If Confidence regains the world titles, Maxwell Jacob Friedman will have no problem defeating AEW World Champion Darby Allin at the upcoming “Double or Nothing” pay-per-view event. But even in illegal sporting competitions like professional wrestling, a character alone can only carry one so far. The good news is that MJF can handle himself on the mat as well as he can handle the mic.
Last month, Allin shocked the wrestling world by defeating the champion on AEW’s weekly television show. dynamite. This weekend, Friedman will get his chance for revenge. Usually in these situations, it’s the champion (now Allin) who has the most to lose – the belt – but Sunday’s main event won’t be a normal bout. If the challenger (Friedman) takes another “L”, not only will he lose his head, but MJF will lose his hair. For someone who loves his appearance as much as Friedman, such a fate simply won’t work.
MJF’s president, AEW owner Tony Khan (son of billionaire Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan), is as big a wrestling fan as the wrestling fans in his company. Khan deeply appreciates his great evil – or at least, tolerates it.
When asked how he dealt with someone like Friedman, Khan started with superlatives. The Burberry-clad, loud-talking Thermal Walker is a “very charismatic wrestler,” Khan tells T.It’s The Hollywood Reporter. That’s right: Friedman is as finished as anyone else in pro wrestling, AEW or otherwise.
“He is so self-obsessed, and his pursuit of greatness is so singular in its self-focus that one has to admire him,” Khan continued. “At the same time, as a villain, he is extremely obnoxious.”
Also true.
If Friedman hadn’t described himself as “illiterate”, at this point in reading, right now, he would have been wondering when this turned into a Tony Khan story and no longer a story about… TRUE AEW Star: Himself. MJF is a true throwback – someone who loves himself as much as we love to hate him – and will never let you forget that. Not for a minute.
He reads Hollywood ReporterQ&A with MJF below.
Your real name is Maxwell Tyler Friedman, with the initials MTF. Your character is Maxwell Jacob Friedman, simplified down to MJF. Who owns personality rights?
It was completely on brand, both options.
This is really important for the licensing part of the business – and if you move to another company.
We’re definitely a professional wrestling company that’s more focused on workers’ rights, and that’s not me making an attempt, it’s just a fact.
You’re probably the biggest star in AEW—
That’s an understatement.
Well, there are other stars: Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose in WWE), Chris Jericho, and Cody (Cody Rhodes in WWE) when he was here…
They are not me.
How much TV time is appropriate for MJF? You never want to overexpose your biggest attractions, but you need it to be reliable.
If the TV show was two hours long, I would put me there for two hours. If it’s three hours, put me there for three hours, and so on. Look, I’ve proven time and time again that I’m the biggest draw in the company. Now, that doesn’t negate the fact that I can’t do this alone. I need a team, and oh boy, do I have a great team. AEW is filled with some of the best professional wrestlers in the sport, [some of the best] Professional wrestling has never been seen before. But when we look at things metrically in 2026, I’ve been ahead all this year. Our homes go up year after year everywhere we visit. Pay-per-view buys are on every pay-per-view we have, and I’ll just use this Sunday’s pay-per-view as an example. We are on the cusp of creating the second largest gate locally in the history of our promotion, and I was headlining the main event – the first gate being a stadium show at Global Life Field.
That’s my MJF power: I get people to watch it; Get people to tune in. I get people to buy a ticket, because you can’t go and live your life as a wrestling fan without having the Maxwell Jacob Friedman experience, whether it’s live or on TV.
Sports, including professional wrestling, draw comparisons between eras. It’s just something for the fans to talk about. I’d probably say off the top of my head that your character reminds me of The Rock, and maybe even “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Who do you think is better compared to MJF?
It is humanly impossible [to compare me with someone else]. I’m a mix of greats and greats, honestly. Because when it’s really funny, people use their favorite wrestler to describe me. In every conversation I have, when people pull me aside: “Oh, you remind me of The Rock. Oh, you remind me of Terry Funk. Oh, you remind me of Ric Flair. Oh, you remind me of Nick Bockwinkel. Oh, you remind me of Steve Austin. Oh, you remind me of The Rock.” You’ll never find someone saying, “Oh, you remind me of Barry Horowitz.” you know what i mean? There are levels to this shit. God bless Barry, he’s part of the tribe, and I love him. But that’s what sets me apart – I’m a generational talent, and I bring up the same feelings that people had when they were kids, feeling scared and upset about who their favorite wrestler was.
