Maxwell Jacob Feinstein
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Maxwell Tyler Friedman (born March 15, 1996), better known by the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Maxwell Jacob Friedman and the shortened epithet MJF, is an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
and actor. , he is signed to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), where he is a member of
The Hurt Syndicate The Hurt Syndicate is a professional wrestling stable in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The group consists of Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, MJF, and Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP, who serves as their manager. Lashley and B ...
. He is a one-time
AEW World Champion The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on May 25, 2019, it is the promotion's top championship and is presented as being ...
, with his reign being the longest in the title's history, and is also a one-time AEW International Champion. Friedman previously worked for
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
(MLW), where he became a one-time MLW World Tag Team Champion and a one-time and inaugural MLW World Middleweight Champion. He has also worked on the American
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
for promotions such as
Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...
(CZW), where he became a one-time
CZW World Heavyweight Champion The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the professional wrestling promotion Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). It debuted on March 27, 1999 at CZW's The Staple Gun event. ...
and a one-time CZW Wired Champion.


Early life

Maxwell Tyler Friedman was born into an
Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
family in
Plainview, New York Plainview is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Oyster Bay (town), New York, Oyster Bay in east central Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 27,100. The Plainv ...
, on March 15, 1996. At the age of five, he appeared on an episode of ''
The Rosie O'Donnell Show ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' is an American daytime variety show, variety television talk show created, hosted, and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It premiered on June 10, 1996, and concluded after six seasons on June 27, 200 ...
'' that aired in 2001, singing "
You Are My Sunshine "You Are My Sunshine" is an American standard of old-time and country music and the state song of Louisiana. Its original writer is disputed. According to the performance rights organization BMI, by the year 2000 the song had been recorded by ...
" after his parents submitted a tape of him singing it in an
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
tic style while eating a pear. After a video of his performance resurfaced in 2019, it was referenced as part of a wrestling storyline. During his interview with
Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...
, Friedman said he aspired to be an opera singer and a professional wrestler, and that Goldberg and The Rock were his favorite wrestlers. Friedman grew up as a religious Jew, having had his "original"
Bar mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...
in 2009. Friedman graduated in 2014 from Plainview – Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School where he was a member of the
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team. He briefly attended
Hartwick College Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, the seminary became a four-year coll ...
in
Oneonta, New York Oneonta ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in southern Otsego County, New York, Otsego County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of Appalachia. Oneonta is home to the State Un ...
.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (2015)

Friedman was trained by
Brian Myers Brian Myers (born April 20, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a member of The System. He is a three-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, having held the title with Trevo ...
and
Pat Buck Patrick Buckridge (born December 24, 1984), better known by the ring name Pat Buck, is an American professional wrestler and promoter, signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as the Vice President of Talent Development and as a coach. He was previou ...
, and made his in-ring debut in their Create A Pro Wrestling Academy in
Hicksville, New York Hicksville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The CDP's population was 43,869 at the time of the 2020 census. History Hamlet namesake Valen ...
, on February 15, 2015 at age 18. He also wrestled for
Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...
and Five Borough Wrestling during his debut year and went on to appear in numerous promotions across the northeastern independent wrestling circuit. In April 2015,
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
uploaded his entry for ''
WWE Tough Enough ''WWE Tough Enough'' is an American professional wrestling reality competition series that was produced by WWE, wherein participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE. There were two winners per season ...
'' to their
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel. He also appeared as an onscreen security guard during
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
's entrance at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II in August 2016 during which he was pushed by Joe.


Combat Zone Wrestling (2015–2018)

Friedman worked under the new ring name Pete Lightning in several CZW Dojo Wars events since 2015, usually in tag team matches with Hous Blazer and
Penelope Ford Olivia Hasler (born September 14, 1992) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Penelope Ford. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is also known for her work in Combat Zone Wrestling. Professional wrestling ...
. On the September 7, 2016 edition of CZW Dojo Wars, he returned to his previous ring name Maxwell Jacob Friedman, he entered the Dramatic Destination Series tournament. On May 13, 2017, at CZW Sacrifices, Friedman defeated Johnny Yuma to win the
CZW Wired Championship The CZW Wired Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. History Th ...
. He won his first title defense at CZW EVILution, defeating
Trevor Lee Trevor Lee Caddell (born September 30, 1993) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE as Cameron Grimes and in Impact Wrestling as Trevor Lee. Caddell made his debut on the independent circuit in 2009 as Trevor ...
. He successfully retained the title in further singles matches against Mike Del, John Silver, and Ace Romero. On October 14 at CZW The Wolf of Wrestling, Friedman lost the CZW Wired title to
Joey Janela Joseph Janela (born July 3, 1989) is an American professional wrestler, working for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he is the promoter of the Joey Janela's Spring Break event series. Janela is most known for his work with All Elite Wrestling ...
. Two months later at CZW Cage of Death 19, Friedman won the title back after defeating Janela in a rematch. Friedman returned on February 10, 2018, at CZW Nineteen, where he won the 27-Man Battle Royal to become the new number one contender for the
CZW World Heavyweight Championship The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the professional wrestling promotion Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). It debuted on March 27, 1999 at CZW's The Staple Gun event ...
. He also successfully defended the CZW Wired Championship against Alex Colon on that date. There he defeated Rickey Shane Page to win the CZW World Heavyweight Championship for the first time, and surrendered the CZW Wired Championship on the same night. He would forfeit the title in November 2018 and make his final appearance on CZW.


