fact that I just proved to the whole world that I am, in fact, better than literally everybody now I have to be concerned for my friend because Chris Jericho is a scumbag.”
“Because Chris Jericho is passed his prime and decided to take that out on my friend, Cody,” MJF continued.
MJF would continue to say Jericho is a great athlete and one of the greatest wrestlers of all time but did not need to stoop to the level that he did.
The interview ended up taking a sour turn when one reporter asked MJF if he decided to get revenge on Jericho by being the one who threw a hot dog wiener into the ring.
“Give me one reason not to slap you,” MJF said after staring at the guy for some time.
All Elite Wrestling’s Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) took part in a post-show media scrum following the conclusion of Wednesday’s premiere of AEW: Dynamite. During the scrum, MJF spoke about his victory over Brandon Cutler as well as his future ambitions in competing against Chris Jericho.
“It felt great [to pick up the victory tonight]. It felt like every single bit of work that I have put into this industry has finally, finally come to fruition. I got to show the world what the future looks like. I got to show the world what the future of what All Elite Wrestling is, and the future of AEW is MJF.”
He spoke about tapping out Cutler in short order, calling himself a “top tier athlete” because of it. “[…] I proved what I’ve been saying since day one, and yet, people’ boo’ me. What they should be doing is looking in the mirror and wondering, ‘Why do I boo MJF? Is it because I’m jealous? Is it because I can never be MJF?’ Yeah, yeah it is.”
Future Goals
When it comes to his next goal in AEW, MJF is quick to mention the current AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho:
“Chris Jericho [is who I would want to face next] because he decided to do something that was absolutely inhumane and absolutely unnecessary,” Friedman stated.
He also addressed his friendship with Cody Rhodes, claiming that he would never face off against him as he is a “brother” to him.
“I would never in a million years put my hands on my big brother. Ever! When I say I’m going to be the future face of this company, it is because the face of this company right now is Cody Rhodes. And once he’s done, then it’s my time to shine. It’s really that simple.”
Maxwell Jacob Friedman is the latest guest on Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho podcast. During the hour-plus discussion, MJF was his humble self and provided some interesting details on his status with both AEW and Major League Wrestling (MLW).
MJF recently signed a long-term deal with AEW and spoke to Chris Jericho about how he was able to do that, in light of his multi-year MLW contract. MJF acknowledged that working for WWE was once a career goal of his, but has a pretty great situation for himself working with MLW & AEW.
After his standout performance at All In last Summer, Cody Rhodes pulled MJF aside and told him, ‘I’m sure you’re going to have a much easier time now going to WWE.’ Even though working for WWE was an early career goal for him (as it is for practically all pro wrestlers), that wasn’t an option for him at the time.
MJF’s MLW contract allowed him to work for other non-WWE promotions and at the time, AEW wasn’t even a thing. He spoke to MLW CEO Court Bauer and AEW President Tony Khan and some deals were made.
“At no point in [my MLW] contract did it state anything about AEW because AEW was not even a thing yet,” said MJF. “Once we figured out the logistics of everything, and Court [Bauer] was 100 percent cool with it. I lucked out. Cody hit me up and said, ‘Here’s my friend TK.’ Tony Khan. Don’t know if you’ve ever heard of him. Me and Tony talked for about an hour and a half.”
MJF continued, “In my head, I had two ideas. There were rumblings that there was interest for me from [WWE]. But once I got to talk to Tony, I instantly went, ‘This is where I’m supposed to go.’ The idea of someone walking up to me and being like, ‘Hey kid, here’s what we want out of you. Here’s what you’re going to do.’ I don’t do well with that. Nobody can tell me how I talk.”
Once he learned about what Tony Khan and company had in store with AEW, he knew it was the right fit or him. He reiterated the AEW company line that WWE is not their competition. In fact, they’re not trying to compete with anybody.
“We’re doing our own thing. We are showcasing professional wrestling the way it should always be showcased; as sport.”
