{"id":2257,"date":"2026-05-24T20:24:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T20:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/2026\/05\/24\/aews-maxwell-jacob-friedman-talks-all-the-sh\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T20:24:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T20:24:00","slug":"aews-maxwell-jacob-friedman-talks-all-the-sh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/2026\/05\/24\/aews-maxwell-jacob-friedman-talks-all-the-sh\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW\u2019s Maxwell Jacob Friedman Talks All the Sh**"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\tIf confidence won back world titles, Maxwell Jacob Friedman<\/a> would have no issue defeating AEW<\/a> World Champion Darby Allin at upcoming pay-per-view event \u201cDouble or Nothing.\u201d But even in a non-legitimate sports competition like professional wrestling, personality alone can only carry one so far. The good news is MJF<\/a> can handle himself on the mat about as well as he can on the mic.<\/p>\n

\tLast month, Allin shocked the wrestling world by defeating the champ on AEW\u2019s weekly episodic TV show Dynamite<\/em><\/a>. This weekend, Friedman will get his chance for revenge. Typically in these situations, it is the champion (now Allin) with the most to lose \u2014 the belt \u2014 but Sunday\u2019s main event won\u2019t be your run of the mill match. If the challenger (Friedman) takes another \u201cL,\u201d he won\u2019t just lose his head, MJF will lose his hair. For someone who loves his own appearance as much as Friedman does, such a fate for his \u2018do simply won\u2019t do. \t<\/p>\n

\tMJF\u2019s boss, AEW owner Tony Khan<\/a> (the son of billionaire Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan), is as big a wrestling fan as, well, his company\u2019s wrestling fans. Khan very much appreciates his big bad \u2014 or at the very least, he tolerates him.<\/p>\n

\tAsked how he deals with a personality like Friedman, Khan starts with the superlatives. The Burberry-draped, smack-talking, walking heat machine is \u201ca hugely charismatic wrestler,\u201d Khan tells The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>. It\u2019s true: Friedman is as over as anyone in professional wrestling<\/a>, AEW or beyond.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHe is so self-obsessed, and his pursuit of greatness is so singular in its focus on himself that one has to admire it,\u201d Khan continued. \u201cAt the same time, as a villain, he\u2019s so detestable.\u201d \t<\/p>\n

\tAlso true.<\/p>\n

\tIf Friedman was not a self-described \u201cilliterate,\u201d at this point in the read, right about now, he\u2019d be wondering when this turned into a Tony Khan<\/a> story and no longer one about the real<\/em> star of AEW: himself. MJF is a true throwback \u2014 a heel who loves himself as much as we love to hate him \u2014 and he will never, ever let you forget that. Not for one minute.<\/p>\n

\tRead The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>\u2018s Q&A with MJF below.<\/p>\n

\tSo your real name is Maxwell Tyler Friedman, initials MTF. Your character is Maxwell Jacob Friedman, stylized down to MJF. Who owns the rights to the character?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tI have it fully trademarked, both options.<\/p>\n

\tThat\u2019s really important for the licensing piece of the business \u2014 and if you move on to another company.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tWe are definitely a more workers\u2019-rights-focused professional wrestling company, and that\u2019s not me taking a shot, it\u2019s just a fact.<\/p>\n

\tYou\u2019re probably the biggest star in AEW\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThat\u2019s an understatement.<\/p>\n

\tWell there are other stars: Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose in WWE), Chris Jericho, Cody (Cody Rhodes in WWE) when he was here\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThey\u2019re not me.<\/p>\n