Major League Wrestling (2017–2020)


World Middleweight Champion (2017–2018)

On September 5, 2017, it was reported that Friedman signed a contract with the reinstated
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
(MLW) to appear at its reunion event One Shot to compete in a match against Jimmy Yuta, which Friedman won. Friedman then became a member of the MLW roster as he continued his winning streak against Joey Ryan at Never Say Never. MJF suffered his first loss in MLW against
Brody King Nathan Troy Blauvelt (born March 17, 1987), better known by his ring name Brody King, is an American professional wrestler, singer, and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Hounds of Hell and is a form ...
at Zero Hour on January 11, 2018. He then participated in a tournament for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship at ''Road To The World Championship'', losing to the British wrestler
Jimmy Havoc James McAhren (born 19 March 1984) is a British former professional wrestler best known under the ring name Jimmy Havoc. He is known for his work with Progress Wrestling, Defiant Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), Major League W ...
in the opening round. Friedman went on to defeat
Lance Anoa'i Lance Sterling Anoa'i (born February 15, 1992) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand. He previously wrestled in Major League Wre ...
at Spring Break. He made his '' Fusion'' debut on the May 11 episode by defeating
Fred Yehi Fred Yehi is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in Full Impact Pro, Major League Wrestling, Evolve, Combat Zone Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling and Ring Of Honor. Professional wrestling career Evolve an ...
. He continued his success with an upset win over
Montel Vontavious Porter Hassan Hamid Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Manager (professional wrestling), manager, and sub ...
at Intimidation Games. On July 29, MJF defeated Joey Ryan to become the first-ever
World Middleweight Champion Championship recognition 1884–1910 Champions were recognized by public acclamation. A champion in that era was a fighter who had a notable win over another fighter and kept winning afterward. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a cha ...
at the Battle Riot special. Later that night, MJF participated in the namesake match as the No. 38 entrant and was eliminated by the eventual winner
Tom Lawlor Thomas Joseph Lawlor (born May 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and podcast host. He is signed to both New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the inaugural and longest reigning NJPW Strong Openw ...
. On the August 10 episode of ''Fusion'', MJF made his first title defense against Joey Janela in a
falls count anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
, which he retained after Janela's on-screen girlfriend Aria Blake turned on Janela by hitting him in the head with a bottle. This led to Blake becoming MJF's valet. On the September 21 episode of ''Fusion'', MJF and Blake defeated Joey Ryan and
Taya Valkyrie Kira Renée Magnin-Forster (born October 22, 1983), better known by her ring name Taya Valkyrie, is a Canadian professional wrestler, fitness competitor, and Model (people), model. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where she is one-half ...
in a mixed tag team match. MJF made his second title defense of the World Middleweight Championship on the November 9 episode of ''Fusion'', where he successfully defended the title against Jason Cade and Jimmy Yuta in a three-way elimination match. On November 25, Friedman revealed that he had suffered a fractured elbow with a recovery time of 4 to 6 weeks. MLW later announced that the Middleweight title has been stripped from Friedman due not being cleared in time for his scheduled title defense at MLW's live Fusion December 14 episode.


The Dynasty (2019–2020)

MJF returned from his injury on the February 16, 2019 episode of ''Fusion'', where he unsuccessfully challenged the new champion
Teddy Hart Edward Ellsworth Annis (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He is one-half of the RCW (Real Canadian Wrestling) Tag Tea ...
for the World Middleweight Championship. After the match, Richard Holliday joined MJF in attacking Hart. As a result, the duo formed a team called The Dynasty and began feuding with the
Hart Foundation The Hart Foundation is the name of several derivative tag teams and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stables composed primarily of members and close friends of the Hart wrestling family. The name originated in the World Wrestling ...
. They were shortly after joined by the newcomer
Alexander Hammerstone Alex Rohde (born January 17, 1991), better known by the ring name Alexander Hammerstone or simply Hammerstone, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he was a former MLW World Heavyweight Champ ...
. He later won the
MLW World Tag Team Championship The MLW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Major League Wrestling (MLW) promotion. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which particip ...
with Richard Holliday as part of the Dynasty. He left the promotion in January 2020, but would wrestle Mance Warner in a loser leaves town, empty arena match in April 2020.


