2018's All In was, spiritually, the first AEW Pay-Per-View, highlighting the Elite and friends' ability to tell captivating stories, put on unforgettable shows, and, most importantly, sell tickets and PPV buys. The vision for AEW may not have been fully formed yet, but in the opening moments of the show, whether by accident or by a stroke of genius, one of the most important pieces of the AEW story was highlighted.
The opening match of All In's main card featured Maxwell Jacob Friedman, a young star, popular with online wrestling fans for his heel persona and never breaking kayfabe. He may not have beaten Matt Cross, but his talent in the ring and character work captured the minds and hearts of fans. Despite limited experience, having debuted with CZW in only 2015, MJF signed a five-year deal with AEW in 2019,
Friedman was immediately slotted into the upper midcard, stepping into a storyline and feud with Cody Rhodes. By the end of 2020, Max had defeated Cody Rhodes, won the Dynamite Diamond Ring, and challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. His feud with Chris Jericho may be the last time fans were happy to see Jericho. It may not have all been hits (The Pinnacle), but MJF was clearly making waves.
That's when the AEW, intentionally or not, put the rockets on the young star. In late 2021, CM Punk interrupted MJF during a promo, kicking off one of the greatest feuds in wrestling history. MJF had not been a bad character by any stretch for the prior two years, but this is where he began to build the character that would elevate him to world championship status. Friedman's character work over this feud showed unbelievable depth, painting a picture of a man who is hurting, a man who has trauma he never healed from, and a man who could be a much bigger character in wrestling.
This is the character that MJF would take into the main event scene. A work-shoot contract dispute certainly helped increase fan intrigue, but MJF's character work kept them interested. MJF blended real life and in-ring story: revealing how William Regal rejected him from signing with WWE, revealing how his fiancé left him to highlight the differences between himself and Bryan Danielson, revealing his history of being bullied growing up, opening up about his history of mental illness.
Unfortunately, MJF would meet some significant hurdles throughout this character development that were not necessarily his fault. CM Punk getting suspended the night that MJF returned from his contract dispute was just the first hurdle. William Regal leaving AEW to assist his son who had just joined NXT meant Max's face turn was delayed a little longer. CM Punk declaring himself the "Real World Champion" upon his return put himself and MJF on an inevitable collision course until Punk attacked Jack Perry and was fired after All In 2023. Adam Cole was certainly slated to play a bigger role in MJF's story in the weeks after AEW Grand Slam, but a freak ankle injury changed everything. Wardlow, Swerve, Samoa Joe, Jay White, and more all showing interest in going after Max's title at the same time was a very interesting story opportunity, but Max's injuries had piled up and the expiration date was too close to tell any further stories.
MJF dropped the AEW World Title to Samoa Joe at World's End and took a few months off to heal up. Upon return, Max would find himself in the International Title scene, winning the title off of Will Ospreay only to return the favor at All In 2024.
Since his feud with Will Ospreay, MJF has continued to exist, continued to wrestle, finally ending his feud with Adam Cole at World's End 2024, but has failed to make any of the waves that he was making for the previous five years with the company. His character, which was normally sharp and had become must-watch television over the last year and a half has seemed absent, or at the very least hollow.
What are MJF's character strengths that we can build upon?
It seems obvious what the strengths and weaknesses of MJF are, but exploring the character reveals a few hidden details that could play a massive role in his future success.
First and foremost, the most obvious and important strength of Friedman is his promo-cutting ability. When he cares and is allowed to tell a story, there are few in wrestling history as good on the mic as Maxwell Jacob Friedman. A man who was able to stand his own on the mic against CM Punk, Max's mouth moves tickets and makes people care.
Unfortunately, when he does not care, which has been quite a bit recently, Max leans hard into the boring over-the-top heel shtick. "Your woman is ugly" "I've had relations with your mother" less than subtle sexist and bigoted jabs that get a cheap pop from live audiences. This is a fixable issue by making sure Max stays engaged with actual stories, but if he gets bored, handing him a hot mic is not the greatest choice.
Because of the good character work Max has done the last two years, he has some very great story beats upon which to build on. He has some easy made feuds that could make great television and could help move tickets.