Other topics discussed in the Talk is Jericho appearance include MJF’s disgust for poor people and several examples of why he’s better than virtually everybody.
You can listen to the full podcast in the embedded player below or here.
MJF will be a key part in All Elite Wrestling moving forward as he signed a new contract with the promotion.
On Friday, AEW released a video that was shared on their official Twitter account as well as YouTube channel announcing that MJF has signed a multi-year contract extension with the company.
The exact details on the contract – money, and length – was not disclosed by the promotion. You can watch the video here:
MJF was last seen in action at the AEW Fight for the Fallen event in Jacksonville, Florida last weekend. This is where he worked a six-man tag team match where he teamed up with Shawn Spears and Sammy Guevara in a winning effort against Darby Allin, Jimmy Havoc, and Joey Janela.
MJF is widely considered one of the top prospects in the pro wrestling business right now with a ton of upside and a wrestler who could be one of the top stars in AEW.
The AEW All Out pay-per-view event will take place on August 31st at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL and has already sold out. His opponent at this show has yet to be announced.
It appears that top prospect MJF suffered an injury while working his most-recent match.
MJF worked a six-man tag team match where he teamed up with Shawn Spears and Sammy Guevara in a winning effort against Darby Allin, Jimmy Havoc, and Joey Janela at the AEW Fight for the Fallen event in Jacksonville, Florida.
In the match, MJF apparently injured his elbow. That has caused changes to a scheduled independent wrestling booking he had. MJF was supposed to be at next week’s Inspire Pro Wrestling event, TripleMania, where he was set to defend his Pure Prestige Title against Ricky Starks.
It was noted in the announcement that with MJF slated to be under an exclusive contract with All Elite Wrestling soon, a rematch between MJF and Starks won’t be booked and the title is now vacant.
“BREAKING NEWS: AS THE ADDAGE GOES, ‘CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE.’ At approximately 4:07 this morning, INSPIRE PRO was delivered the unfortunate news that PURE PRESTIGE CHAMPION MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN sustained a severe elbow injury at last night’s FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN event. With MJF scheduled to appear at next week’s TRIPLEMANIA, the decision was made to pull him from tonight’s event to prevent any further injury.
THEREFORE, MJF will NOT be defending his PURE PRESTIGE CHAMPIONSHIP tonight against RICKY STARKS. With MJF soon to become exclusive to AEW, the opportunity to reschedule the match is not possible. Therefore, MJF and INSPIRE have come to a mutual agreement to VACATE the PURE PRESTIGE TITLE.”
Cody Rhodes made a big statement during his entrance at AEW’s first event Double Or Nothing. He broke a throne using a sledge hammer, firing some very significant shots at Triple H and WWE as a whole.
During a recent interview with WrestlingInc, Cody’s on-screen protege and one of the fastest rising stars in the world of pro-wrestling, MJF discussed this move from his mentor.
MJF was signed by AEW in January and he made his debut for the company at the pre-show battle royale at Double or Nothing. He was also part of a segment involving Bret Hart and Adam Page during the main show.
In his interview with WrestlingInc’s WINCLY podcast, the AEW Star discussed Cody’s entrance and said that the statement Rhodes was making was for himself:
“I think the statement Cody was making was for himself, and if you listen to the post-fight interview, he wasn’t digging anyone. He wasn’t trying to stir the pot. That was for himself and was a cathartic thing for him.”
Continuing on the topic, MJF claimed that Cody barred his soul at the Double or Nothing event, and that is the reason why fans were standing at the end bawling their eyes out.
Apart from this, he also talked about not being drawn to ‘flippy dudes’ and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman, better known as MJF, has shared his thoughts on Cody’s symbolic decision to smash a throne at All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) recent event, Double Or Nothing.
