When Major League Wrestling (MLW) relaunched in October of 2017, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) was one of the individuals who was established as a prominent star for the promotion. During his tenure in MLW, MJF held both the World Middleweight and the Tag Team Championships. Additionally, MJF was a part of the Dynasty with Richard Holliday, Alexander Hammerstone and Gino Medina. MJF’s time with MLW came to an end in early 2020. His last match with the promotion was an empty arena match against Mance Warner. Per the pre match stipulations, MJF was forced to leave MLW as a result of his loss against Warner.
During his two year run with the company, MJF shined as one of MLW’s top superstars. His feuds with the likes of The Hart Dynasty and Mance Warner allowed MJF to demonstrate why he is one of the top rising stars in professional wrestling. This article aims to highlight a few of MJF’s defining moments while he was with MLW. From his championship wins to his final moments with the company, MJF provided the fans of MLW with several memorable moments.
#1: MJF becomes the inaugural World Middleweight Champion
At MLW’s first ever Battle Riot event, MJF battled Joey Ryan to determine who would become MLW’s inaugural World Middleweight Champion. Despite Ryan’s usual antics, MJF ended up winning the contest and earning the right to be MLW’s first Middleweight Champion. Once the match was over, MJF cut a promo letting fans know that his time was now, and that it was always “talent over tenure.” In the process, MJF solidified himself as one of MLW’s premiere stars.
#2: MJF steals Aria Blake from Joey Janela
After winning the World Middleweight Championship, MJF began a feud with Joey Janela. During this time, MJF began pursuing Janela’s girlfriend Aria Blake. Initially, Blake refused MJF’s advances. However, Blake would eventually succumb to MJF. During a Falls Count Anywhere Match between Janela and MJF, Blake turned on Joey by hitting him with a bottle. The pairing between MJF and Aria Blake added another important layer to MJF’s character. The interactions between MJF and Blake, specifically where MJF would treat Blake poorly, further solidified MJF’s arrogant and selfish persona.
#3: MJF and Richard Holiday form The Dynasty
Due to an injury, MJF was forced to vacate the World Middleweight Championship in late 2018. A match was held to crown a new champion, a match that Teddy Hart ended up winning. MJF had his chance to reclaim the title in February 2019. Unfortunately, MJF came up short against Teddy Hart. Following the title defense, Hart was assaulted by both MJF and Richard Holliday. The attack on Hart led to MJF and Holliday creating a faction called The Dynasty. Similar to MJF’s pairing with Aria Blake, the formation of The Dynasty allowed MJF to add another layer to his character. MJF now had like-minded people to interact with and bounce off of during interviews and matches. The arrogance displayed by The Dynasty reinforced MJF’s cocky demeanor and elevated his arrogance to another level.
#4: The Dynasty becomes Tag Team Champions
One of The Dynasty’s main feuds in MLW was with The Hart Foundation (Brian Pillman Jr., Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr.). These two teams consistently battled one another. One of the encounters that took place between these two factions was a ladder match for the MLW Tag Team Titles. MJF and Holliday ended up defeating Teddy Hart and Pillman to become MLW Tag Team Champions. This match allowed MJF to hold his second title for the company. The build-up to this match also told a fun and entertaining story in regards to MJF’s fears of heights, making the match that much more memorable.
#5: MJF’s final promo in MLW
MJF’s final match in MLW was against Mance Warner. Warner and MJF competed in an Empty Arena match, where the loser was forced to leave MLW. Prior to his match with Warner, MJF cut an intense promo letting Warner know that MJF could be as equally psychotic as Mance. One of MJF’s strongest attributes are his abilities on the microphone. This promo in particular stood out because MJF displayed a level of intensity that was very rare for his character. With his final words in MLW, MJF demonstrated that he was perfectly capable of delivering a wide range of emotions during his interviews.
What were some of your favorite moments of MJF in MLW? Let us know!