Awesome / MJF

From opening the first All In PPV to main-eventing the biggest

• MJF finally betraying his mentor Cody Rhodes following his loss to Chris Jericho at Full Gear 2019
• MJF and Wardlow taking on Jurassic Express at Fyter Fest 2020 Night 1. After everything Max had put Jungle Boy through, it was very cathartic to see some karma finally catch up to him.
• MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at All Out 2020. Despite the odds stacked against him, Moxley outsmarts MJF by hitting his banned finisher while the referee is distracted and retains and puts the first ever singles loss on MJF's record. It was a particular display of savviness from Moxley who, realising that Wardlow had distracted the ref to throw MJF his Dynamite Diamond Ring, decided that if MJF was going to cheat then he was perfectly justified in cheating first.
• MJF and Jericho outdoing themselves in an outstanding Broadway style musical number in their Dinner Debonair on the September 30, 2020 Dynamite.
• MJF, Santana and Ortiz taking on Hangman Page, John Silver and Alex Reynolds in an extremely emotional six man tag team match at AEW's Brodie Lee Tribute Show.
  • When Wardlow interfered, Erick Redbeard ran in, flattened Wardlow with an Iron Claw Chokeslam and shrugging off all of Wardlow's attempts to fight back, drove him out of the arena again.
  • When MJF taunted Brodie's son, Brodie Jr. (aka -1 of the Dark Order), snatching his mask off his head and spitting on it, the eight-year old boy smashed the jerk over the head with a Singapore cane, smiling as he staggered away into a ballistic crossbody from Adam Page. In the ring, John Silver destroyed Ortiz with a discus lariat (Brodie's iconic finishing move) to win the match for the Dark Order.
• MJF winning the most charismatic award as a part of All Elite Wrestling's sweep in the 2020 Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards.
• MJF and Chris Jericho challenging the Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship in the opening match at Revolution 2021.
• When it appeared that MJF was about to be kicked out of the Inner Circle on the March 10, 2021 Dynamite, he revealed that he was one step ahead of them and had formed his own stable, The Pinnacle.
• The Pinnacle taking on the Inner Circle in a Blood and Guts match at Blood and Guts 2021. The two teams absolutely brutalized themselves until Sammy Guevara was forced to quit after it looked like MJF was going to throw Jericho off the cage... Only for Max to do it anyway.
• The Pinnacle facing off with the Inner Circle in the second ever Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing 2021. While the First Stadium Stampede set a very high bar, Stadium Stampede II proved to be very entertaining, violent, and still packed with action.
• MJF, at Fyter Fest 2021 Night 2, revealing Chris Jericho's second opponent in the Five Labors of Jericho: NICK FUCKING GAGE
• The Final Fight at All Out 2021 between MJF and Chris Jericho, with Jericho's AEW career on the line, was a hard-worked and psychologically-brilliant match that nearly ended in tragedy when MJF hit Jericho with his own baseball bat behind the ref's back, then followed up with Jericho's own Judas Effect for the pin. Jericho got his foot onto the rope, but Aubrey Edwards didn't see it and counted to three- but in a perfectly-executed use of the Dusty Finish, second referee Paul Turner (who'd already come out to break up a brawl between Wardlow and Jake Hager) was in position to spot Aubrey's error and correct her, causing the match to be restarted, this time leading Jericho to finally get his first, and most pivotal, win over MJF by tapping him out in the Walls of Jericho
• Full Gear 2021 opened by MJF and Darby Allin, blowing off their heated feud. A superbly-worked technical masterpiece where Darby proved he's more than just a reckless Spot Monkey and MJF displayed masterful psychology. In the end, unable to break Darby's spirit or defeat him technically, MJF can only fall back on cheap-shotting Darby with his Dynamite Diamond Ring, before pinning him with a side headlock takedown as he promised he would, finally beating the only other member of the "Four Pillars" he had not yet defeated. Quite possibly match of the night, the match earned a "FIGHT FOREVER!" chant from the enthralled crowd.
