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MJF set to make history at Wembley Stadium

“A win in Wembley makes me undeniably legendary”

Justin Barrasso

MJF set to make history at Wembley Stadium
MJF set to make history at Wembley Stadium /

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MJF ready to for star-making moment at Wembley Stadium

Maxwell J. Friedman has the honor of opening and closing the most significant show in AEW history.

This Sunday, in front of more than 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium, at the first-ever AEW All In show, Friedman will wrestle the first and last matches of the night. He opens with a pre-show tag match, teaming with Adam Cole against Aussie Open for the Ring of Honor tag titles, then defends the world title in the main event against Cole.

Contents

  1. The (Online) Week in Wrestling
  2. Will we see Edge again in WWE?
  3. Tweet of the Week

The Wembley showcase is a star-making moment for Friedman, an AEW original who was largely unknown when he made his debut for the company at Double or Nothing in 2019.

“I’m a five-foot nothing kid from Long Island that had no right becoming the best professional wrestler in the world,” says Friedman, who does lack confidence. “I had no right becoming the face of my company, but here I am.”

The reigning AEW champion, Friedman, 27, brings a unique vibe to his title reign. He is a natural antagonist and relishes insulting crowds, but there is a peculiar connection between Friedman and wrestling fans. Despite his despicable comments, a genuine desire exists to cheer for Friedman. And it makes sense–he is a devoted wrestling fan who paid dues on the indies before making the most of an opportunity in AEW.

To his credit, Friedman grasps the fans’ affinity toward him. He toys with their emotion, which is on display in his best friend storyline with Cole. The differences between Cole and Friedman are stark; entering AEW, Cole possessed a pedigree like few others. He was the undisputed star of NXT, studying directly under the learning tree of Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Shawn Michaels, before ultimately falling victim to Vince McMahon’s lack of belief in Cole as a main roster superstar.

Cole’s run in AEW has been, at best, sporadic. A serious concussion derailed his momentum, and there was legitimate doubt over whether he would ever wrestle again. But this program with Friedman has propelled the charismatic Cole back to a spot in the main event.

“I could talk all day about Adam Cole,” says Friedman. “He’s made me a better person and a better wrestler, and makes me think about this sport on a different level. That breeds competition because we both want to be the best. But what I can say that Cole can’t is that AEW is my television exposure. I wasn’t on NXT or Raw or SmackDown. No one knew who the hell I was. I had to get myself over, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Friedman grew up a disciple of the legendary “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. He especially loved dissecting video tapes of Piper’s early 80’s work, letting Piper’s rare combination of vicious mic work and in-ring precision marinate in his mind.

Like Piper, there is an air of unpredictability about Friedman’s work. He injects an organic feel into the manufactured world of pro wrestling.

“To quote the greatest of all-time, at least outside of myself, ‘Just so when you people think you have the answers, MJF changes the questions,’” says Friedman. “This is my life. It means everything to me. I live it, I breathe it. It’s my soul. That’s why, at the tender age of 27, I’m a millionaire, I’m a top name in the industry, and I’m about to literally become the biggest headliner in the history of this sport. That’s not hyperbole. I’m going to main-event in front of the largest crowd in the history of pro wrestling. If that doesn’t make your spine tingle as a professional wrestler, I don’t know what does. I got here not just because of my God-given talent, but because of my hard work.

“When you go back in the annals of pro wrestling, if you think about the guys in their 20s, you knew certain guys were going to be great. They weren’t fully ready, and you know who I’m talking about, but we went with it because we saw the potential. There is no one in the history of this sport that, at 27, has been this good. I’m the best in the squared circle and I’m the best on the microphone. Name someone else in this sport, anybody else. I grab your f------ attention more than they do. I’m proud of that, especially because no doors were open for me. They were locked with cement bricks in front of them, and I had to run through them. That’s the difference between me and everybody else in this sport today.”

If Friedman is the modern-day Piper, he was asked, then does that make Cole his “Cowboy” Bob Orton? Or “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka?

“I hope he’s not a Snuka because then he’d be a murderer,” says Friedman. “But you can’t equate it to anything. All In, this is the biggest main event in the history of the sport.”

Friedman and Cole share the massive responsibility of opening and closing All In. Friedman did not admit anything salacious when revealing he is far more excited by the main event, but he noted that the opening match does hold value.

“It’s a huge responsibility,” says Friedman. “I’d rather be just in the main event, but I know how much Cole loves Ring of Honor. And it’s pretty wild to look at the lineage of the ROH tag belts, which so many incredible stars have held. So we’ll start off the show by winning the ROH tag titles together.”

Tony Khan founded AEW in 2019. In the company’s very first match, MJF loses to Hangman Page in a 21-man Casino Battle Royale. Right from the beginning, Khan believed in Friedman.

