American professional wrestler and actor Maxwell T. Friedman was born on March 15, 1996. He is better known by his ring moniker, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, or MJF. He is presently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he has won the AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring five times in a row and is the current AEW World Champion in his first reign—the longest reign in the history of the title.
In addition, he participates in the Ring of Honor (ROH), the sister organization of AEW, where he and Adam Cole are currently the ROH World Tag Team Champions, having won the title for the first time as the Better Than You Bay Bay tag team.
Friedman was once employed by Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he won the inaugural MLW World Middleweight Championship and the MLW World Tag Team Championship. Additionally, he has worked for organizations including Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) on the American independent circuit, where he won two CZW Wired Championships and the CZW World Heavyweight Championship once.
After Cole fractured his ankle, MJF successfully defended the belts against The Righteous (Dutch and Vincent) at WrestleDream in October 2023. MJF defeated Juice Robinson in a fifth successful defense of the Dynamite Diamond Ring on the October 25 episode of “Dynamite.”
Following the bout, Kenny Omega challenged MJF to an AEW Championship match, though Omega was defeated by MJF in a successful title defense on “Collision.” In the “Dynamite” episode airing on November 8, MJF defeated Daniel Garcia to successfully defend the AEW World Championship.
MJF’s Salary
MJF’s salary is $1 million annually, as per his new contract with AEW. According to reports from 2022, MJF's new pay has been made public after he inked a contract extension with AEW. At the September 4 All Out pay-per-view, the celebrity made a comeback by emerging victorious in the Casino Ladder Match while competing as the disguised "Joker," only to reveal himself in the last moments of the event.
After expressing his displeasure with the promotion in a promo that jumbled work and shooting on June 1st in "Dynamite," this was MJF's first appearance on AEW. Upon his return, MJF disclosed that he had re-signed for a higher salary, but without extending his contract with AEW. According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, MJF is now making more than $1 million a year with this new contract.
As an instance, prior reports indicated that the AEW original most likely began with the promotion on a salary between $40,000 and $60,000 before obtaining a raise. After this initial wage increase, MJF was reportedly making "hundreds of thousands of dollars," but a lot less than some of the stars that joined AEW after him, such as CM Punk. MJF had apparently been somewhat dissatisfied with his prior contract and compensation prior to taking his AEW break. MJF remains scheduled to become a free agent in January 2024, even after agreeing to a new contract.
FAQs
A. Maxwell T. Friedman, born on March 15, 1996, is better known by his ring moniker MJF.
A. MJF has won the AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring five times in a row.
A. MJF is the current AEW World Champion, holding the title in his first reign, the longest in its history.
A. MJF's annual salary is $1 million, as revealed in his contract extension with AEW in 2022.
A. MJF is scheduled to become a free agent in January 2024, despite agreeing to a new contract earlier.