All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)


Undefeated streak (2019–2020)

On January 7, 2019, it was announced that Friedman was signed to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW) for a five-year deal. He debuted as a heel at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 25 as a part of the pre-show
Casino Battle Royale The Casino Battle Royale is a professional wrestling match utilized by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Versions for traditional tag teams (Casino Tag Team Royale) and three-man teams - referred to by AEW as trios (Casino Trios Royale) have also been e ...
for an
AEW World Championship The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on ...
opportunity. He lasted until the final two, before being eliminated by
Adam Page Stephen Blake Woltz (born July 27, 1991), better known by his ring name "Hangman" Adam Page, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a former AEW World Champion and AEW ...
. Friedman went on to compete in a four-way match against Page, Jimmy Havoc and Jungle Boy at Fyter Fest on June 29, which Page also won. The following month at Fight for the Fallen on July 13, he teamed with
Shawn Spears Ronnie William Arneill (born February 19, 1981), better known by his ring name Shawn Spears, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and trainer. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the WWE NXT, NXT WWE brand extension, ...
and
Sammy Guevara Samuel Guevara (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Sons of Texas and is a record tying three-time former AEW TNT Champion. He also appears in AEW's sist ...
to defeat Havoc,
Darby Allin Samuel Ratsch (born January 7, 1993), better known by the ring name Darby Allin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is a former two-time AEW TNT Championship, AEW TNT Champion and a former AEW Wo ...
, and Joey Janela in a six-man tag team match. On the first episode of ''
Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
'' on October 2, Friedman defeated Brandon Cutler by submission. The following week on ''Dynamite'', Friedman intervened in the attack of his "best friend" Cody by Inner Circle, attacking
Santana and Ortiz Santana and Ortiz, sometimes nicknamed Proud & Powerful, were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mike Santana (real name Mark Sanchez, born February 4, 1991) and Ortiz (real name Miguel Molina, born September 27, 1991), wh ...
with a steel chair seemingly turning face. At Full Gear on November 9, he accompanied Cody in his AEW World Championship match against
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
. Cody lost the match after MJF
threw in the towel A submission, also called a "tap out" is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, resulting in an immediate defeat. A submission is often performed by visibly tapping the floor or opponent with the hand or foot, or by verbalizing to the o ...
when he was caught in the ''Liontamer'' and as a result, Cody was no longer allowed to challenge for the AEW World Championship again due to a pre-match stipulation. After the match, MJF turned heel on Cody by giving him a low blow and walked away. Shortly thereafter, MJF found a
bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...
in the debuting Wardlow. On the November 20 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF and Adam Page were the final two entrants in the inaugural Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale. The two met in a singles match on the Thanksgiving Eve special episode on November 27, which MJF won.
Diamond Dallas Page } Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), is an American fitness instructor, actor, and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Di ...
(DDP) then awarded him the Dynamite Diamond Ring as a prize for defeating Page. On January 15, 2020, at
Bash at the Beach Bash at the Beach was a yearly professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was the company's PPV for the month of July, held from 1994–2000. As the title implied, the show centered on a b ...
, MJF teamed with The Butcher and The Blade to defeat DDP,
Dustin Rhodes Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes, with a nickname of "The Natural" and is a member of The Sons of ...
and Q. T. Marshall. MJF rekindled his rivalry with Cody, and lay down three stipulations that Cody must follow to gain a match against him at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on February 29 which included not touching MJF till the match happened, facing Wardlow in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
and receiving ten lashes by MJF on live TV. On the February 5 episode of ''Dynamite'', Cody took the ten lashes from MJF, including one from Wardlow. Cody then went on to beat Wardlow in the first steel cage match in AEW's history on the February 19 episode of ''Dynamite'' to make the match against MJF at Revolution official. At Revolution, MJF defeated Cody by pinfall after hitting him on the face with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF then entered a feud with Jungle Boy, defeating him at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 23 with a roll-up. On the May 27 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF unsuccessfully competed in a
battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
to face Cody for the
AEW TNT Championship The AEW TNT Championship is a Professional wrestling championship#Gimmick/style championships, men's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion Al ...
, being eliminated by Jungle Boy. At Fyter Fest on July 29, MJF and Wardlow were defeated by Jungle Boy and
Luchasaurus Austin Matelson (born March 10, 1985), better known by his ring name Luchasaurus, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Killswitch. He is a member of The Patriarch ...
. MJF then moved onto a feud with
Jon Moxley Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...
, campaigning against Moxley's championship reign and decreed that fans deserved a better champion. The two faced at All Out on September 5, where MJF was defeated, marking his first loss in a singles match.


The Inner Circle (2020–2021)

