Maxwell Tyler Friedman (born March 15, 1996) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Maxwell Jacob Friedman and the initials MJF. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current holder of the Men's Casino Gauntlet contract. He is a one-time AEW World Champion, with his reign being the longest in the title's history, and is also a one-time AEW International Champion. He also makes appearances in AEW's partner promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where he is a former CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion.
Friedman previously worked for Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he became a one-time MLW World Tag Team Champion and a one-time and inaugural MLW World Middleweight Champion. He has also worked on the American independent circuit for promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), where he became a one-time CZW World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time CZW Wired Champion.
Maxwell Tyler Friedman was born into an Ashkenazi Jewish family in Plainview, New York, on March 15, 1996. At the age of five, he appeared on an episode of The Rosie O'Donnell Show that aired in 2001, singing "You Are My Sunshine" after his parents submitted a tape of him singing it in an operatic style while eating a pear. After a video of his performance resurfaced in 2019, it was referenced as part of a wrestling storyline. During his interview with Rosie O'Donnell, Friedman said he aspired to be an opera singer and a professional wrestler, and that Goldberg and The Rock were his favorite wrestlers.
Friedman grew up as a religious Jew, having had his "original" Bar mitzvah in 2009. Friedman graduated in 2014 from Plainview – Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School where he was a member of the football team. He briefly attended Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York.
Friedman was trained by Brian Myers and Pat Buck, and made his in-ring debut in their Create A Pro Wrestling Academy in Hicksville, New York, on February 15, 2015, at age 18. He also wrestled for Combat Zone Wrestling and Five Borough Wrestling during his debut year and went on to appear in numerous promotions across the northeastern independent wrestling circuit. In April 2015, WWE uploaded his entry for WWE Tough Enough to their YouTube channel. He also appeared as an onscreen security guard during Samoa Joe's entrance at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II in August 2016 during which he was pushed by Joe.
Friedman wrestled in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) from 2015 to 2018. On April 10, 2016, he won the CZW Wired Championship, his first title in professional wrestling. He lost the title to Johnny Yuma the following month. At CZW Sacrifices in May 2017, he won the CZW World Heavyweight Championship. He held the title until July, when he lost it to Davey Richards. He then regained the Wired Championship in December before losing it again in February 2018 to Zachary Wentz.
Friedman debuted in Major League Wrestling (MLW) on October 5, 2017, at MLW One Shot, where he defeated Jimmy Lloyd. In July 2018, at Battle Riot, he won the MLW World Middleweight Championship by defeating Joey Ryan, becoming the inaugural champion. He held the title until December when he lost it to Teddy Hart. Friedman would later form The Dynasty stable with Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone. In June 2019, he and Holliday won the MLW World Tag Team Championship. They lost the belts in November to the Von Erichs. Friedman's contract with MLW expired in January 2020.
In January 2019, it was reported that Friedman had signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He made his AEW debut at Double or Nothing on May 25, 2019, participating in the pre-show Casino Battle Royale. Later that night, he confronted Bret Hart during Hart's presentation of the AEW World Championship belt. Friedman quickly established himself as a heel, aligning with Cody Rhodes while insulting fans and other wrestlers. At the Full Gear pay-per-view in November, Friedman turned on Cody by throwing in the towel during Cody's match with Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship, and then attacking Cody afterward. This began a months-long feud between Friedman and Cody.
Friedman defeated Cody at Revolution on February 29, 2020, after Wardlow, his bodyguard, interfered. He remained undefeated in singles competition until All Out in September 2020, where he unsuccessfully challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship.
In March 2021, Friedman betrayed Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle, forming his own faction known as The Pinnacle, consisting of Wardlow, Shawn Spears, Cash Wheeler, and Dax Harwood. The Pinnacle feuded with The Inner Circle for several months. At AEW Blood and Guts in May, The Pinnacle defeated The Inner Circle in a WarGames-style match. At Double or Nothing later that month, The Inner Circle defeated The Pinnacle in a Stadium Stampede match. The feud continued with various singles and tag matches throughout 2021.