• One week earlier on the November 17th episode of Dynamite, MJF pulls a promo on his win against Darby Allin from Full Gear 2021, stating his intentions to eventually get a title run for the AEW World Championship and that "there's nobody in the locker room [who] is on [his] level". Cue CM Punk coming to the ring to confront Maxwell face-to-face, but without even saying a word, let alone greet MJF (who offers Punk a handshake), leaves and simply smirks at the sight of Maxwell. Before Punk's scheduled match against QT Marshall at the start of the November 24th Dynamite episode, MJF calls him out for what happened last week. What follows is a near-20 minute promo that will go down as legendary and talked about for years, from CM Punk stating MJF is a "less famous Miz" to Max claiming Punk has gone "PG" and preaches "hustle, loyalty and respect" and he'll always be second-best to the "King of Kings". Punk fires back by saying while he was selling out arenas, Max was "marking out" to Rosie O'Donnell, that all MJF does is talk when someone like Britt Baker is replacing him as a "pillar"note and that if Maxwell really wants to be number one, he'll have to wait until AEW owner Tony Khan has "a daughter" that Max can marry.
• MJF and FTR taking on CM Punk and FTR in an extremely fun six man tag team match at Holiday Bash 2021.
• MJF winning another Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards in the 2021 awards: this time best on interviews.
• MJF taking on CM Punk in a phenomenal match on the February 2, 2022 Dynamite. With some interference (and assistance by Wardlow), Max wins the match using the Dynamite Diamond ring in his possession, handing Punk his first official loss in AEW.
• Knowing what's he gotten himself into via the Dog Collar match at Revolution, MJF attempts to justify why he is the way he is: as a boy, he had ADD and tried out for football, but was relentlessly bullied by his schoolmates for being Jewish. Regardless, Maxwell found solace in professional wrestling, especially when he met his idol CM Punk for the first time. However, when Punk left the business back in January 2014, Max felt betrayed and gave up on his pro wrestling dreams; fast-forward a few years later, he noticed a social media picture of Punk shaking hands with Bryan Danielson, which turned Maxwell livid. He would quit his studies to become a pro wrestler full-time in spite of Punk's betrayal, promising that he wouldn't do what Punk did and turn on the business when there are kids like Max back then who could depend on him in the present. As tears stream down MJF's face, CM Punk enters the ring and, without a microphone, directly asks him "Is it true? Is that real?", to which Max simply replies, "It's true" and leaves. It goes without saying that CM Punk might have been indirectly responsible for creating Maxwell Jacob Friedman, as this promo was essentially Max's Origins Issue and raison d'être for becoming a super-villain.
• After MJF's heartfelt confession a week ago, CM Punk is forced to ask what's on everybody's mind since: is he the bad guy in their feud? Punk is unsure whether Max is Gaslighting him or if he was being sincere about his pro wrestling motivations and calls Maxwell out to the ring. Although the latter is still hurt from last week from publicly baring his soul, CM Punk offers a reconciliatory handshake on the grounds that Max's hate for him will destroy himself even further. Instead, Max goes in for a surprising hug, which leaves Punk confused at first, but he hugs back. Unfortunately, this was all a feint as MJF hits the caught-off CM Punk with a low blow, leading to a beatdown as the rest of The Pinnacle reinforces their leader. As Punk is bleeding profusely and collared with a chain, Maxwell echoes what his idol said in Ring of Honor two decades earlier:
  Maxwell Jacob Friedman: "You stupid, stupid old man: I'm a snake. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist. And this Sunday, at Revolution, I'm going to show you and all these mindless sheep that I am THE DEVIL HIMSELF!!!"
• MJF taking on his arch rival CM Punk in a brutal dog collar match at Revolution 2022 that eventually resulted in Punk picking up the win after Max's own bodyguard, Wardlow, betrayed him by slipping Punk the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
• As expected, MJF vs Wardlow at Double or Nothing 2022 was entirely in the former's favor. Knowing he would have to resort to his Dirty Coward tactics, Maxwell tried to pull out and use the Dynamite Diamond Ring, but referee Bryce Remsburg stands over Max's shoulder just as he wears it, completely baffled that the Salt of the Earth would be this deliberate in front of him. Once Remsburg takes the ring away, Mr. Mayhem delivers the justice upon Max that he's been waiting for - a ten-movement Powerbomb Symphony for the win. Afterwards, Tony Schiavone tells Wardlow that Tony Khan has officially signed him onto AEW's roster, with the appropriate "x IS #ALLELITE" illustration.
