History Wrestling / MJF

Maxwell Tyler Friedman, better known by his ring name Maxwell ''Jacob'' Friedman (often abbreviated to MJF) (born on March 15, 1996), is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling where he's a former 1x AEW World Champion and Wrestling/{{R|ingOfHonor}}OH Tag Team champion with Wrestling/AdamCole.

As of 2023, he's also dipping his toes into the world of voice acting work, taking up the role of [[spoiler: Killer Croc]] in WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueXRWBYSuperHeroesAndHuntsmen Part 2.

** When he crossed paths with AEW's Japanese wrestler, Konosuke Takeshita of [[Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam DDT]] fame, he crammed pretty much every offensive Japanese stereotype imaginable, starting with greeting him with the most condescending "Konichiwa, buddy!" imaginable, on top of calling him "Take-a-shit-a".[[note]]The latter also doubles as a ShoutOut, as "Take-a-shit-a" happens to be the derogatory nickname Wrestling/JimCornette (himself not one to shy away from being politically incorrect) gave Takeshita on his reviews of AEW shows.[[/note]]

* FireForgedFriends: With Wrestling/AdamCole. The two couldn't stand each other initially, and were ''not'' happy about being assigned as tag-team partners during the Blind Tag Team Eliminator tournament after their match against each other. The both of them initially pretend to be friends with each other for their own benefit, but begin to genuinely bond as the tournament progresses. It culminates in MJF allowing Adam Cole to have a rematch with him at the end of the tournament, regardless of the outcome. Even after All In 2023, where MJF retained, he and Adam Cole remained firm friends, defending their ROH World Tag Team Championships against the Dark Order shortly afterwards at All Out 2023.

* CombatPragmatist: MJF won't hesitate to use any trick or item to get the win, whenever it's by wearing his diamond ring, using his championship belt, or even an oxygen tank to hit his adversaries. He even attempted to bribe Sammy Guevara into laying down so he could pin him, telling Sammy to think about his future baby, though Sammy only feigned accepting.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Important rule; never trust Max. In the span of four years, he has been associated with four different factions (Nightmare Family, Inner Circle, Pinnacle, and Firm) but all except The Firm came crashing down after betraying them or his poor treatment towards the other members—and that one was only because he had them "on retainer" and was never an official member. Even when Lord Regal helped him win the AEW World Championship, Max repaid his generosity with a brass knuckles punch to the back of Regal's head. He even has the Rolling Cutter as a finisher, naming it Double Cross to serve as a reminder of his betrayal of Cody Rhodes. [[CharacterDevelopment However, since his face turn, he has become leagues more trustworthy.]] As of November 2023, he has not betrayed Adam Cole despite Adam injuring his neck with a tombstone pile driver, and he did not attempt to screw over the Acclaimed in any way after they came to his aid against Bullet Club Gold.

** Spent the early goings of AEW trying his damn best to be in the Nightmare Family's good graces, even though in reality he couldn't tolerate anyone else on the AEW roster-- least of all Cody himself.

** Attempted to become this to Wrestling/AdamCole after being paired together as part of the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament. Adam was well aware that MJF wasn't being genuine, but played along due to MJF being easier to deal with that way. As the tournament progressed however, the friendship grew genuine on both ends, to the point where even after Adam Cole injured his neck at All In 2023, MJF and Adam Cole still consider each other best friends. This is no longer the case following World's End 2023 when it was revealed that the guy who stole MJF's devil mask was Adam Cole and Adam Cole stabbed MJF in the back

* {{Kayfabe}}: Even though it's an OpenSecret these days that pro wrestling is staged, you ''won't'' get MJF to break character. ''Bleacher Report'' writer Jonathan Snowden tried in [[https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2873989-aew-exclusive-is-wrestlings-hottest-heel-mjf-the-real-victim-in-cody-feud this January 2020 piece]], and failed. In a previous interview, MJF listed Tully Blanchard as one of his favorite wrestlers to study, and Snowden asked MJF what it was like to personally learn from Blanchard, now an AEW producer. However, since Blanchard was then the on-screen manager of Shawn Spears, with whom MJF was feuding, MJF had this to say:

** This lessened to a ''very'' small degree after his face turn. While he still generally maintains kayfabe, he has dropped the mask from time to time, notably when discussing antisemitic bullying he faced in school and the issues caused by his ADHD.

