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Maxwell T. Friedman is an American professional wrestler who's currently signed with All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Maxwell Jacob Friedman, or MJF for short. He previously performed for Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is a former MLW World Tag Team Champion, while also being a former one-time and inaugural MLW World Middleweight Champion. Friedman has also worked on the American independent circuit appearing most notably for Combat Zone Wrestling, where he is a former one-time CZW World Heavyweight Champion and a two-time CZW Wired Champion.


"THESE TROPES ARE BETTER THAN YOU, AND YOU KNOW IT!":
  • Alternate Company Equivalent:
    • Can sometimes be viewed as one pertaining to EC3 during his Impact run.
    • MJF could be also considered as the AEW Foil(s) to Randy Orton (his Legend Killer character), Baron Corbin (particularly his King Corbin persona), The Miz, Adam Cole, and even Seth Rollins.
  • Arch Enemy: Cody Rhodes, and the most recent being the Jurassic Express, especially Jungle Boy.
  • Awesome McCoolname: Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
  • Breakout Villain
  • The Bully: Puts down various personnel in the AEW roster namely Brandon Cutler, Tony Schiavone, Conrad Thompson etc.
  • Bullying a Dragon:
    • Tries to get on Jon Moxley's skin for a shot for the AEW World Championship. But, considering Mox being Mox, take a guess what happens next.
    • Trying to bargain to "Iron" Mike Tyson doesn't suit well for him, when the guy is now friends with Chris Jericho.
  • Card-Carrying Villain: Calls himself as the "Salt of the Earth", which has a nice ring to it.
  • Catchphrase: "I'm better than you, and you know it!"
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Both Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho get to experience this firsthand when he aligns with them, before selling them out once all is said and done. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't get away
  • Combat Pragmatist: He's not above playing dirty unless necessary. As shown through a distraction from Wardlow, who threw his signature diamond ring while lying prone and knocks Billy Gunn out with it without the referee's knowledge.
  • Didn't Think This Through: MJF took too long at tormenting Orange Cassidy while Wardlow restrains him during the battle royale for the AEW TNT championship, and instead hits Wardlow, this allowed Cassidy to team up with Jungle Boy and send MJF and Wardlow back into the locker room.
  • Expy: He resembles a younger Ted DiBiase and JBL.
  • False Friend: Cody Rhodes didn't take Max's betrayal too well after losing to Chris Jericho in AEW Full Gear. Then, Jericho himself ends up on the receiving end of the trope when he forms The Pinnacle and laying waste on the Inner Circle.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Max enjoys giving everyone a bad day, all with a smile on his face.
  • Flipping the Bird: Gave the finger at a 7-year old kid, no less!
  • Evil All Along: Needless to say he's was not a friend to Cody to begin with was an Understatement.
  • Evil Is Petty: Meta example. The fact that MJF never, ever broke character outside of the ring, he at one point flipped the bird at a 7-year old kid. Even his own rival Cody Rhodes was appalled by Max's behavior and came to help the boy.
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: "Yeah, I love video games, and then I lost my virginity!"
  • Hate Sink: The AEW audience leans hard to the smarky side of the spectrum, but MJF is so good at being the worst person you've ever encountered that he's still capable of generating ferocious amounts of genuine heel heat.
  • Humiliation Conga: He and The Pinnacle are in the receiving end of a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown by the Inner Circle in the 31st of March 2021 episode of Dynamite two weeks after selling out Jericho and the Inner Circle.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Cody Rhodes learned that one the hard way after losing to Chris Jericho in Full Gear.
  • Karma Houdini: Max barely gets any comeuppance for being a dick. Though the only instance he got one was the Rock N Rager at Sea episode of AEW Dynamite where he got superkicked and thrown into the pool by The Young Bucks.
  • Laser-Guided Karma:
    • Messing with Cody Rhodes also means Max is on The Elite's hit list, as shown when he got superkicked by The Young Bucks before throwing him into the pool.
    • Taking his time taunting Orange Cassidy and Jungle Boy instead of eliminating either of them got him and Wardlow eliminated from the battle royale for the AEW TNT Championship.
  • Not So Different: Invoked during the 13th November episode of Dynamite with Chris Jericho, considering their shared animosity towards Cody Rhodes.
  • Red Baron: "Salt of the Earth"
  • Scarf of Asskicking: Is never without his fancy scarf. His merch for AEW is also a scarf that says "I can afford a real scarf".
  • Smug Snake: Subverted. MJF backs his ego with his mic skills and the heat he draws from the audience. Even so, that he never ever breaks character.
  • Smug Super: Overlaps with Smug Snake above taken Up to Eleven.
  • Tempting Fate:
    • MJF drew #1 for the 2019 Battle Riot. Prior to the match starting, he cut a promo about how he was better than everyone and called himself "The Ultimate Fighter". Then the second entrant was introduced: Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Dan "The Beast" Severn! Cue MJF looking ready to shit his tights.
    • MJF continuing to antagonize Cody Rhodes in the Rock N Rager at Sea episode of Dynamite without realizing The Young Bucks behind his back about to ambush him. Max got too cocky to before finding that out too late when he got a mouthful of a Superkick Party before being sent flying to the swimming pool. Maxwell soon finds out that messing with Cody also means you're on the Elite's hit list.
    • Calling out Jon Moxley for a shot for his AEW World Title maybe the last thing you would do.
  • Token Evil Teammate: To the Inner Circle, they were already Heels to begin with, but the rest of Jericho's gang do not get along with MJF. Jericho wasn't too happy with the vitriol going on with MJF and Wardlow against Santana, Ortiz, and most especially, Sammy Guevara. The Inner Circle found this out the hard way too late in the April 17th episode of AEW Dynamite.
  • Troll: Good Lord. MJF has every right to be an insufferable prick both in the ring and in social media. Try to call him out on his social media accounts and he'll talk smack right back at you.
  • Underestimating Badassery: His Fatal Flaw. Maxwell enjoys being a prick and looks down at everyone around him. But, his overconfidence has him on the receiving end of a karma. He didn't expect Cody Rhodes getting backup from The Young Bucks and found himself in the receiving end of a Superkick Party and thrown into the pool during the second part of the Rock N Rager at Sea episode of Dynamite. And more recently, Orange Cassidy and Jungle Boy taking advantage of him accidentally punching Wardlow that got him out of a battle royale for the TNT championship before Cassidy and Jungle Boy teamed up to eliminate him.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After losing to CM Punk at Revolution, he dumps Wardlow. Which is then followed by FTR firing Tully Blanchard as their manager.
  • Your Mom: His response to the "You Suck!" chants in Fyter Fest:
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MJF: "That mother of yours whose basement you live in, she swallows!"

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