MJF On Why He Wants Chris Jericho Next, If He Would Face Cody For The AEW Title
One of AEW's fastest rising stars, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (better known as MJF in the ring), spoke to Wrestling Inc. and other media outlets after last night's premiere episode of AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite on TNT. MJF told Wrestling Inc.'s own Nick Hausman that his quick victory last night is just a taste of what's to come for his pompous character.
"It felt great [to pick up the victory tonight]. It felt like every single bit of work that I have put into this industry has finally, finally come to fruition. I got to show the world what the future looks like. I got to show the world what the future of what All Elite Wrestling is, and the future of AEW is MJF," Friedman said. "I tapped out Brandon Cutler in, I think, like three and a half minutes. Did anybody else finish off their match in three and a half minutes tonight? No, no they didn't. I'm a top tier athlete – that's how I felt after my match. I felt like I proved what I've been saying since day one, and yet, people 'boo' me. What they should be doing is looking in the mirror and wondering, 'Why do I boo MJF? Is it because I'm jealous? Is it because I can never be MJF?' Yeah, yeah it is."
MJF has some impressive short-term goals that he's set for himself as he hopes to go after the AEW World Champion Chris Jericho next.
"Chris Jericho [is who I would want to face next] because he decided to do something that was absolutely inhumane and absolutely unnecessary," Friedman explained.
Although he's currently the #1 contender for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, MJF has absolutely no desire to face Cody Rhodes in a one-on-one match. He considers Cody his "brother" and also a "great white shark" that deserves to feast on the success he's made before MJF gets a taste of it. MJF recognizes that his time to shine will come when Cody passes the torch.
"Does anybody here follow boxing?" MJF asked aloud. "In boxing, there were two brothers and they were called the Klitschko brothers, has anybody heard of the Klitschko brothers? Now, Wladimir – I do believe it was Wladimir, they both have weird Russian names – was the World Heavyweight Champion at the time, and guess who the #1 contender was? Vitali, his brother. And do you know why that match never happened? Because they're brothers and they love each other," Friedman said. "I would never in a million years put my hands on my big brother. Ever! When I say I'm going to be the future face of this company, it is because the face of this company right now is Cody Rhodes. And once he's done, then it's my time to shine. It's really that simple.
"I'll put it this way: I am a shark and I have been swimming in a sea filled with minnows my entire life. It's just a fact, since birth," MJF continued. "Cody is also a shark, hell, Cody is a great white. And when he wants to eat, he gets to eat first. And I'm fine eating second; and I'm sure there's a lot of people out there that our wondering to themselves, 'Max, aren't you hungry too? Don't you want a bite to eat? I mean, aren't you getting frustrated watching Cody get to eat before you over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again?! No, no I'm not, because I love Cody.'"
You can see the full interview above. If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Wrestling Inc. with a h/t for the transcription. The full audio from MJF's post-AEW Dynamite scrum aired as part of a recent episode of our WINCLY podcast. It can be heard via the embedded audio player at the bottom of this post.
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