MJF becoming one of the biggest babyfaces in AEW seemed impossible in 2022.
No showing a meet and greet, launching an expletive-filled rant at Tony Khan and walking out of the company for a number of months, the World Champion was hated before he even said a word to the fans. Just when it appeared that the scumbag couldn’t sink any lower, fans were stunned as William Regal was struck in the back of the head by MJF, knocking the Brit unconscious.
Following a forced partnership with Adam Cole that developed into the two becoming best friends and Tag Team Champions together, the World Champion gradually became more of a fan favourite, advocating for sportsmanship in his matches and wrestling on a more frequent basis.
While fans may believe that Maxwell Jacob Friedman has simply switched from heel to face, The Devil believes that it is not as straightforward. While being interviewed with Sports Illustrated, MJF described how he feels that his change has been more impactful as it has been very gradual and one that fans can relate to:
“It’s just me being myself. One of the biggest indictments of this sport is that people claim professional wrestling is this archaic, one-dimensional thing. People love to throw the terms babyface and heel around, but look at the history of it. Why do we cheer the good guys? Why do we boo the bad guys? This was a progressive, very slow change. To me, that’s so much more relatable–and so much more realistic. I think people know how hard it is to change, and that’s why I’m connecting with people on the level that I am.”
Continuing the interview, the World Champion stated that he never had any intentions of being a good guy in wrestling and how he would double down on the vicious tactics if he felt that he was getting cheered:
“I had zero confidence in this,” said Friedman. “For the longest time, when I walked through the curtain, my only goal was to make people viscerally hate me. I never wanted people to like me. Getting liked is hard because it opens the door up to be rejected. So when the fans started chanting my name, it really shook me. There was even a wave of MJF support when I won the belt. I remember thinking to myself, ‘No.’ And that was out of fear. And I’m still scared, but it’s a lot less.”
Is There A Future In Hollywood For MJF?
Although The Devil is firmly focused on regaining possession of the world title from Jay White and becoming the first World Champion to hold the gold for a year, wrestling fans are eagerly anticipating Friedman’s upcoming role on the big screen. Cast as Lance Von Erich in The Iron Claw, many are anticipating that this will lead to a future Hollywood career. So much so that a recent article tipped MJF as a possible future action star, following in the footsteps of Stallone and Schwarzenegger.