On the October 28 episode of ''Dynamite'', Chris Jericho and MJF agreed to wrestle each other at Full Gear on November 7 during a confrontational "Town Hall Meeting" with
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...
. Should MJF win, he would join Jericho's Inner Circle. The previous week, Jericho and MJF had participated in "Le Dinner Debonair", a meeting over a
steak A steak is a cut of meat sliced across muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally Grilling, grilled or Pan frying, fried, and can be diced or cooked in sauce. Steaks are most commonly cut from cattle (beefsteak), but can also ...
dinner during which Jericho and MJF performed a modified rendition of " Me and My Shadow". Journalist
Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (born December 19, 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with J Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast '' Still Processing.'' Previou ...
later named the performance one of the "Best Performances of 2020" in an article published by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. At Full Gear, MJF, along with Wardlow, became members of The Inner Circle after he pinned Jericho. On the November 11 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF appeared for the first time as a member of The Inner Circle, where he gave a speech talking the struggles he overcame to get this far in wrestling, and then brought out a surprise birthday party for Jericho, the group's leader, which involved free tickets to Las Vegas and leading the crowd in a rousing rendition of " Happy Birthday". On December 2, at
Winter Is Coming "Winter Is Coming" is the series premiere of the HBO medieval fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones''. The first episode of the first season, it was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, in an adaptation of the fi ...
, MJF once again became a contender for a Dynamite Diamond Ring after he and
Orange Cassidy James Cipperly (born May 4, 1984), better known by his ring name Orange Cassidy, is an American professional wrestler and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, wrestling trainer. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is ...
were the final two entrants in the second ''Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale''. On the December 9 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF won his second Diamond Ring after pinning Cassidy. On the January 20, 2021 episode of ''Dynamite'', a tag team battle royal was announced for
Beach Break A surf break (also break, shore break, or big wave break) is a permanent (or semi-permanent) obstruction such as a coral reef, rock, shoal, or headland that causes a wave to break, forming a barreling wave or other wave that can be surfed, b ...
, with the winners getting an
AEW World Tag Team Championship The AEW World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a standard tag team championship, being contested by teams of two wr ...
match against
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
(Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on March 7. The Young Bucks also participated and had they won, they could have chosen their opponents. Jericho last eliminated
Dante Martin Dante Martin (born March 3, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). He performs alongside his older brother Darius Martin and Leila G ...
of Top Flight to win the battle royal, earning himself and MJF a title match at Revolution. On the February 10 episode of ''Dynamite'', following weeks of growing tension between MJF and Guevara, Guevara attacked MJF following a backstage confrontation, which gave MJF a kayfabe rib injury. Later on in the episode, following MJF and Jericho's victory against The Acclaimed (
Anthony Bowens Anthony Bowens (born December 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former one-time AEW World Tag Team Champion and one-time and longest reigning AEW World Trios Champion as a f ...
and Max Caster) in a
tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
, Guevara announced his departure from The Inner Circle. In the lead-up to their match at Revolution, MJF and Jericho attacked The Young Bucks' father, Papa Buck, and bloodied him backstage, vowing to take the titles off them. At Revolution, however, MJF and Jericho were defeated by The Young Bucks.


The Pinnacle (2021–2022)

On the March 10 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF was kicked out from The Inner Circle after it was revealed that he was secretly planning to perform a coup of the group. However, he then revealed that he had been building his own group with Wardlow, Shawn Spears,
Tully Blanchard Tully Arthur Blanchard (born January 22, 1954) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler and manager. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-to-late 1980s as a member of ...
and FTR (
Cash Wheeler Daniel Marshall Wheeler (born May 17, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Cash Wheeler, where he is a former two-time AEW World Tag Team Champions with Dax Harwood together t ...
and
Dax Harwood David Michael Harwood (born June 30, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Dax Harwood. Teamed with Cash Wheeler as FTR, Harwood is a two-time AEW World Tag Team Champion. H ...
), who appeared and violently attacked The Inner Circle. The stable would come to be known as The Pinnacle. At Blood and Guts on May 5, The Pinnacle defeated The Inner Circle in the inaugural Blood and Guts match. At
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 30, The Pinnacle lost to The Inner Circle in a Stadium Stampede match. At All Out on September 5, MJF faced once again Jericho, with Jericho's career on the line. After a false victory for MJF, in which referee
Aubrey Edwards Brittany Aubert (born March 9, 1987), better known by the ring name Aubrey Edwards, is an American video game developer and professional wrestling referee signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is also the promotion's project coordinator and ...
counted the pin for MJF but did not see Jericho's foot placed on the rope, the match was restarted and Jericho forced MJF to submit to the " Walls of Jericho", losing for the first time against Jericho. On the November 17 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF began a feud with
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
, after Punk interrupted his promo. On the February 2, 2022 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF became the first person to defeat Punk in AEW and also the first person to defeat him in a televised match since 2014. During the match, which was held in Punk's hometown of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, MJF scored a pinfall over Punk after Wardlow provided a ringside distraction and handed MJF his Dynamite Diamond Ring, which he then hit Punk with. On March 6 at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, Wardlow, who began developing tension with MJF in December 2021, turned on MJF and helped Punk defeat him in a
Dog Collar match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
by handing Punk the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which Punk then struck MJF with. On the May 18 episode of ''Dynamite'', Wardlow, as part of a set of contract stipulations which would make him able to wrestle MJF, was lashed 10 times by MJF. The following week on ''Dynamite'', Wardlow completed the final stipulation which guaranteed him a match with MJF at the upcoming
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 29 by defeating Shawn Spears in
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
, with MJF serving as the special referee and being unsuccessful in his effort to cost Wardlow the match after Spears accidentally knocked him out; should Wardlow win, he would be officially released from his contract with MJF, but would be banned from obtaining a new AEW contract and be required to remain under MJF's employment should he lose. At Double or Nothing, MJF lost to Wardlow after ten
powerbomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a s ...
s, MJF's first clean loss in singles action in AEW. During the Double or Nothing weekend of May, MJF legitimately no-showed a fan fest. This came after months of rumors about the backstage tension between MJF and AEW owner
Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, sports executive, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the founder, co-owner, president, CEO, executive producer, and head booker of All Elite Wrestling ...
about MJF's contract and payment he felt he should have, as well as doing an interview with
Ariel Helwani Ariel Jacob Helwani (born July 8, 1982) is a Canadian-American sports journalist, known for his coverage of mixed martial arts (MMA) and professional wrestling. He is best known for his work at ''MMA Fighting'', but has also worked for Fox and E ...
without telling management. On the June 1 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF cut a
worked shoot A shoot in professional wrestling is any unplanned, unscripted, or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. It is a carny term shortened from "straight shooting", which originally referred to a gun in a carnival target shooting game that ...
promo about not being respected by the fans and Khan. The segment ended with MJF demanding to be fired by Khan, calling Khan a "fucking
mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
", his microphone being cut off, quickly fading to commercial, and the commentators not referencing the situation after the break. The next day, his profile was removed from AEW's website and his merchandise was pulled on AEW's merchandise site as part of the storyline.


