"That's what set him apart" - Current champion recalls first impression of AEW's MJF
For the second year in a row, MJF will be defending a title at Wembley Stadium. Maxwell Jacob Friedman has come a long way in a short amount of time, and current AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland recently recalled his initial impression of the young star.
At just 28 years old, MJF is one of AEW's most successful talents. The Wolf of Wrestling holds the record for the longest World Championship reign in the company, and he's proven that he can work as both a heel and a babyface.
Swerve Strickland and MJF have plenty of history, although they've never faced off in an All Elite Wrestling ring. They did, however, stand across the ring from each other on the independent scene in the years leading up to AEW's founding. Speaking to Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated, Strickland claimed that Maxwell was never afraid to get in the ring with wrestling's top stars:
"All I remember about him [MJF] was his hunger," Swerve said. "He wasn’t afraid. That’s what set him apart–he didn’t have that fear of going wherever he needed to be to get better."
The reigning AEW World Champion further revealed that Friedman wanted to test himself:
"Max wanted to be around great competition. Even when he was young, he always put himself around top talent, and he wanted to test himself in hard conditions. That’s how he got so good at such a young age."
WWE veteran compares AEW's MJF to The Rock
Maxwell Jacob Friedman climbed the ranks in AEW extremely quickly after being introduced as Cody Rhodes' protege. The 28-year-old went on to become the top heel in the company and ultimately broke Kenny Omega's record as the longest-reigning AEW World Champion.
Maxwell's sharp tongue has drawn comparisons to The Miz in WWE, but a few insiders believe he is All Elite Wrestling's greatest equivalent to The Rock. WWE veteran Jonathan Coachman is one of them, as he revealed in a recent appearance on Reffin' it Up:
"To me, MJF, I was shocked, and from what I understand, I heard the number that he’s making now with his new deal, and none of us ever know. But he’s the one dude to me that moves the needle a little bit. But when you have a guy like him who’s as close to The Rock as they have, but you have nobody else that can match him on the mic — do you guys feel this way? That if you don’t have a guy that can match you, sometimes you come off as a bully or just using lines that can get a pop from the crowd?"
The Wolf of Wrestling is set to defend his American Championship against Will Ospreay at AEW All In on August 25. Whether he can complete his quest to humiliate The Aerial Assassin remains to be seen.