• There's a reason why MJF is often deemed as the best talker in the current era/generation of professional wrestling when his segment for this episode of Dynamite was instantly hailed not simply as Max's best promo (moreso than the one during his feud with CM Punk), but widely regarded as his "pipe bomb".
  Big merger boss, lot of important executives here tonight to watch your product. Would be a real shame, if something bad happened... I wouldn't wanna embarrass you, man. Speaking of embarrassing, you've been tryna sit down with me to hash things out for quite some time now, haven't ya?
  Well guess what? Too little too late. Here's why: when this company first started, it was All Friends Wrestling. Everybody was handed a ticket except for me! See, I had to write my own and boy do I have good penmanship, because I created moment after moment, after moment for this company... and I still get no respect! Nobody is on my level, no one! Everything I touch, turns to gold. There is nothing I can't do! Everytime I come out here, I am not expected to hit home runs, I'm expected to hit grand slams and I do that shit on a weekly basis! See, all the other boys, they get to settle for being great. I have to be perfect, because I'm the 26 years old, who is constantly held under a microscope, because I'm the only guy who is capable of carrying this company on my back as I had for months. It's funny... It's funny I hear boos, but I also hear clapping. That's interesting, that's interesting. Where were you guys... Where were you guys this whole weekend, when you were calling me an unprofessional piece of shit? I'm just curious. You're not the only problem, no, it's the boys in the back too, 'cuz the boys in the back all want my spot. Well, guess what: you want my spot? You can have it 'cuz I don't wanna be here anymore!
  Now, let's talk about you fans, huh? You people call yourself "fans"; you're not fans - you're uneducated marks! You sit there on your phones, tweeting out your opinions like they're worth a damn: let me explain something to you people - YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT! Your opinions suck! Your opinions change at the drop of a dime and then you pretend your new opinions are the same as your old. For example: "Man, I always knew MJF was a good wrestler". Really? That's interesting because last time I checked, you guys pretended I sucked in the ring for a long time and why is that, huh? Because I'm not untrained like all your favs? Because I don't pretend to watch New Japan? Because I don't dump my opponents on their heads? Because I'm not reckless? What is it? Is it because I'm not chasing star-ratings, guys? What is it? How could I possibly be the best, well news flash: I AM THE BEST!! I'M THE BEST IN THE WORLD 'CUZ I'M THE ONLY GUY WHO MAKES YOU FEEL!! And unlike all those boys, I don't gotta do a bunch of bullshit to get you there!
  I am a generational talent and you people consistently take me for granted, but it's not just you: it's the big man in the back, too. Here's something you guys can't take for granted, here's something he doesn't want you to know. Do you guys know who the second-biggest minute-for-minute draw is in this entire company? Nope, you wish! IT'S ME!!! It's me, and if you don't believe me, do me a favor: ask "Stat-boy Tony" in the back - see what he's got to say, but whatever you do, don't ask him to reach into his pockets and pay the man who's been bustin' his ass for him since day one! No, no, no, no, no, no! Make sure he hoards all that money! Make sure he hoards all that money so he can give it to all the new ex-WWE guys he keeps bringing in... THAT CAN'T LACE MY GODDAMN BOOTS!!!
  Hey, boss! Would you treat me better if I was an ex-WWE guy? See, maybe you don't get it, man! Here's the problem with you, boss: you got a position of power in a wrestling company when the only position you should be assuming is behind the guardrail with all of them! I don't wanna wait 'til 2024, but you don't listen to me so allow me to make it a little bit easier for you: Tony... I want you to fire me. Tony-DON'T COUNT ME DOWN, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!! Look at me, Tony! Look at me: I want you to fire me, YOU FUCKING MARK!!! FIRE ME!!! FIRE ME!!!