MJF, however, is not a "and then the bell rang" wrestler, as he is sneakily one of the best wrestlers on the AEW roster. His matches with Darby Allin at Full Gear, Bryan Danielson at Revolution, Kenny Omega on Collision, Will Ospreay at All In, or CM Punk at Revolution are more than enough proof of that. His style tells a story and paints a picture of his character just as well as his mic work. When working as a heel, he is conniving, slow, and technical. When working as a face/tweener, he works very well as an undersized underdog, using his momentum and smarts to find loopholes in the rules and to get the crowd behind him.
Now, MJF is certainly not a Will Ospreay or Kenny Omega or (motivated) Kazuchika Okada, wrestlers who could put together a five-star match with a broomstick. Griff Garrison, Billy Gunn, and Marko Stunt proved that. Further, much like his promo work, if he does not care, he will let you know. The most recent Adam Cole match, the match with Wardlow amidst the work-shoot contract dispute, and his match against Hechicero after returning from injury evidence that.
Of course, the most obvious complaint about his in-ring work is his choice to occasionally lean into the corny, over-the-top choices. The kangaroo kick, the injury angle in the Jay White match, beating The Righteous by himself (more of a booking issue than in-ring issue, but Max did not do any favors to the defenders of this match). MJF the human behind the character is not immune to wanting the live crowd to get loud and cheer for him and often that costs MJF the character in the form of building annoyance amongst the fans not in attendance.
Finally, a sneaky strength of MJF that is going to become more obvious in the years to come is his mainstream appeal. Between "The Iron Claw" and the upcoming "Happy Gilmore 2" Max has been busy making movies the last two years and getting quite a bit of praise while doing so. He is certainly not The Rock when it comes to immediate success in Hollywood, but he is certainly starting off hotter than John Cena did, and that kind of main-stream success matters.
This comes with its own strengths and weaknesses. Of course, the obvious benefits come in monetary fashion, with increasing sales for tickets and merchandising for the rising star. The added exposure to the show also gives the program the opportunity to put more eyes on other stars and hopefully turn the casual fan into a diehard, which results in long term success.
A small, but not insignificant, bonus for this mainstream success is that it is a story-telling gold mine in wrestling. If you have only watched WWE for the last fifteen years, Cena and the Rock might have convinced you this story is boring and overplayed, but that should be an indictment more of 2010's WWE than the story itself. Fans do not want to cheer part timers, they do not want to watch part timers show up, squash their favorite wrestlers, and then leave again without so much as a goodbye. They want story, they want drama, they want a reason to care.
The mainstream success does have a few draw backs, mostly in the form of schedules and limitations. It is really hard to tell a long story with a character played by a man who will be gone in six months to go film a movie. It is difficult to plan around reshoots and promotional obligations and contractually obligated events. Further, insurance can be a factor when planning matches for mainstream stars. That insurance adjustor is not going to be very happy with the idea of the leading star for the upcoming movie they insure taking a ladder bump or broken glass spot or being busted open.
How to correct the MJF character
As this article was being written, Tony Khan and AEW began to take the most obvious path to course correction for AEW when they had Hangman Adam Page and MJF cross paths. These two characters were not even in the same orbit but were the most obvious story to tell to push both characters in the right direction.
But to begin the story, we have to take care of a few pieces of business. Firstly, MJF should squash Jeff Jarrett. It should not be competitive. You could even have MJF make a big deal out of how he reflects, and one ups Hangman's victory over Christopher Daniels with his victory over Jarrett. Have him hit a Buckshot Lariat to end the match or make a big deal out of how he essentially retired Jarrett in less time than Hangman retired Daniels. Jarrett should then be quiet until a Nashville show, where he is retired by Satnam Singh. MJF should also not have a program with Dustin Rhodes, even with the Cody Rhodes connection.
