Tag: maxwell jacob friedman

Tony Khan comments on when MJF can cash in for AEW World title shot

Posted on by Ian Carey

Tony Khan has commented on the rules regarding when MJF can cash-in his chip from the Casino Battle Royale. 

By winning the ladder match at All Out, MJF has earned a future world title shot. During an appearance on the Barstool Rasslin’ show, Tony Khan was asked when MJF is able to cash-in this opportunity.  

“[MJF] is really looming over the championship picture since he returned at All Out and won the Casino Ladder mach which means he’s going to have a shot at the world title any time he wants, I will sanction that match.”

Khan would continue to say that the cash-in can happen on any sanctioned AEW event. 

“I think any time, any sanctioned event we can certainly make it happen,” Khan responded. 

“With live television, pay-per-view events, all these opportunities, it’s exciting to have a contender out there looming and to have this big championship match tonight on Dynamite, certainly, it’s that much more interesting to have two of the best wrestlers in the world Bryan Daneison versus Jon Moxley one-on-one for the World Championship and to have a great wrestler like MJF looming in the background as a top contender with the right to challenge for the title any time. It’s a very interesting championship picture right now in AEW.”

Khan made it clear that he needs to sanction the title match before it occurs. What he has not made entirely clear, however, is if he would sanction MJF cashing in his chip in a manner similar to what is seen with WWE’s Money in the Bank briefcase where the champion is not aware of the match ahead of time. 

Later in the conversation, Khan explained the difference between the chip from the Casino Battle Royal Ladder match and the “Golden Ticket” which will be awarded to the winner of a battle royal on Rampage Grand Slam. 

“The winner of [The Golden Ticket Battle Royale] will get a title shot at a set time and place. They’ll have an appointment with a world champion. That is how it differs. You have somebody out there that’s looming with a title shot, this is going to be a set time and place. Because there is somebody looming out there with a title shot, you have to move on and have set plans, have a set calendar, and then when that person chooses to take that opportunity, that’s when it happens.” 

“It’s a very interesting situation to follow, a looming challenger out there after the great Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley world championship match on Dynamite.”

MJF was also on Barstool Rasslin’ earlier this week and commented on when he can potentially cash-in for his title shot as well. 

“I’m waiting in the wings. I have this chip, I can can cash this chip in whenever I want,” he said.

“I will pick the bones of whoever wins this match. Am I going to do it at Grand Slam? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll do it the next week in Philly, maybe I’ll do it the week after that in DC.”

MJF was then asked if the Casino Battle Royale chip has “Money in the Bank qualities” to it. 

“So, I do have to have a conversation with someone beforehand, yeah. But that does not mean that all parties need to be in the know of said conversation,” MJF responded.  

MJF says AEW is now paying him ‘a stupid, absurd amount of money’

Posted on by Ian Carey

MJF says he didn’t sign a contract extension with AEW but is now being paid “a stupid, absurd amount of money” by the company. 

The 26-year-old appeared on The MMA Hour on Monday with Ariel Helwani. MJF’s last appearance on the show drew controversy as he had not received approval from AEW management to take part in it. MJF addressed this at the start of the show.  

“Did PR get a little upset that I didn’t clear it with them? Yes. Does PR now have absolutely no choice but to just salivate at the fact that MJF is leaving his house to do an interview in regards to Arthur Ashe? Yes, because things have changed a little bit,” he said. 

“The ball’s in my court, pal, that’s what’s changed. What does that mean? Let’s talk now. I’m one of the biggest ratings, not just in AEW but in all of professional wrestling minute for minute. If you don’t believe me, hit up Brandon Thurston, he’s a great guy, puts up a lot of great information.”

MJF was also asked about not having signed a contract extension with AEW and “The Bidding War of 2024.” 

“I go where the money is at, whoever is going to offer me the most amount of money is where I’m gong to go, that could be anywhere. Hell, if there’s some financial backer out there that wants to start his own wrestling company and use me as the figurehead, that’s where I’ll go. It’s that simple, that’s all I care about is money.” 

Helwani also asked MJF about reports over Double or Nothing weekend that he had purchased a plane ticket out of Las Vegas. 