AEW World Champion (2022–2023)

MJF made his return to AEW programming at All Out on September 4. Wearing a mask, he won the
Casino Ladder match As part of a general theme, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling utilises various casino-themed matches: the Casino Battle Royale, a 21-man rumble-rules battle royal; the Casino Ladder Match, a nine-man ladder match wh ...
as the "joker" entrant with the help of
Stokely Hathaway Stokely Hathaway (born November 12, 1990) is an American professional wrestling manager and professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs mononymously as Stokely and is the on-screen manager for FTR. He is ...
, securing himself a future shot for the AEW World Championship. He was revealed to be the person behind the mask at the end of the event, when he came out and stared down the newly crowned AEW World Champion CM Punk on the entrance stage. On the September 14 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF introduced his faction, The Firm, led by Stokely Hathaway. This new faction was considered as MJF's "Support System" and when they were not supporting MJF, all of the members in The Firm would do their own thing. However, on the October 26 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF was attacked by The Firm, after he had fired Hathaway for disobeying his orders not to attack AEW World Champion
Jon Moxley Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...
because he wanted Moxley at 100% for their title match at Full Gear on November 19. At Full Gear, MJF defeated Moxley after using
William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for ...
's signature brass knuckles. Regal slid them into the ring for MJF, helping to make him the youngest AEW World Champion in the history of the company. On the November 30 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF discarded the standard AEW World Championship belt, calling it trash, and unveiled his own custom version, which he dubbed Triple-B, the "Big Burberry Belt". It features the exact same design as the standard belt; however, the leather strap is brown and fashioned in
Burberry Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is l ...
's trademark check pattern to match MJF's signature Burberry scarf. Later in the segment, MJF turned on Regal by attacking him, causing him to be taken to a nearby hospital thus ending their partnership. On December 14 at
Winter Is Coming "Winter Is Coming" is the series premiere of the HBO medieval fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones''. The first episode of the first season, it was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, in an adaptation of the fi ...
, MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship against
Ricky Starks Richard Starks (born February 21, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Ricky Saints. Starks is known for his time in All El ...
and won the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the fourth time. On March 5, 2023, at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, MJF defeated
Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
in the overtime of their sixty-minute Iron Man match, which had ended in a tie. The match was met with critical acclaim, and received a 5.75 star rating from
Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist, author, and historian who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter' ...
, making it the first five star match in MJF's career. On May 28 at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
, MJF defended the AEW World Championship against
Sammy Guevara Samuel Guevara (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Sons of Texas and is a record tying three-time former AEW TNT Champion. He also appears in AEW's sist ...
, "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry and
Darby Allin Samuel Ratsch (born January 7, 1993), better known by the ring name Darby Allin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is a former two-time AEW TNT Championship, AEW TNT Champion and a former AEW Wo ...
, who MJF pinned, in a
four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. In June, MJF started to feud with
Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...
, who he faced on the June 14 episode of ''Dynamite''. The match ended in an 30-minute time-limit draw. At
Forbidden Door Forbidden Door or ''The Forbidden Door'' may refer to: * ''The Forbidden Door'', professional wrestling term referring to working agreement between promotions * AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, professional wrestling joint events: ** Forbidden Door ( ...
on June 25, MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship against
Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, sports executive and Podcast, podcaster. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he serves as the president and representative director of the promotion, and is also an active wrestler. Widel ...
. On the July 1 episode of ''
AEW Collision ''AEW Collision'', also known as ''Saturday Night Collision'' or simply ''Collision'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It airs live every Saturday at 8 p.m. ...
'', MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship against
Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand, and is ...
. On the July 5 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF and Adam Cole were teamed together to participate in a
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
to receive an
AEW World Tag Team Championship The AEW World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a standard tag team championship, being contested by teams of two wr ...