• The Casino Ladder match at All Out 2022 was entirely disrupted as mysterious masked men invaded the ring just before the Joker entrant, beating up the rest of the participants. One of them climbed and retrieved the poker chip, then unveiled himself to be Stokely Hathaway; the others were Lee Moriarty, Ethan Page, Austin and Colten Gunn and W. Morrissey - all of whom Stokely offered his services via a business card for weeks leading up to the pay-per-view. When the Joker was set to appear, "Sympathy for the Devil" was heard from the speakers as the entrant headed down to the ring, dressed up in black and donning a demonic-looking mask. Taking the poker chip from Stokely, the Joker won the match; just as he was about to remove his disguise, he double-backed and wagged a finger at the crowd, not content on showing his identity...yet. Then after CM Punk won the AEW World Championship in the main event, a brief video snippet of CM Punk from Ring of Honor about "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist" played, the Joker from the Casino Ladder match then appeared on the screens with his back turned, then took off his mask, declaring "I am the Devil...himself". Once he wrapped that telltale scarf around his neck, the Salt of the Earth - Maxwell Jacob Friedman - headed to the stage, staring down daggers at the newly crowned champion and his Arch-Enemy after being absent since the Dynamite episode after AEW Double or Nothing. Despite knowing Max is guaranteed a shot at the title, CM Punk is undeterred at the latter's return as the pay-per-view ends.
• In another display of his mic skills and promo work, MJF interrupts a segment between Tony Schiavone and William Regal on the October 18, 2022 Dynamite to call out the latter for what he did to him years earlier.
• The main event of Full Gear 2022 saw unexpected face MJF come out to prove that he could beat indomitable champion Jon Moxley for the World Championship without needing to resort to his usual tricks. The crowd was monumentally behind the young star, which he revelled in, and when they turned on Moxley the champion responded with his usual insouciance, flipping them off and outright bullying MJF, beating him from pillar to post while MJF did his best to tough it out. MJF hung tougher than he ever had before, but it eventually became clear that he simply wasn't Mox's equal, and following a ref bump he reached into his trunks for the Dynamite Diamond Ring he'd claimed he wouldn't use. This brought out Mox's stable leader William Regal, who threatened to clobber MJF if he tried to use the ring, leading MJF to throw the ring away and defiantly flip Regal off. However this led him to back into Mox, who caught him in his deadly bulldog choke, but another bump on the replacement referee caused him to miss MJF's frantic tap-out. But then, when Regal directed Mox to go and wake up the referee to solidify his win, the old villain slipped MJF his own iconic brass knuckles, which he used to punch out Mox and pin him to become the youngest AEW World Champion ever. Despite MJF having played everyone for fools, the crowd went MENTAL for the young star's win, as a new era in AEW history was about to begin.
• MJF winning best on interviews for the second straight year and his second overall most charismatic award in the 2022 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards
• MJF taking on Konosuke Takeshita in an outstanding back and forth match on the February 8, 2023 Dynamite.
• The main event of Revolution 2023 was hailed by some viewers as potentially the single greatest match AEW has ever put on, as World Champion MJF faced the American Dragon Bryan Danielson in a 60 minute ironman match. Commentary pointed out that this was already guaranteed to be the longest match of the young man's career, as he'd never even gone beyond 40 minutes before this, while Danielson did 60-minute matches for fun, but MJF stepped up to the plate to prove once again that he's more than just a (foul) mouth. It was 20 minutes of intensive chain wrestling and increasingly big moves before the American Dragon finally drew first blood with a Busaiku Knee, but MJF immediately countered with a low blow that, despite costing him another point, allowed him to score two quick pins in return on Danielson and nearly a third! As MJF mercilessly targeted the injured left shoulder of Danielson that he'd been paying other men to damage in the lead-up to the match, Danielson in return ruthlessly tried to turn MJF's left knee inside out, an issue only further exacerbated by MJF's own offence as he fearlessly hit big moves such as a spectacular flying elbow from the top turnbuckle to put Danielson through the timekeeper's table, which he followed with a running tombstone through the unbroken remnant of the table. As the two brutalised each other, the score ended up at 3-3 with MJF in a savage single-leg crab as the last few seconds counted down, tapping out right after the last second elapsed, making the match a draw. However as both men were being tended to by medical personnel, Tony Schiavone received a message from Tony Khan backstage, who relayed to ring announcer Justin Roberts that a draw was not acceptable, and even after 60 minutes of torment the two men would have to fight into extra time. After a breathtaking series of near falls and false finishes, including MJF missing with the Dynamite Diamond Ring and then having it taken away from him by the ref while he was locked in a submission, MJF managed to sucker Danielson over to the edge of the ring before smashing him on the head with an oxygen canister the medical staff had been using to try and treat him earlier out of the ref's line of sight. For the final blow, MJF did not use his Salt of the Earth Armbar to finish off Danielson's injured shoulder, instead using Danielson's own Le Bell Lock submission against him. For a moment it looked like Danielson would pass out, only for him to appear to find a Heroic Second Wind... and then tap out, unable to bear any more. This match solidified MJF as not only the top heel in AEW, but one of the very best young wrestlers in the world today and a man who deserves to be AEW's top champion. The icing on the cake was Dave Meltzer's rating- 5.75 stars!