“I became aware of Max’s great promos when I was watching him in MLW,” says Khan. “I was watching every moment of wrestling I possibly could, and I found myself mesmerized by MJF as one of the best young prospects in wrestling. In 2018, throughout independent wrestling, anyone who saw Max was talking about him. I thought he’d make a great part of the inaugural AEW roster that we launched with in January of 2019.”

Tony Khan and MJF before AEW's first-ever match at Double or Nothing in 2019 (Courtesy AEW)
Tony Khan and MJF before AEW's first-ever match at Double or Nothing in 2019 (Courtesy AEW)

With the stakes so extraordinarily high at Wembley, Khan is eager to see the main event All In unfold.

“MJF versus Adam Cole is the most important match in AEW history,” says Khan. “It’s become one of the most fascinating friendships in wrestling, and they’re going to clash for the AEW world championship at the biggest pro wrestling show of all-time this Sunday.”

For those who have followed Friedman’s career closely, there has been a sharp turn in his work since March. Ten days before his birthday, Friedman wrestled a 65-minute masterpiece with Bryan Danielson at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view. It was the finest work of his career, and a match that will also forever remain part of Danielson’s highlight reel.

“I will say this about Bryan–I learned far more inside of that match, bell to bell, than I’d ever learned in the history of my career in a match,” says Friedman. “I wanted to kill that mother-----, but I also learned what made Bryan Danielson the American Dragon. And that made me levels better. We have zero in common, and I mean zero, but I learned a lot. And that was the first time we’d ever shared a ring together, which too many people gloss over.”

With just days remaining until the historic show, Friedman provided an enticing sales pitch for this weekend’s All In.

“The reason people should watch AEW, the reason they should watch All In, and the reason they should watch MJF is because this is history in front of your very own eyes,” says Friedman. “This has never happened before. No company has ever become this big so quickly. The pay-per-view at Wembley is massive. And no star has ever reached this level like I have. I can say that with full conviction, and whether you love me or hate me, people know it’s true–and deep down, that just shows I’m better than you and you know it.”

One more reason to watch All In is to witness Friedman in his element. For whatever faults you may find, he shows extreme intelligence in the ring, particularly with his problem-solving in terms of in-ring psychology.

“A win in Wembley makes me undeniably legendary,” says Friedman. “A win at Wembley puts me in the same breath and vein as some of the greatest ever in this sport. That’s my ultimate goal, and that’s what I’m going to achieve on August 27.”

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The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • With more free time because of the writers and actors strike, John Cena is back on SmackDown on September 1, then will work the Superstar Spectacle in India on September 8.
  • Credit to all involved in the Seth Rollins-Shinsuke Nakamura storyline (which reminds me of the Samoa Joe-AJ Styles feud from five years ago in WWE in the sense that it elevates the champ without losing the title). Nakamura exposed Rollins’ back problems, adding a new dimension to the story. While I don’t think Nakamura will win the title, he has made the program extremely compelling.
  • Reminiscent of Lex Luger defeating Yokozuna at SummerSlam ’93, Chad Gable beat Gunther by count-out on Raw. As he inches closer to the new record as longest reigning IC champ, here is Gunther at his first NFL game:
  • Giulia starred this past weekend at the Multiverse show. Whenever her match against Mercedes Moné happens, it will be must-see viewing.
  • OVW will have a series on Netflix.

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Will we see Edge again in WWE?

Edge wrestled the last match of his current WWE contract this past Friday on SmackDown, defeating Sheamus in a fantastic bout.

Hard-hitting and snug, Sheamus brought out the physical side of Edge. Yet for as compelling as that match was, it is hard to imagine it is Adam Copeland finishing his legendary WWE career with 48 hours notice on a SmackDown.

If he made the move to AEW, it would be interesting to see Copeland interact again on-screen with Christian. In theory, you could recreate the famed Dudleys/Hardys/Edge and Christian ladder match, perhaps even adding in the Young Bucks and FTR. Copeland would undoubtedly have a run as AEW champion, an opportunity he has not been afforded since his return to WWE.

But it is also hard to envision Copeland making the move to AEW. Even though Tony Khan wanted him for the inaugural Dynamite, Copeland’s ties to WWE were too strong. And since AEW was interested, WWE suddenly had to make an enticing offer to hold on to Copeland. To me, this ends with more creative input, a lucrative contract, and a run as WWE world heavyweight champion.

Copeland’s professional career is tied to WWE. While it isn’t out of the realm of possibility he leaves, the smart money is on him staying.

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Tweet of the Week

Hiroshi Tanahashi did not win the Impact world title at Multiverse 2 this past Sunday in Philly, but he did get the cheesesteak.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

Published
Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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