“I cannot confirm or deny there being a plane ticket. What I will say is this, I’m a businessman, I do what I have to do in order to ensure that what I need gets done. It got done, I’m back, I’m making a stupid, absurd amount of money now and I didn’t have to sign a contract extension.” 

MJF was then asked where he went and what he did while he was away from AEW over the summer. He mentioned taking a two-week trip to Greece and Italy with his fiancé but spent the rest of it at home. 

“I then went home and I stayed home. I did not leave my home because I did not [want] one single, solitary wrestling fan to see me out in the wild. Do you know why? Because they don’t deserve to see me, unless I’m getting paid to be seen.”

“I take what I do very seriously. If you want to see a star, pay to see that star. So I stayed in my home. I went to a gym inside of my home. I did not leave my home.”

“I was committed to making sure that if any wrestling fan wanted to get a taste of MJF, MJF needed to get that money, and he did.” 

He also confirmed that he did watch AEW while he was away but felt the product had “a void” without him on it.

“I think, and I say this with love and respect, we have a lot of great stars. We have Chris Jericho, we have Jon Moxley, we have Bryan Danielson, hell, another great guy, there’s this guy, very scary, intimidating looking guy, Brody King, I believe is his name, he seems like a top-tier guy. But if we’re being honest with ourselves, the show felt like it had this big, fat, gigantic void and I firmly believe that I was that void and if you look at the numbers now since I’ve come back, it’s very clear I was.” 

Helwani also asked MJF about Cody Rhodes signing with WWE. 

“The American rollercoaster did what he had to do. He’s a businessman, just like MJF.”

“I do not blame Cody Rhodes for his decision, Cody Rhodes did what’s best for Cody Rhodes and MJF always does what’s best to MJF, so kudos for him.” 

MJF was then asked what he thought of Rhodes wrestling with a torn pec at Hell in a Cell.

“Incredibly brave, incredibly brave,” he responded. Helwani then asked MJF if he would have done the same thing. “Absolutely not,” MJF responded. 

“Here’s what would happen, I would ask for my money, I’d go in the ring, and then lay down on my back. Technically I competed,” he continued. 

MJF offered “no comment” regarding the melee backstage at All Out.   

“I cannot comment on the press conference. All I can say is this, I don’t deal in rumor and innuendo.”

When Helwani asked why MJF couldn’t comment on the press conference, MJF simply responded that he didn’t want to.

“There was a lot of things said. It doesn’t apply to me, it doesn’t concern me and again, I’ll tell you why, and I’m going to use numbers cause numbers don’t lie. Numbers are facts and facts don’t care about your feelings. When MJF goes out there, I pop a huge number. We just killed it in the ratings, second week in a row. Again, if people leave, come, go, stay, people are going to step up to the plate. We got massive stars in our company so I am not concerned in the least. I’m not going to comment on what was said because it doesn’t apply to me but what I will say is, our company, again numbers don’t lie, our company is great right now.”

When asked if he felt that the altercation at All Out took away from his return to the company, MJF responded that he does not believe it did.

“Did you hear the reaction the following Dynamite? Did it sound like it took anything away from MJF?”

“When I watch the lock room and I watch the boys and I see how they react to certain situations, it’s a team atmosphere. Everybody wants these three letters to be successful. The only three letters I care about are MJF, but everybody in AEW cares about AEW letters and I think it’s palpable when you watch our show. I think you can feel it, you can feel that when people go out there they are giving it 110% because they want to not just raise themselves up but raise this brand new baby, because we’re a baby, it’s a three year old company. They want to raise this baby up like in the fricking Lion King on top of the rock.”

“I read stuff online , I chuckle. It’s ridiculous. Everybody wants this place to be successful. MJF wants MJF to be successful but the locker room wants AEW to be successful. It’s a team atmosphere.” 

MJF would offer no comment when asked if he felt AEW needed CM Punk. He would continue to say his feud with Punk was one of the greatest in history, however. 

“What I will say is, me and CM Punk had the greatest feud in the history of the company and I do honestly think it will go down as one of the greatest feuds of all time.” 

MJF a ‘neutral’ witness to backstage altercation at AEW All Out

Posted on by Ian Carey

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is believed to have “seen everything as it happened” regarding the backstage altercation between CM Punk, Ace Steel and the Elite at AEW All Out. 