In an interview with the WINCLY podcast, MJF addressed his friendship with Cody being a contributing factor in his being hired by AEW, in addition to his thoughts on Cody’s sledgehammer antics. He also spoke highly about Cody’s matchup with Dustin Rhodes and their storytelling ability.
“I think the statement Cody was making was for himself, and if you listen to the post-fight interview, he wasn’t digging anyone. He wasn’t trying to stir the pot. That was for himself and was a cathartic thing for him. …Cody Rhodes bared his soul at that PPV, and that’s why everyone in that audience was standing at the end and bawling their eyes out.”
He continued, “There is nothing in pro wrestling more important than drawing in an audience emotionally. Sure, you might get an ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ every couple of minutes. But if you can have somebody hook, line and sinker from the first bell to the second bell, that is the art of what we do. That is pro wrestling.”
Friendship aside, MJF made his intentions clear, stating emphatically that he intends to, and will become, the face of AEW.
The roster for AEW (All Elite Wrestling) is coming together just after a week since the newly launched promotion was announced by Cody and The Young Bucks in an episode of Being The Elite that was released on New Year’s Day.
Several new talents who have signed with the promotion were revealed during Tuesday’s All Elite Wrestling rally titled Double or Nothingat TIAA Bank Field, which is the stadium where the NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars play at, which is also owned by The Khan Family, who are backing AEW financially.
Those stars who appeared at the rally in order to announce that are part of AEW include Chris Jericho, PAC, Britt Baker, MJF, Joey Janela, Penelope Ford, Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, and Scorpio Sky. The promotion is expected to announce more talent signings in the coming weeks.
You can see an updated list of talent who are now under contract with AEW here:
Cody Rhodes
The Young Bucks
Hangman Page
Chris Jericho
PAC
Joey Janella w/Penelope Ford
Christopher Daniels
Frankie Kazarian
Scorpio Sky
MJF
Britt Baker
During the Double or Nothing Rally, AEW also announced a working partnership with Oriental Wrestling Entertainment, which features a lot of young and talented wrestlers based out of China.
What are your thoughts on this roster thus far? Sound off in the comment section.
MLW Middleweight Champion, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, will be on the injured list until early 2019. MJW revealed on Twitter recently that he will be out of action for 4-to-6 weeks as a result of the injury. He doesn’t appear to be feeling too down about his upcoming time on the injured list, however.
I’ve fractured my elbow.
Recovery time 4-6 weeks.
The good news is I get a break from having to make eye contact with you poor fat slobs.
“I’ve fractured my elbow. Recovery time 4-6 weeks. The good news is I get a break from having to make eye contact with you poor fat slobs.”
He wasn’t pleased with what a fan wrote in response to his injury:
I wrestle in nearly every top promotion in the world. I am the most entertaining part of every show I’m on. Nobody can touch me on the microphone or in that ring. I’m a story teller in a league of my own who is forced to wrestle infront of mindless poor sheep like you. SAD.
“I wrestle in nearly every top promotion in the world. I am the most entertaining part of every show I’m on. Nobody can touch me on the microphone or in that ring. I’m a story teller in a league of my own who is forced to wrestle infront of mindless poor sheep like you. SAD.”
Joey Janela, MJF’s rival in MLW, tried to wish him a speedy recovery.
MJF began his career in 2015 and found his way into CZW later that year. He has continued to wrestle for top indies throughout 2018 but also signed with MLW. He is the promotion’s inaugural middleweight champion, defeating Joey Ryan for the honors this summer.
Maxwell J. Friedman (MJF) is expected to miss several weeks of action due to a knee injury. The cocky Long Island native has been on a roll as of late. In addition to holding the CZW World Heavyweight Championship, MJF became the first-ever MLW Middleweight Champion last week by defeating Joey Ryan at MLW Battle Riot. That match airs Friday night on beIN SPORTS as part of MLW’s 2-hour Battle Riot cable special.