** Attempted to become this to Wrestling/AdamCole after being paired together as part of the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament. Adam was well aware that MJF wasn't being genuine, but played along due to MJF being easier to deal with that way. As the tournament progressed however, the friendship grew genuine on both ends, to the point where even after Adam Cole injured his neck at All In 2023, MJF and Adam Cole still consider each other best friends.

* BigBad: MJF rests comfortably on the throne as the near universally hated AEW World Champion, and will sabotage or betray anyone in the company to ensure he remains at the top. Subverted, more or less, now that he's a face, since many of his challengers to the title are heels, though he did put Kenny Omega over after Kenny's loss to him to cement MJF as the longest reigning AEW World Champion.

* VillainousFriendship: Parodied and subverted with Sammy Guevara during the Four Pillars Tournament. After telling Sammy that he'll help him cheat his way through the tournament in exchange for Sammy throwing the fight in ''Double or Nothing 2023'', the two constantly act as if they're best friends with each other. However, it's made apparent how the friendship isn't genuine. Eventually during their tag-team match against Darby Allin and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, the friendship falls apart completely due to MJF refusing to allow Sammy to take the pin, resulting in Sammy attacking MJF and ending the partnership.

Maxwell Tyler Friedman, better known by his ring name Maxwell ''Jacob'' Friedman (often abbreviated to MJF) (born on March 15, 1996), is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling where he's the reigning 1x AEW World Champion and Wrestling/{{R|ingOfHonor}}OH Tag Team champion with Wrestling/AdamCole.

At AEW, Friedman was the "best friend" of Wrestling/CodyRhodes and his Nightmare Family until he turned on the former. Later, he would similarly manipulate Wrestling/ChrisJericho to join Jericho's Wrestling/InnerCircle stable, eventually forming his own stable, Wrestling/ThePinnacle.

* PowerCopying: MJF initially uses Cross Rhodes because he is being trained by Cody but after betraying him, he renames it to Double Cross, as a mockery towards the American Nightmare. When fighting Danielson, he defeats the American Dragon with the [=LeBelle=] Lock at ''Revolution 2023'' and started using it as part of his moveset.

** He [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD2hUmZl3jQ threw out a challenge]] to anyone in the locker room at Beyond Wrestling's ''Heavy Lies the Crown.'' Wrestling/KrisStatlander answered. He initially dismissed her, saying (referring to her gimmick of being a HumanAlien) "Aliens aren't real, and neither are women who can beat MJF." He finally accepted the match, which Kris won.

** MJF was supposed to continue his feud with CM Punk for the AEW World Championship after ''All-Out 2022'' but because of Punk's backstage altercation with the Elite, he was stripped of the title. Luckily for Max, Punk's replacement, Jon Moxley, is another person he has past issues.

* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: He was a bullied, disabled Jewish kid growing up. Now he is probably the ''biggest'' bully on the AEW roster. Admitted to this during his August 2023 promo, and since that and his subsequent face turn, he's been slightly less vitriolic and aggressive, to the point where he took part in a four-way-scissor with the Acclaimed and Daddy Ass even after they had lost a 4-way tag match.

* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Defeated Wrestling/JayWhite at the main event of ''Full Gear 2023'', not only delivering Jay his first singles loss in AEW, but also being the first person in the company to succesfully pin him at all.

** Also serves as the Younger Villain to [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Bryan Danielson's]] Older Hero. MJF is about fifteen years younger than Danielson, and constantly pulls any dirty tactics he can to besmirch, injure, or get Danielson disqualified from matches.

* AbortedArc: MJF was supposed to continue his feud with CM Punk for the AEW World Championship after ''All-Out 2022'' but because of Punk's backstage altercation with the Elite, he was stripped of the title. Luckily for Max, Punk's replacement, Jon Moxley, is another person he has past issues.

* AHeroToHisHometown: Before his face turn, MJF was despised the world over... except on Long Island. When AEW went there, the crowd cheered him and booed ''Wrestling/CMPunk'' à la Wrestling/BretHart and Wrestling/DGenerationX in Canada.