match on the July 29, 2023 episode of ''Collision''. The two men would form a strong friendship and bond in various matches, segments, and skits over the next few weeks and MJF would show signs of a face turn. They won the tournament, defeating The Jericho Appreciation Society ( Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara) in the finals. However, they would lose their title match to FTR. After the match, MJF in frustration would tease hitting Adam Cole with the AEW World Championship but eventually tossed the championship aside and embraced Cole in a hug, turning
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
for the first time in AEW and in his entire career. Despite the loss, MJF would grant Cole his rematch in the main event of All In on August 27 while also challenging Aussie Open to a match for the
ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship contested for in the United States, American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champions are D ...
on All In: Zero Hour. At All In, MJF would both successfully defend the AEW World Championship against Cole and win the ROH World Tag Team Championship with Cole, making MJF a double champion. At All Out on September 3, MJF and Cole successfully defended the ROH Tag Titles against The Dark Order; on his way to the back, MJF was pushed by
ROH World Television Champion The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. With the int ...
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
, leading to a brawl. Joe would win an Eliminator tournament to earn a shot against MJF for the AEW World Championship at
Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...
on September 20; before Joe's tournament final match against
Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his ring name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon stable and is a former one-time AEW I ...
on the September 13 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF cut a promo that referenced the infamous "
Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler. Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and has also wrestled for Jim Crockett ...
math" promo that Steiner cut against Joe before
TNA Sacrifice Sacrifice is a professional wrestling event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It was originally held as a pay-per-view event between 2005 and 2014. The first Sacrifice event took place in August 2005. When event names were shuffled by TNA ...
. At Grand Slam, MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Samoa Joe. At WrestleDream on October 1, MJF successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team titles against The Righteous (
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
and
Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...
) in a
handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
after Cole suffered a legitimate broken ankle. On October 25 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF successfully defended the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the fifth time against
Juice Robinson Joseph Ryan Robinson (born April 10, 1989), better known by his ring name Juice Robinson, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Bang Bang Gang stable. He also wrestles in Ne ...
. After the match, MJF was challenged by
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...
to an AEW Championship match on the October 28 edition of ''Collision'' which MJF accepted. On ''Collision'', MJF successfully defended the title against Omega. On November 8 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Daniel Garcia. On October 30, it was announced that MJF and a mystery partner would defend the tag title against The Gunns (
Austin Gunn Austin Sopp (born August 26, 1994), better known by the ring name Austin Gunn, is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality, signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) where he is in a tag team with hi ...
and
Colten Gunn Colten Sopp (born May 18, 1991), better known by the ring name Colten Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is in a tag team with his brother A ...
) during the Full Gear Zero Hour pre-show on November 18. He was offered by Samoa Joe to be his partner in exchange for a future AEW World Championship match, but MJF declined until the November 17 episode of ''Rampage'' when he accepted after Joe saved him from a beat down. At Full Gear, MJF would both successfully defend the AEW World Championship against
Jay White Jamie White (born 9 October 1992), better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Bullet Club sub-group Bang Bang Gang. White is a former ...
and the ROH Tag Titles with Joe against The Gunns, although MJF suffered a minor leg injury. On the following episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF said he would defend the AEW World Championship against Joe that night, but Joe declined, opting to challenge MJF at the Worlds End pay-per-view on December 30 instead. On the December 27 episode of ''Dynamite'': New Years Smash, MJF and Samoa Joe were scheduled to defend the ROH World Tag Team Championship against The Devil's Masked Men, but an apparently injured Samoa Joe was shown backstage, causing MJF to unsuccessfully defend the titles on his own. After being defeated by the Masked Men, MJF was attacked before being saved by Joe. However, it was revealed that Joe feigned the injury and had been working with the Devil to set MJF up, after which, Joe hit MJF with a steel chair and delivered a muscle buster. At Worlds End, MJF lost the AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe, ending his reign at 406 days. After the match, MJF was attacked by Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Wardlow, who revealed themselves as The Devil's Masked Men, with Adam Cole revealing himself as the Devil. After the event, it was reported that MJF would be taking some time off due to injuries.


Various feuds (2024–2025)