I think the really cool thing is – even though I bring people together through hate, I still bring them together because I give them a touch of nostalgia. With love and respect for everyone else in my field, no one is like me anymore. I am the last of a dying breed. Nobody can talk the way I talk, nobody can walk the way I walk, nobody can wrestle the way I wrestle, nobody can draw the crowd the way I attract the crowd. This is just part of the MJF recipe.
Who is closest to your mic skills inside or outside of AEW? Is he (WWE) Miz?
No, he’s a great guy though. Miz is a great guy.
in for me Company, which is close? I think the gun is pointed at my head. One of the most intense verbal battles I ever had was in the ring with “The Executioner” Adam Page.
Happy Gilmore 2 It was a great opportunity for you. How was that experience?
The thing is, I’m a psychopath, and what I was doing was flying from AEW TV to AEW TV. Happy Gilmore 2) are determined on an approximately weekly basis. So, I’ve been doing both, and I’ll continue to do it, because I love both wrestling and acting.
But working with Adam Sandler – I mean, he’s my father, literally and figuratively and literally. He’s the man. I love everything about him. He’s the most humble guy, and I love him, dude. I absolutely love him.
You have a nice IMDb site looking for a relatively new star who is booked about 52 weeks a year. What is Hollywood’s ultimate ambition?
Mount Rushmore has four heads, and when you look at the Mount Rushmore of wrestlers-turned-actors, it’s Dave Bautista, John Cena, and The Rock. There’s a missing part of Mount Rushmore.
Not that I’m showing it or anything like that, it’s just a fact – I’ll be that fourth head. We have Violent night 2 Comes out in theaters. It’s a global photo shoot that I was a part of, which will happen in early December. There are a lot of things I’ve cooked that I’m not legally allowed to say yet – and I’m not at liberty to say them yet.
WWE is well represented in the future Street fight Movie – What if Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes finished last?
Oh man, may God grant them success. I hope this movie does well, and I hope it does great. I love seeing professional wrestlers succeed outside the professional wrestling bubble.
I’m more than a Mortal Kombat The man anyway.
There you go.
Your character is an elegant character who always wears a distinctive scarf over his shoulders. Real barbarian?
Only real barbarian. What, are you accusing me of being poor?
[Friedman says he has seven of the same Burberry scarves in his house, and “they’re all steamed and they’re beautifully, beautifully laid out.”]
What would happen to AEW if you moved to Hollywood or WWE full time?
He dies. He might die quickly, not even a slow and painful death. That’s good, you know. I love AEW, and I love everyone who works there, but, like I said, I can’t be in the position I’m in without passing the ball, but if they can’t get the ball back… to me? Jesus Christ. May God bless them. I am the most important piece of the puzzle.
So does “giving it back” mean you’ll get the belt back this weekend?
Oh, I’m a belt winner. Yes, if anyone tells you otherwise, they are out of their minds. You think I’m going to let that little guy shave my head bald. What are you nuts? Absolutely not. This does not happen. Did you see my hair? You’ve got a beautiful head of hair. I don’t lose my hair.
How do you see the match going?
There is no reality where I will not get the belt back, meaning a replacement for me is impossible. I think I beat him by five seconds and 30 seconds fast.
One clip that particularly went viral for you –
You’ll have to narrow that down.
You secretly stepped on the back of each of your shoes before taking Ricky Starks’ spear, allowing your shoes to fly off your feet and out of the ring. It was an amazing sale that I don’t remember seeing before.
Pure coincidence. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
This was unfortunate at the time, because it made your opponent look very powerful.
By chance, for some strange reason, I always end up making the people in the ring look ten times better than they have looked their whole life. It’s strange.
Just like the greats of old.
Yes! I can be goofy at times, and sometimes it’s to the benefit of others.