In late 2021, Friedman began feuding with CM Punk, who had recently returned to wrestling and signed with AEW. On the November 17 episode of Dynamite, Punk interrupted Friedman, refusing to shake his hand. The two exchanged promos over the following weeks. On February 2, 2022, Friedman handed Punk his first loss in AEW, defeating him twice in his hometown of Chicago with the help of Wardlow. The feud culminated in a Dog Collar match at Revolution on March 6, where Punk defeated Friedman after Wardlow gave Punk his diamond ring to use as a weapon. This match received critical acclaim.
Following his loss to Punk, Friedman began feuding with Wardlow, blaming him for his losses and refusing to release him from his contract. The feud escalated over the next several months, leading to a match at Double or Nothing on May 29, 2022, where Wardlow defeated Friedman in dominant fashion. This was Friedman's last appearance for several months, amid reports of real-life contract disputes with AEW.
Friedman returned at All Out on September 4, 2022, disguised as a masked entrant in the Casino Ladder Match, which he won, earning a future AEW World Championship match. He was later revealed as the mystery man and confronted champion CM Punk at the end of the show. However, Punk was stripped of the title days later due to suspension, delaying Friedman's opportunity.
At Full Gear on November 19, 2022, Friedman challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. During the match, William Regal betrayed Moxley by sliding brass knuckles to Friedman, who used them to win the title. This marked Friedman's first AEW World Championship reign. He subsequently aligned with Regal, though Regal was written off television weeks later after an attack by MJF.
Friedman defended the title against Ricky Starks at Winter Is Coming on December 14, 2022, and against Bryan Danielson in a 60-minute Iron Man match at Revolution on March 5, 2023, which he won 4–3 in sudden death overtime. The match received widespread praise and is considered one of the best in AEW history.
In mid-2023, Friedman began a storyline with Adam Cole after the two wrestled to a time-limit draw on Dynamite. Despite initial animosity, they gradually formed a reluctant partnership and later became close friends. They entered the AEW Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament, which they won, earning a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championship. At All In on August 27, 2023, Friedman and Cole defeated Aussie Open to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship during the Zero Hour pre-show. Later that night, Friedman successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Cole in the main event. After the match, the two embraced, cementing their friendship.
On October 1 at WrestleDream, Friedman and Cole were scheduled to defend the ROH World Tag Team Championship against The Righteous. However, due to Cole suffering a legitimate ankle injury, Friedman wrestled alone and retained the titles. The team was forced to vacate the titles in October due to Cole's injury.
In the weeks following WrestleDream, Friedman began feuding with Jay White, who stole his AEW World Championship belt. White and his Bullet Club Gold allies tormented Friedman, leading to a title match at Full Gear on November 18, 2023. Friedman retained the championship in the main event, despite interference attempts by White's stablemates. After the match, Friedman was attacked by Samoa Joe, who demanded the next title shot.
At Worlds End on December 30, 2023, Friedman lost the AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe, ending his reign at 406 days, the longest in the title's history. After the match, Friedman was attacked by The Devil and his masked associates, who were later revealed to be Adam Cole and his new faction, Undisputed Kingdom. This angle wrote Friedman off television to recover from legitimate injuries, including a torn labrum and hip issues.
Friedman made his return at All In on August 25, 2024, confronting Adam Cole and Undisputed Kingdom. He declared his intention to reclaim the AEW World Championship and reignite his feud with Cole.
In October 2024, Friedman began appearing for AEW's partner promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico. On October 4 at CMLL's 91st Anniversary Show, he defeated Atlantis Jr. to win the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title back to Atlantis Jr. on September 13, 2024, ending his reign at 344 days.
Friedman is known for his old-school heel persona, often insulting fans, opponents, and even children during his promos and interactions. He frequently incorporates Jewish references into his character, such as wearing a scarf patterned after a tallit and referencing his Bar Mitzvah. He has cited Roddy Piper, Chris Jericho, and CM Punk as inspirations for his promo style. Despite his villainous persona, Friedman has been praised for his charisma, mic skills, and ability to generate crowd reactions.
Friedman has appeared on the reality competition series The Titan Games in 2019, hosted by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He has also been featured in AEW's video game, AEW Fight Forever, released in 2023.
Friedman is Jewish and has often incorporated aspects of his heritage into his wrestling persona. He is engaged to his longtime girlfriend, whom he proposed to in 2022. Outside of wrestling, he has expressed interest in acting and comedy, frequently posting comedic videos on social media.