\tWhat is the right amount of TV time for MJF? You never want to overexpose your biggest draws, but you need them there reliably.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tIf the television show was two hours, I\u2019d put me out there for two hours. If it\u2019s three hours, put me out there for three, etc. Look, I\u2019ve proven time and time again that I\u2019m the biggest draw in the company. Now, that doesn\u2019t take away from the fact that I can\u2019t do that alone. I need a team, and boy, do I have a great team. AEW is chock full of some of the best professional wrestlers in the sport, [some of the best] professional wrestling has ever seen. But when we look at things metrically in the year 2026, I\u2019ve been on top this entire year. Our houses are up year-over-year in every single place we\u2019ve been to. Pay-per-view buys are up in every single pay-per-view we\u2019ve had, and I will just use the pay-per-view this Sunday as an example. We\u2019re about to do the second-largest gate domestically in the history of our promotion, with me on top in the main event \u2014 and the No. 1 was a stadium show at Global Life Field. \t<\/p>\n

\tThis is the power of MJF that I wield: I get people to watch; I get people to tune in; I get people to buy a ticket, because you can\u2019t go and live your life a wrestling fan without having the experience that is Maxwell Jacob Friedman, whether that\u2019s live or on your TV screen.<\/p>\n

\tSports, including pro wrestling, draw comparisons between eras. It\u2019s just something for fans to talk about. Off the top of my head I\u2019d probably say your character reminds me of The Rock, maybe \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin. Who do you think best compares with MJF?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tIt\u2019s humanly impossible [to compare me with someone else]. I\u2019m an amalgamation of the great of the greats, frankly. Because when people \u2014 it\u2019s so funny, people use their favorite wrestler to describe me. Every conversation I have, when people pull me aside: \u201cOh, you remind me of The Rock. Oh, you remind me of Terry Funk. Oh, you remind me of Ric Flair. Oh, you remind me of Nick Bockwinkel. Oh, you remind me of Steve Austin. Oh, you remind me of The Rock.\u201d You\u2019re never gonna have anybody say, \u201cOh, you remind me of Barry Horowitz.\u201d You know what I mean? There\u2019s levels to this shit. God bless Barry, he\u2019s part of the tribe, I love him. But that\u2019s the thing about me \u2014 I\u2019m a generational talent, and I evoke the same emotion people had when they were kids, freaking out and marking out over whoever their favorite wrestler was.<\/p>\n

\tI think what\u2019s really cool is \u2014 although I bring people together through hatred, I\u2019m still bringing them together because I\u2019m giving them that punch of nostalgia. With love and respect to everybody else in my industry, nobody\u2019s like me anymore. I\u2019m the last of a dying breed. Nobody can talk the way that I talk, nobody that can walk the way I walk, nobody can wrestle the way that I wrestle, nobody can pull a crowd in the way that I pull a crowd in. That\u2019s just all the part of recipe of MJF. \t<\/p>\n

\n
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\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

\t \t\t\t\t\tDarby Allin in the ring during AEW Collision on Oct. 3, 2024, at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.<\/span> \t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrank Jansky\/Icon Sportswire\/Getty Images<\/cite> \t\t\t\t\t \t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\tWho is closest to your mic skills in or out of AEW? Is it (WWE\u2019s) Miz?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tNo. He\u2019s a great guy though. Miz is a great guy.<\/p>\n

\tIn my<\/em> company, who is close? I think gun to my head, some of the most intense verbal battles I\u2019ve had has been in the ring with \u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page.<\/p>\n

\tHappy Gilmore 2<\/em> was a great opportunity for you. How was that experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThe thing is, I\u2019m a psycho, and what I was doing was I was flying from (AEW) TV to (the Happy Gilmore 2<\/em>) set on an almost weekly basis. So, I was doing both, and I\u2019m gonna continue to do that, because I love wrestling and acting equally.<\/p>\n

\tBut getting to work with Adam Sandler \u2014 I mean, he\u2019s my dad, literally, figuratively, fake-ly. He\u2019s the man. I love everything about him. He\u2019s the most down-to-earth guy, and I love him, dude. I absolutely love him.<\/p>\n

\tYou\u2019ve got a nice IMDb going for a relatively new star who is booked like 52 weeks of the year. What is the ultimate Hollywood ambition?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tMount Rushmore has four heads, and when you look at the Mount Rushmore of wrestlers-turned-actors, it\u2019s Dave Bautista, John Cena and The Rock. There\u2019s a missing part of that Mount Rushmore.<\/p>\n