Back to the feud that matters, Hangman v. MJF. These two characters are so similar right now, yet so different that the story here is extremely interesting. MJF, the kid who came in and earned the fans respect bit by bit, night after night, but getting to the top through a contract dispute. Hangman earned the fans respect over several years of work in Ring of Honor, having the main event scene thrust upon him due to the overwhelming support of the fans and his fellow wrestlers. MJF had the top spot in the company and held on, despite CM Punk, but lost fan interest after a 2024 full of top tier signings for the company. Hangman's title run became an afterthought because of CM Punk, but he refused to fall down the card, continuing to have the full support of the fans behind them. MJF is fueled by hatred which is a result of pain caused by feeling rejected by fans and those around him. Hangman is fueled by hatred for one man and one man in particular, being slowly subdued and calmed by the disgust fans show for his actions.
The most important thing this feud can do is make both of these characters look into a mirror, and their reactions will be what drives them forward for the coming year. Hangman should look in the mirror and confirm what he has started to figure out the moment he got out of the steel cage at All Out 2024: he has been overrun by hate and it is causing him to become someone neither he, nor his fans, like or even recognize. He should realize, in the ring, looking at Max, who is cutting a scathing promo, that he is much closer to this person than he is to the man who had grown men crying when he won the world title. We will explore this character more in a later article.
On the other side of the ring, looking into a mirror of his own is Maxwell Jacob Friedman, a character who just under the surface is hurting, not just because of his past, but because he knows, in his heart, that these fans who were eating out of the palm of his hand a year and a half ago have begun moving on from him. They have not turned on him, they have just moved on to the other parts of the roster doing bigger and better things right now. Looking at Hangman, listening to the fan live reactions and the online discourse, MJF lets these feelings finally come to the surface and comes face to face with them.
Unlike Hangman, however, Max leans into the hatred. How dare the fans forget about him. He carried the company title during one of the most tumultuous times in company history and overcame hurdle after hurdle. MJF had an argument for being the greatest AEW World Champion until Swerve Strickland took that by a mile. This is not fair; this is not what he deserves.
This is what he needs to grapple with for the next year, the obvious feeling of rejection. He should essentially go through a grieving process, working through the stages of grief over a period of time. You can call his current character spot denial, letting him move into anger during the Hangman feud, going over the top and trying to goad Page into a dirty fight. Culminate that feud with a plunder match, which is a great opportunity for Hangman to show his character soften a little bit and show Max's character getting so angry that he is blinded by hatred in the big moments.
The anger can continue through another feud, targeting another rising star in AEW. The obvious answers are Konosuke Takeshita or Kyle Fletcher, but Swerve Strickland could serve to benefit from a win over Max and would tie up another loose string from the end of the world title run. Swerve as a wrestler is just too smart, too fast, and too slick for MJF, blinded by anger, to overcome him. It should be embarrassing how easy Swerve makes it look.
From there, negotiations begin. Maybe there is something MJF can do to earn the fans trust back. What if he finally takes down Jericho and saves Ring of Honor? Could the fans love him then? Could he maybe build a new following in Ring of Honor? Could he save your favorite wrestling nerd's favorite wrestling promotion?
A devastating loss here with a sympathetic story would have Max and the fans right where you want them. The fans would heart-broken and rooting for MJF to figure it out and put it together. MJF would be entering a down period of taking losses on top of losses and starting to doubt if he can put it together. The low point. Rock bottom.
He should lose the Dynamite Diamond Ring during this stretch, preferably to Adam Cole or one of the other pillars like Jack Perry. Darby Allin should finally get his win over MJF in this stretch. Maybe even keep Max off a couple big shows and have him voice his frustration with this online, which would begin to give fans flashes of the work-shoot situation from a few years ago. He should trust no one, hate everyone, and be desperate for something.
But, to paraphrase, the best part of rock bottom is that the only place to go is up.
The Redemption of Maxwell Jacob Friedman
First, MJF needs another mirror at this point. While writing this article, quite a few names were debated, with Adam Cole coming up as a clear favorite. However, there is a much more interesting option that also has not been properly explored: Eddie Kingston.
In the summer of 2026, MJF and Eddie Kingston should find themselves in the same place at the same time, probably in the Owen Hart Tournament. This should lead to a backstage confrontation before the match, where Eddie Kingston calls MJF out. An impassioned Eddie Kingston should remind MJF who he used to be, how he was the people's champion, how he had the people eating out of his hand, and how, if you are actually listening, they are starting to do it again. He should demand the best version of MJF in their match.