At
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 26, 2024, MJF returned after nearly a hiatus of five months by attacking Adam Cole and revealing that he had re-signed with AEW. On the June 5 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF addressed the fans and called out various wrestlers such as AEW Continental Champion
Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family stable and is the current AEW Continental Champion in his first reign. Known as the , he is b ...
, AEW International Champion
Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former two-time AEW International Champion. He is also known for his eight year tenure with New Japa ...
and AEW World Champion
Swerve Strickland Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland. He also appears on the independent circuit. Strickl ...
. He would then be interrupted by Rush, leading to a brawl between the two. On the June 19 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF defeated Rush in his first match since Worlds End. At
Beach Break A surf break (also break, shore break, or big wave break) is a permanent (or semi-permanent) obstruction such as a coral reef, rock, shoal, or headland that causes a wave to break, forming a barreling wave or other wave that can be surfed, b ...
special episode of ''Dynamite'' on July 3, MJF accompanied Daniel Garcia for his AEW International Championship match against Will Ospreay, where he would unintentionally distract Garcia and cost him the match. After the match, MJF would attack Garcia, turning heel in the process. At
Dynamite 250 This is a list of ''AEW Dynamite'' special episodes, detailing all professional wrestling television special cards promoted on ''AEW Dynamite'' by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). On May 8, 2019, AEW reached a new media rights deal with United Kingdom ...
on July 17, MJF defeated Ospreay and won the International Championship for the first time, in a match that finished only seconds short of the sixty-minute time limit. At Blood & Guts on July 24, MJF renamed the International Championship to the AEW American Championship with a brand new belt design that featured the colors of the
American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...
. Afterwards, he would be chased off by Ospreay who challenged him to a rematch on August 25 at All In. On August 25 at All In, MJF lost the title back to Ospreay after interference from a returning Daniel Garcia, ending his reign at 39 days. On September 7 at All Out, MJF defeated Garcia. On October 12 at WrestleDream, MJF made his return after a brief hiatus and attempted to attack Garcia, but would be chased off by a returning Adam Cole. On November 23 at Full Gear, MJF defeated Roderick Strong. On December 28 at Worlds End, MJF successfully defended his Dynamite Diamond Ring against Cole, ending their feud. After defeating Cole, MJF began a feud with
"Hangman" Adam Page Stephen Blake Woltz (born July 27, 1991), better known by his ring name "Hangman" Adam Page, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a former AEW World Champion and AEW ...
. At
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on March 9, 2025, MJF lost to Page.


The Hurt Syndicate (2025–present)

On the March 12 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF was offered by
MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...
to join
The Hurt Syndicate The Hurt Syndicate is a professional wrestling stable in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The group consists of Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, MJF, and Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP, who serves as their manager. Lashley and B ...
. On the March 26 episode of ''Dynamite'', MJF initially accepted the offer, but would be rejected by Hurt Syndicate members
Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...
and
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champ ...
. On April 6 at
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
, MJF assisted Lashley and Benjamin to retain their AEW World Tag Team Championships against
The Learning Tree ''The Learning Tree'' is a 1969 American coming-of-age film written, produced and directed by Gordon Parks Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, an ...
(
Big Bill Big Bill is a nickname that may refer to: * Bill Abstein (1883–1940), American Major League Baseball and amateur soccer player * Bill Bachrach (1879–1959), American swim and water polo coach * Bill Bagwell (1895–1976), American Major League ...
and Bryan Keith). After weeks of trying to join The Hurt Syndicate, MJF was accepted into the group on May 14 at ''Dynamite'': Beach Break with an official contract signing held the following week.


Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2024)

MJF made his
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...
debut on August 3, 2024 at Viernes Espectacular successfully defending his AEW American Championship against Templario.


Revolution Pro Wrestling (2024)

MJF made his
Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wre ...
(RevPro) debut on August 11, 2024 at Summer Sizzler successfully defending his AEW American Championship against
Michael Oku Michael Oku (born 1993) is an English professional wrestler, notable for his work on the British Independent circuit, particularly with Revolution Pro Wrestling, where he is the current Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship, Undisputed Brit ...
.


Professional wrestling style, persona, and reception

Friedman's character has been described by ''The New York Times'' as "part
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
, part tool ... and part goodfella wannabe". Many people within the wrestling industry have praised him for his aggressive villainous character, largely due to his ability to blur the line between storylines and reality; he often insults fans and other non-professional wrestling celebrities on social media, and fellow wrestler
Dasher Hatfield A Very Good Professional Wrestler (born 1983 or 1982), formerly known by his ring name Dasher Hatfield, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Chikara and its sister promotion Wrestling is Fun!. Professional wres ...
praised him for being able to "walk on the edge" and be a "heel without people calling him racist or homophobic". He has also been praised for his professionalism and skill, despite his young age, by the likes of
Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster, better known by the ring name Jim Ross (often shortened to JR). He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he ...
,
Jim Cornette James Mark Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author, sports historian, and podcaster who previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, photographer, promoter, tra ...
,
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
and
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
.


Personal life

Friedman began dating artist Naomi Rosenblum in 2020, and they were engaged in September 2022, but had broken up by February 2023. He started dating Canadian media personality Alicia Atout in February 2023, who is of
Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...
ancestry. In a statement to
The Players' Tribune ''The Players' Tribune'' is a new media platform that produces daily sports conversation and publishes first-person stories from professional athletes. The platform was founded by former professional Major League Baseball player Derek Jeter in ...
, in relation to the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
, Friedman said he did not "support terrorism,
Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
,
genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
ndgenocidal governments, dead innocent Palestinians nddead innocent Israelis ..And I’m sick that
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
, a literal terrorist organization, has fans on this side of the world". Friedman is a fan of the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
,
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
, and the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
.