Our own Dave Meltzer reported in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AEW has hired an independent firm to investigate the matter. The firm will be conducting interviews with  Punk, Steel, Pat Buck, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Christopher Daniels, Michael Nakazawa, and Brandon Cutler. Additionally, MJF is one of a number of “neutral parties” who will also be interviewed.

“The company has brought in an independent firm to investigate and do video interviews with everyone in the room, which included all the names mentioned above, as well as many others, including a number of neutral parties who were in the room and were believed to have seen everything as it happened. The key names that would have included were Max “MJF” Friedman and AEW and Jacksonville Jaguars Chief Legal Officer Megha Parekh,” Meltzer wrote. 

MJF returned to AEW after a three-month absence at All Out. While under a mask, he won the Casino Ladder match earlier in the show before unmasking after Punk’s victory over Jon Moxley in the main event. 

MJF expected back in AEW ‘somewhat soon’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is expected to return to AEW in the near future. 

MJF has been gone from the company since he appeared on the June 1 edition of AEW Dynamite and cut a promo imploring Tony Khan to fire him. With TV rights fee negotiations likely to begin in a few months, however, he is scheduled to return “somewhat soon.” 

The situation was addressed by Dave Meltzer in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 

“MJF is currently scheduled to be returning somewhat soon. We don’t know the exact time but the negotiations for a new TV deal will likely be taking place starting in just a few months and into the spring, so the TV ratings numbers probably September to whenever the deal is closed are the most important to date so this recent drop is the worst time to have a drop,” Meltzer wrote. 

AEW has not mentioned MJF during his absence from the company. Shortly after his promo on June 1, there was an edict issued to remove him from AEW promotional spots and commercials.

MJF appearance set for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Ian Carey

AEW has announced that fans will “hear from” MJF on Dynamite. 

The promotion posted a graphic advertising the segment to social media on Wednesday. No other details have been revealed. 

MJF was stretchered out of the arena on Sunday at Double or Nothing after being defeated by Wardlow. Prior to the event, the 26-year-old missed a scheduled meet and greet session at AEW Fan Fest, adding to rumors of growing tension with the company over his contract.  

Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite will take place from the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. The updated lineup for the show is as follows:

  • AEW World Champion CM Punk & ROH World Tag Team Champions FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs. Max Caster & The Gunn Club (Colten & Austin Gunn)
  • Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Matt Hardy, and Christian Cage vs. Hikuleo, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, and The Young Bucks
  • Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter vs. Ruby Soho & Toni Storm
  • Jon Moxley vs. Daniel Garcia
  • We hear from MJF

WWE’s Paul Heyman talks Cody Rhodes leaving AEW, MJF’s free agency comments

Posted on by Ian Carey

Paul Heyman has commented on Cody Rhodes leaving AEW and MJF openly discussing his free agency in 2024. 

Heyman appeared on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani on Wednesday. He was asked about MJF, who recently appeared on the show last week as well. 

“He’s very good at what he does and he’s very young. He has a big future ahead of him,” Heyman said. 

He was then asked if he thought MJF’s comments about becoming a free agent in 2024 was “bad business.”

“From his perspective, no. In his position, no. Where he’s working right now, no. Where he wants to work in the future, no, it’s not bad business at all. For what he obviously views his trajectory to be, for what he obviously views his future to be, not bad business at all. Pretty smart, I might even say.”

“Right now, he’s in a very enviable spot in an upstart promotion that has tremendous financing and excellent distribution.”

Heyman was also asked if he was “shocked” that Cody Rhodes left AEW. 

“In some aspects, yes, and in some aspects, no,” Heyman responded. 

“He’s one of the founders of the company. A lot of it is his concept, a lot of the initial phase was on him. Cody always had a vision to fill the boots of his father not just in the ring but behind the scenes. The fact that he didn’t have the level of participation in decision-making that he initially probably thought, this is speculation on my end, I never heard this from Cody. But just seeing the manner in which the creative end of that company grew, it doesn’t surprise me that at some point he was going to say, ‘Not what I originally envisioned and I want to see what life is like elsewhere.'”

AEW’s MJF addresses WWE interest, Cody Rhodes, pursuing TV & movie roles

Posted on by Ian Carey

On an episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, MJF addressed rumors of WWE interest, bullying he received while in middle school, and the AEW departure of Cody Rhodes. 