Friedman wrestled for AAW on Saturday night and defeated Ace Steel in a Bourbon Street Fight. After the match, he tweeted this photo of his knee iced up and told the “pimpled up tubby marks” asking about his knee that he doesn’t need their sympathy.
To everyone who’s tweeting and messaging me about my knee…. I don’t need sympathy from a bunch of pimpled up tubby marks. I’ll be good by Monday. pic.twitter.com/BYgCIKJcii
He was not ‘good’ by Monday. MJF posted a message on Facebook on Wednesday night and revealed that he suffered a small tear in his lateral meniscus and a tear in his LCL. Recovery time for this type of injury is approximately 2-6 weeks.
MJF had been scheduled to compete for CZW and Beyond Wrestling this coming weekend. Hopefully MJF is back in action soon, just don’t send him any well wishes on Twitter.
On Thursday, we had a chance to speak with Major League Wrestling competitor Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The 22-year-old wrestling prodigy from Plainview, Long Island is perhaps best known known for his oversized ego and lavish North Shore upbringing.
Friedman sounded off on a wide range of topics, including what it’s like being a pro wrestler in this social media era, his upcoming fight against Joey Janela at MLW’s next Fusion tapings (6/7) and much more.
We did our best to transcribe the interview accurately – our audio recording of the conversation was hard to make out at times, as MJF was in a helicopter en route to the Hamptons for Memorial Day weekend when we spoke.
SEScoops: You’ve been a part of Major League Wrestling since the promotion’s re-boot last fall at One-Shot. How did you first get involved with MLW?
MJF: “[MLW CEO] Court [Bauer] basically begged me to join. I felt pretty bad for the guy. He said, ‘Look, we need star power. We need top guys, somebody that can carry the company to the next level and get us on national TV.’ Let’s face facts, without me, they wouldn’t have gotten that TV deal. So I said, ‘Look Court, if the money’s right, I’ll think about it.’ We took it from there and ever since, we’ve been off to the races.”
What is it like coming up in today’s era of social media, where fans can interact with you 24/7? It seems there would be pro’s and cons to this dynamic. On one hand, you can promote yourself nonstop. But there might also be the risk of being ‘too accessible,’ which takes away from the mystique of you as a performer.
MJF: “Here’s the thing. I don’t let those nerds and losers into my life completely. What I do is, I tell it like it is. I tell them facts and the fact of the matter is, I’m the fastest rising star in professional wrestling. That’s the positive about social media. People get to see what MJF is doing and where MJF is going to be. At the same time, the negative is, these fans have an opinion that they think is valid. It’s not. They’re not important. They’re poor, they’re stupid and quite frankly, almost never know what they’re talking about.”
Ok. With the recent launch of MLW FUSION, the show has featured a hybrid of various wrestling styles – amateur, brawling, lucha libre, MMA, etc. How would you describe your in-ring style?
MJF: “My style is that I’m better than anyone I’m in there with. I don’t need to do flippy flops, I don’t do cool technical wrestling. At the end of the day, I do what I have to do to win. And that’s just that. That’s what’s wrong with pro wrestling today. People are concerned what the fans think. They want to look cool, they want to act tough. I don’t care about that. You know what I care about? The bottom dollar. I care about filling up my bank account. So you know my style is? My style is making money and winning.”
On June 7th, you’ll be across the ring from Joey Janela at the next MLW FUSION taping from Orlando. You’ve competed against Janela before and have seen what he’s done thus far in MLW. What’s your strategy going into this match?
MJF: “Joey Janela is brain dead. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but he’s been in some incredibly brutal matches, one of them with me, where I defeated him at Cage of Death in CZW, so I know what it’s like to get in the ring with that lunatic, and I’m quite proficient at it. The picture with Joey is that fans seen to take likening to him because he’s willing to put his body on the line. But that’s what’s wrong with Joey Janela. Joey doesn’t understand that you don’t have to do that, he doesn’t have to play to these people, if he wasn’t so dumb, I bet he could be a very talented, well-rounded wrestler. He puts his body on the line trying to impress people. Time after time again, he gets hurt.