• The highly anticipated "Four Pillars match" at Double or Nothing 2023 between AEW's 4 biggest young stars (champion MJF, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry) lived up to everyone's wildest expectations, with too many brilliant little story details and subtle nuances to list here. Notably, before the match Sammy came out with his young wife Tay Melo and brought back his iconic signs to announce that they were going to be expecting their first child. In the most iconic spot of the match, each man took the opportunity to hit another competitor with the finisher of their mentor- Darby used the Scorpion Death Drop, Sammy the Codebreaker, Jack the Killswitch and, most shockingly, MJF even used the Cross Rhodes. At the end of what would be considered by some to be one of the greatest 4-way matches ever, MJF slipped the AEW Championship belt onto Jack Perry's prone body while Darby was going up to hit him with the Coffin Drop, causing Darby to knock himself senseless on the belt and setting him up for MJF to hit with another side headlock takeover in order to retain.
• MJF facing off with Adam Cole on the June 14, 2023 Dynamite in an unbelievable match that saw the two men throw everything they had at each other only for the time limit to expire right as it looked like Cole was going to pick up the win.
• The unlikely tag team of MJF and Adam Cole, Better Than You Bay Bay, deserve high credit for turning what was an unexpected ream-up that many fans figured was simply to delay their match into one of the most highly beloved tag team in recent memory, having the two bond in comical vignettes with MJF showing more shades to his character, even going as far to turn into a semi-Heel Face that fans happily rile behind and even building huge hype to a simple double clothesline that the fans went absolutely BALLISITIC for when they finally did it to get a win. The team-up has endeared themselves so much to the fans that they have went from wondering when the two will betray the other to regularly mentioning their fondness of the duo, yet feeling sad that they will likely break off eventually.
• MJF and Adam Cole challenging FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship on the July 29, 2023 Collision. The two singles stars threw everything they had at FTR in an awesome match but in the end FTR managed to get the win after MJF uncharacteristically sacrificed himself to save Cole from the Shatter Machine.
• MJF and Cole shockingly capturing the ROH World Tag Team Championship from Aussie Open on All In: Zero Hour following a kangaroo kick and double clothesline.
• MJF facing his best friend and tag partner, Adam Cole, for the AEW World Championship at All In 2023 in front of 81,000 people at Wembley Stadium. Throughout the match, Cole was willing to go farther than MJF was to win the title. He spent the entire match targeting Max's neck and using a variety of underhanded tactics to try to pick up the win while MJF refused to use any, even going as far to restart the match until there was a winner, unlike in their last match! In the end though, after an incredible 27 minutes of action, after Adam was unwilling to hit his tag partner with the world title belt despite the urging of Roderick Strong, MJF rolled Cole up and pick up the win.
• MJF defending his AEW World Championship against Samoa Joe in the main event of Grand Slam 2023. This was a true David vs Goliath match as Max was not only giving up nearly 100 pounds to Joe but had to contend with the bad neck that Joe had been ruthlessly targeting in the weeks leading up to the event. Despite this, MJF managed to survive Joe's onslaught of brutal moves and choke him out to pick up the win.
• MJF, days before he was set to become the longest reigning AEW World Champion of all time, defending his AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega on the October 28, 2023. This was an outstanding match which MJF eventually managed to win following a Panama Sunrise and a Heat Seeker.