\tIt\u2019s not because I\u2019m manifesting it or anything, it\u2019s just a fact \u2014 I\u2019m going to be that fourth head. We\u2019ve got Violent Night 2<\/em> coming out in theaters. It\u2019s a Universal picture that I was a part of, that\u2019s happening in early December. There are a lot of things I got cooking that legally I\u2019m not allowed to say yet \u2014 I\u2019m not at liberty to say yet. \t<\/p>\n

\tWWE is well-represented in the upcoming Street Fighter<\/em> movie \u2014 what if Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes takes that final spot?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tHey, man, God bless them. I hope that movie does well, and I hope they do great. I love seeing professional wrestlers succeeding outside of the professional wrestling bubble.<\/p>\n

\tI\u2019m more of a Mortal Kombat<\/em> guy anyway.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThere you go.<\/p>\n

\tYour character is a sharp dresser who always has a very recognizable scarf over his shoulders. Real Burberry?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tOnly real Burberry. What, are you accusing me of being poor?<\/p>\n

\t[Friedman says he has seven of the same Burberry scarves in his house, and \u201cthey\u2019re all steamed and they\u2019re beautifully, beautifully laid out.\u201d]<\/p>\n

\tWhat happens to AEW if you move on full-time to Hollywood, or to WWE?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tIt dies. It dies probably a fast \u2014 not even a slow and painful death. And that\u2019s OK, you know. I love AEW, I love everybody that works there, but, like I said, I can\u2019t be in the position I\u2019m in without having the pass the ball, but if they couldn\u2019t pass the ball back to me? Jesus Christ<\/em>. God bless \u2019em. I\u2019m the most-important piece of the puzzle.<\/p>\n

\tSo does \u201cpassing the ball back to you\u201d mean you\u2019re winning the belt back this weekend?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tOh, I\u2019m winning the belt. Yeah, if anybody tells you otherwise, they\u2019re out of their mind. You think I\u2019m gonna let that little twink shave my head bald. What are you nuts? Absolutely not. That\u2019s not happening. Have you seen my hair? I\u2019ve got a beautiful head of hair. I\u2019m not losing my hair. \t<\/p>\n

\tHow do you see the match going?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThere\u2019s no reality, where I\u2019m not winning the belt back, I mean, alternative to me is an impossibility. I think I beat him five seconds, 30 seconds flat \u2014 fast.<\/p>\n

\tOne clip that went especially viral for you\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tYou\u2019ll have to narrow that down.<\/p>\n

\tYou covertly stepped on the back of each of your loafers<\/a> just before taking a Ricky Starks spear, which allowed your shoes to fly off your feet and out of the ring.<\/strong> It was a great sell that I don\u2019t remember having seen before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tSheer happenstance. I have no idea what you\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n

\tThat was unfortunate then, because it really made your opponent look extra strong.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tBy happenstance, for some strange reason, I always end up making people I\u2019m in the ring with look 10 times better than they\u2019ve ever looked in their entire lives. It\u2019s odd.<\/p>\n

\tJust like the old greats.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tYeah! I can be a klutz sometimes, and sometimes it\u2019s to the benefit of others.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If confidence won back world titles, Maxwell Jacob Friedman would have no issue defeating AEW World Champion Darby Allin at upcoming pay-per-view event \u201cDouble or Nothing.\u201d But even in a non-legitimate sports competition like professional wrestling, personality alone can only carry one so far. The good news is MJF can handle himself on the mat about as well as he can on the mic. Last month, Allin shocked the wrestling world by defeating the champ on AEW\u2019s weekly episodic TV show Dynamite. This weekend, Friedman will get his chance for revenge. Typically in these situations, it is the champion (now Allin) with the most to lose \u2014 the belt \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1402,1403,2,1404,1405,1406,85,335],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-all-elite-wrestling","category-hollywood","category-maxwell-jacob-friedman","category-mjf","category-tony-khan","category-tv","category-tv-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}