Here’s what’s going to happen, I’ll tell you exactly what’s going to happen in our match. Joey Janela is going to have me on the ground. He’ll probably be close to having me beaten. But what he’s going to do wrong is he’s going to try to do something stupid. He’ll try to do a big stunt like he’s Evel Knievel, I’m going to move out of the way, he’s going to break every bone in his body and I’m going to pin him. The guy has so much potential, but he doesn’t think things through. Honestly, he reminds me a lot of the wrestling fans of today. They don’t think things through and they act on instinct and emotion. It’s really sad, honestly.”
MLW recently crowned a World Heavyweight Champion in Shane Strickland. Are you focused on making a run at MLW’s top prize in the near future?
MJF: “Here’s the thing. I think Court is protecting his little pet project there in [MLW World Heavyweight Champion] Shane Strickland. I think the MLW office is protecting Shane Strickland. I think everyone who is reading this interview right now is very well aware that if I wanted to, I could tap Shane Strickland out like a little school girl, ok? Right now, that’s not what I’m interested in. I’m interested in focusing on myself, making my money and proving week in and week out, show after show, month after month, year after year, I’m the best in the ‘biz.
Maybe, just maybe, Shane will stop ducking me, maybe the office will allow me to wrestle Shane, maybe that will go down. When it does, there will be a new MLW World Heavyweight Champion. You know, there’s talk of there being other belts, other titles, other championship titles. Quite frankly, I’d rather pioneer the next class of championship, the next generation. Once I’m done doing that, if I feel like it, if Shane Is done being a scared little girl, I’d love to wrestle him for that title.
I can’t badmouth Shane Strickland. He’s quite possibly one of the best hybrid wrestlers in the world today. He’s very proficient in almost every style. But as I said, my style is winning – and business is good right now.”
As one of the top prospects to come out of New York in recent years, what’s it going to be like for you when MLW comes to New York City on July 19th for the big MLW FUSION TV taping at the Melrose Ballroom in Long Island City?
MJF: “It’s going to be a homecoming. The people are going to out in the streets. They’re going to be going nuts. There’s going to be parades for MJF. I think you and I both know that I’m the hometown hero. Everybody loves me. Everybody loves me everywhere!
I don’t know if it’s going to be crazy different, because let’s face facts: every town I go to, people are excited to see Maxwell. But it’s going to be a little bit of a different feel. Born and raised in Plainview, Long Island, I think people are going to emotionally connect with that. I’m excited to perform in front of people of my ilk, so to speak.”
Where do you see MLW one year from now?
MJF: “I see MLW growing rapidly already, so I can’t imagine where we’ll be in a year from now. I’m just excited for the future, but more importantly, I’m excited for myself. It’s not like MLW is the only spot I’m working. I’m all over the place. I’ve worked for every top-tier promotion in independent wrestling. If you can think of a top-tier company, I’ve wrestled there twice. Places like Progress, House of Hardcore, Limitless, Beyond Wrestling, CZW, the list goes on and on. If I keep going I’ll probably lose my voice.
If there’s a difference about MLW compared to all those companies, it’s that MLW 1) Has phenomenal TV, 2) Has one of the best rosters in all of professional wrestling. I think you’re going to be seeing a lot of growth out of Major League Wrestling over the next year.”
Parting words for the readers of SEScoops.com:
MJF: “You’re all dumb, stupid and poor, but at the end of the day, if you need somebody to look up to, if you need someone to distract you from being a complete loser, just follow me on Twitter and Instagram @The_MJF. My name is Maxwell Jacob Friedman. I am better than you and you know it.”
Catch MJF each week on MLW FUSION, which airs Friday nights on BeIN SPORTS. The weekly episodes are also uploaded to MLW’s official YouTube page Saturday nights at 6:05pm ET.