Filmography


Film


Television


Championships and accomplishments

*
AAW Wrestling AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined or simply AAW Wrestling (AAW), an initialism of its original name, All American Wrestling, is an American independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion, based in the Chicago area – ori ...
**
AAW Heritage Championship The AAW Heritage Championship (previously known as AAW Cruiserweight Championship) is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion All American Wrestling. Title history As of , , the ...
(1 time) *
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
**
AEW World Championship The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on ...
( 1 time) **
AEW International Championship The AEW International Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All E ...
( 1 time) ** Dynamite Diamond Ring (20192024) **
Casino Ladder Match As part of a general theme, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling utilises various casino-themed matches: the Casino Battle Royale, a 21-man rumble-rules battle royal; the Casino Ladder Match, a nine-man ladder match wh ...
(
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
) ** Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament (2023) – with
Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...
** Dynamite Award (1 time) ***Best Mic Duel (
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
) – *
Alpha-1 Wrestling Alpha-1 Wrestling (A1) is a Canadian independent professional wrestling promotion based out of Hamilton, Ontario. The promotion was founded by Ethan Page in 2010 after he grew tired of inviting his family to see him in bars commenting "I just ...
** A1 Outer Limits Championship (1 time) *
CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...
**Rookie of the Year (2019) *
Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...
**
CZW Wired Championship The CZW Wired Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. History Th ...
(1 time) **
CZW World Heavyweight Championship The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the professional wrestling promotion Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). It debuted on March 27, 1999 at CZW's The Staple Gun event ...
( 1 time) *
DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name is an initialism of Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's original name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the p ...
**
Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended "24/7", as in ...
( 1 time) *
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
**Promo Artist of the Year (2022, 2023) ** Ranked No. 1 of the 30 best Pro Wrestlers Under 30 in 2023 *Inspire Pro Wrestling **Inspire Pro Wrestling Pure Prestige Championship (1 time) *LDN Wrestling **LDN Capital Wrestling Championship (2 times) *Limitless Wrestling **Limitless Wrestling World Championship (1 time) *
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
**
MLW World Middleweight Championship The MLW World Middleweight Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Weight class championships, championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion Major League Wres ...
(1 time) **
MLW World Tag Team Championship The MLW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Major League Wrestling (MLW) promotion. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which particip ...
(1 time) – with
Richard Holliday Joe Zimbardi (born November 8, 1992) is an American professional wrestler best known for his tenure in Major League Wrestling, where he performed under the ring name Richard Holliday and was a former one-time MLW World Tag Team Champion. Hollida ...
*
Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Pro Wrestling (formerly known as Maryland Championship Wrestling) is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Joppa, Maryland. It has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s. History Maryland Champions ...
** MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) *
National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, in Commack, New York, is dedicated to honoring American Jewish figures who have distinguished themselves in sports. Its objective is to foster Jewish identity through athletics, and to commemo ...
**Class of 2023 * ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'' ** Male Wrestler of the Year (2023) ** Promo of the Year (2022) — *''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' ** Ranked No. 6 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''
PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' in 2023 ** Feud of the Year (2021) ** Feud of the Year (2022) ** Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2021, 2022) ** Faction of the Year (2021) – with The Inner Circle *
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
**
ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship contested for in the United States, American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champions are D ...
( 1 time) – with
Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...
*Rockstar Pro Wrestling **American Luchacore Championship (1 time) **Rockstar Pro Trios Championship (1 time) – with
Ace Romero Justin Romero (born May 1, 1990) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Ace Romero. He is best known for his tenure with Impact Wrestling, where he performed under the ring name Acey Romero. He has previously wrestled ...
and Clayton Jackson * ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' ** Ranked No. 3 of the top 10 wrestlers of 2023 *''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
'' ** Best on Interviews (2021, 2022) ** Most Charismatic (2020, 2022, 2023) ** Worst Feud of the Year (2023, 2024) vs. "The Devil"/Adam Cole *WrestlePro **WrestlePro Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Valerio Lamorte *Xcite Wrestling **Xcite International Championship (1 time) *Other awards **Best Performance (2020) – for his rendition of " Me and My Shadow" with
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
(awarded by
Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (born December 19, 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with J Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast '' Still Processing.'' Previou ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'')


See also

*
List of Jewish professional wrestlers This list of Jewish athletes in sports contains athletes who are Jews, Jewish and have attained outstanding achievements in sports. The topic of Jewish participation in sports is discussed extensively in academic and popular literature. Sport ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Major League Wrestling profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Maxwell Jacob 1996 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers Jewish American sportspeople Jewish professional wrestlers Living people Professional wrestlers from New York (state) Sportspeople from Nassau County, New York 21st-century American Jews People from Plainview, New York Wrestling Observer Newsletter award winners 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers AEW World Champions AAW Heritage Champions AEW International Champions CZW World Heavyweight Champions CZW Wired Champions MLW World Tag Team Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions MLW World Middleweight Champions ROH World Tag Team Champions People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder American disabled sportspeople