He said WWE’s Bruce Prichard is a particularly big fan of his. 

“Bruce Prichard and me go way back,” MJF said. “When he was in MLW, he was one of the lead producers there and would watch me do promos and, I mean, he was floored by me, absolutely enamored by me. I was the prettiest girl of the ball.”

“I love Bruce. I think he’s a hell of a guy and has a hell of a mind. I think he produces incredible television,” he continued.

MJF was unwilling to answer any questions about whether WWE has reached out to him, but later confirmed that his AEW contract expires on January 1, 2024. He said he will not consider re-signing with them earlier than that unless the money offered was “absolutely astronomical.” 

“As far as how I’ve been reached out to, legally it’s not smart for me to answer that question but what I can say emphatically is that there is an absurd amount of interest in me,” he said.

He said that he received interest from WWE prior to signing with AEW as well. 

“I believe I was 22 at the time,” he said. “I knew there was serious interest in me in WWE but, again, I thought to myself, ‘Are they going to let me be me?’ That’s my biggest thing.” 

MJF said he spoke with Tony Khan at length about Mid-South Wrestling, AWA, Buddy Landel and Butch Reed, and realized that the AEW president understood him. He continues to be a fan of WWE’s product, however. 

“I think WWE is doing great. I love everything WWE is doing, I just think we’re fresh and we have fresh faces that people haven’t seen before.” 

MJF said he is a fan of NXT as well. 

“They had a make out competition this past Tuesday, gripping television. How can you not like a make out competition?”

He said that the story he told on Dynamite about experiencing bullying in school for being Jewish was “110%” the truth. He was 11 years old at the time and had tried out for his middle school football team. 

“There was a lot of gentiles, if you will, on the football team,” he said. “I was one of only two Jews on the entire team because Jewish kids are supposed to be accountants, doctors, lawyers. We are not supposed to steer away from that and try to do contact sports. I was in a weird position. At the time, the kids were not a fan of the ‘Jew boy’ taking their spot.”

“I was so stoked because I thought I was going to be able to make friends and then all these kids rolled up on me – pun intended – with quarters and they chucked them at me as hard as they could.” 

MJF confirmed this happened on the same day that he saw CM Punk at an autograph signing at the mall that was brought up in the build for their Revolution dog collar match.

He was asked about Cody Rhodes leaving AEW for reportedly WWE and said he wishes Rhodes luck that he hopes he both finds happiness and “a boatload of money.”

“I respect what he is doing as a businessman,” MJF said. “Quite frankly, by 2024, if people have an issue with me leaving to go make real money, then me and him are going to be fighting on the same exact island.” 

MJF also confirmed he’s actively seeking to break into movies and television as well. 

“Bryan Diperstein at ICM is my agent and we’ve created an incredible team. I’m also with Activist, who is my management team. I’ve had a lot of offers for a lot of different things. I’m in a lot of talks with a lot of different people. That part, legally I will not discuss,” he said.

He also said he’s done a voiceover for an animated film that will be released next year. 

MJF suffers fractured elbow, recovery time 4-6 weeks

Posted on by Joseph Currier

MLW Middleweight Champion and CZW World Heavyweight Champion MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman) revealed yesterday that he suffered a fractured elbow and the recovery time is 4-6 weeks.

MJF wrote in an in-character tweet: “I’ve fractured my elbow. Recovery time 4-6 weeks. The good news is I get a break from having to make eye contact with you poor fat slobs.” He faced Sami Callihan for AAW on Saturday. 

MJF defending his Middleweight title in a four-way ladder match against Kotto Brazil, Jason Cade, and another wrestler that has yet to be revealed had been announced for MLW’s television tapings in Miami, Florida on December 14. MLW noted that how the injury will impact MJF’s upcoming scheduled title defenses “remains unclear.”

Marko Stunt was originally announced as the fourth participant in the ladder match before suffering a broken leg at Joey Janela’s LA Confidential earlier this month.

PWInsider reported that CZW will announce later today that MJF will be stripped of the CZW World Heavyweight title. He had been scheduled to defend the championship against Rickey Shane Page inside Cage of Death at Cage of Death XX in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 9.