The crowds, if the story is working, should be all over this match. Eddie Kingston is a man of the people and could read a phone book and have fans going bananas. MJF would be a sympathetic underdog, someone worth rooting for. This is the recipe for a ravenous crowd, which makes it perfect for a good Dynamite crowd like Daily's Place or Hammerstein.
The between the bells work is extremely easy to write, and with two great storytellers in the ring, it could be a masterclass of wrestling. Max should start the match by trying to beat Kingston in technical know-how but get absolutely exposed. MJF should scrape and claw and barely escape a very near pinning predicament. Both wrestlers should rise to their feet after a second or two to take a breath and start the next part of the match, striking. Kingston, who is the better striker of the two, should smack the daylights out of Max's chest, lighting him up with machine gun chops in the corner and knife hand chops in the center of the ring. At first, these strikes should wound MJF deeply, and he should cower from the next strike. However, after a few minutes, Kingston should demand that MJF meet him in the middle of the ring and strike him back. The first strike is good but not nearly enough. Kingston strikes Max with a thunderclap of a strike, and Max should bend over in pain before striking back a little harder than last time. The striking should continue, harder and harder every time, Max absorbing the hit better and better every time.
Finally, when the crowd is at a fever pitch, Max pulls out ol' reliable, poking Kingston in the eyes and turning to the crowd with his arms raised. Kingston should immediately return the favor, and the match should hit full tempo at that point. The story is already told at this point in the ring but can continue to build as Max fights through every suplex, every strike, striking back just as hard. Finally, in the closing moments of the match, Kingston should catch MJF in an exploder suplex, but Max should no sell and bounce right back up, screaming and swinging his hand around for a chop. Kingston ducks, catches Max under the arm, and hits a second exploder suplex. Sliding his arm over MJF's chest, Kingston wins, sitting up with a smile, and patting MJF on the chest.
At this point, the weight has been lifted from MJF, who will have fans getting loud in arenas and the support of the fans online. An autumn program where he challenges a midcard heel would really put him in a position to handle business in the winter. The Don Callis Family is a tempting choice here, with them attempting to bring MJF back to his wicked ways. He should be genuinely conflicted, seeing the first chance at family and friends since Adam Cole. Intervention from Eddie Kingston who continues to be the driving force behind MJF's return to the top would be a fun story.
But the pinnacle of this story is quite obvious: Worlds End, New Jersey, The Continental Classic. MJF should enter a toughly contested field, having to overcome big heels and resilient babyfaces. A perfect story would be shoving a ton of the young stars of AEW into one side of the bracket and the established talent into the other side. Daniel Garcia, Darby Allin, Konosuke Takeshita MJF, Nick Wayne, and Hook on one side with Eddie Kingston, Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, Kyle O'Reilly, Orange Cassidy, and Samoa Joe on the other side.
Of course, the finale comes down to the heart of soul of this article: MJF v. Eddie Kingston. Huge story implications as Eddie Kingston attempts to become the first ever two time Continental Classic winner, having overcome Kazuchika Okada in the semi-final. MJF overcomes the other pillars of AEW's future, certainly not unscathed, but better because of the scars. A loss to Takeshita in the round robin portion of the tournament would be avenged in the semi-finals match. The two rivals-turned-friends would stare each other down in the middle of the ring, knowing full well that months of their lives have led to this moment.
You could book the winner either way, however MJF winning is the much more fruitful choice in the long-term. MJF winning would be a huge moment for his character and for the Continental Classic. A huge crowd reaction would be a moment that gets posted on Twitter over and over and over again. The title would be on television every week and a six-month run with a midcard title would help establish MJF as a main event player. A very interesting story would be MJF putting the title on the line to challenge for the Dynamite Diamond Ring, winning back his pride and joy and starting to feel like himself again.
From there, barring another series of unfortunate injuries and releases and firings, MJF would be in a place to be just as big and just as over as he was in the Summer of 2023. MJF needs to be on this level in the coming years, ready to take the baton and run with it whenever the old guard starts to retire and slow down. A rising tide raises all ships and the young stars of AEW's tomorrow could really benefit from the success of MJF.