Maxwell Tyler Friedman[5][6] was born into anAshkenazi Jewish family inPlainview, New York, on March 15, 1996.[7][8][9][10] At the age of five, he appeared on an episode ofThe Rosie O'Donnell Show that aired in 2001, singing "You Are My Sunshine" after his parents submitted a tape of him singing it in anoperatic 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 withRosie O'Donnell, Friedman said he aspired to be an opera singer and a professional wrestler, and thatGoldberg andThe Rock were his favorite wrestlers.[11][12]
Friedman was trained byBrian Myers andPat Buck,[16] and made his in-ring debut in their Create A Pro Wrestling Academy inHicksville, New York, on February 15, 2015, at age 18.[17] He also wrestled forCombat 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 forWWE Tough Enough to theirYouTube channel.[18] He also appeared as an onscreen security guard duringSamoa Joe's entrance atNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II in August 2016 during which he was pushed by Joe.[19]
Friedman worked under the new ring name Pete Lightning in several CZW Dojo Wars events since 2015, usually in tag team matches with Hous Blazer andPenelope Ford. On the September 7, 2016 edition of CZW Dojo Wars, he returned to his previous ring name Maxwell Jacob Friedman, he entered the Dramatic Destination Series tournament. On May 13, 2017, at CZW Sacrifices, Friedman defeated Johnny Yuma to win theCZW Wired Championship. He won his first title defense at CZW EVILution, defeatingTrevor Lee. He successfully retained the title in further singles matches against Mike Del, John Silver, and Ace Romero. On October 14 at CZW The Wolf of Wrestling, Friedman lost the CZW Wired title toJoey Janela. Two months later at CZW Cage of Death 19, Friedman won the title back after defeating Janela in a rematch.
Friedman returned on February 10, 2018, at CZW Nineteen, where he won the 27-Man Battle Royal to become the new number one contender for theCZW World Heavyweight Championship. He also successfully defended the CZW Wired Championship against Alex Colon on that date. There he defeated Rickey Shane Page to win the CZW World Heavyweight Championship for the first time, and surrendered the CZW Wired Championship on the same night. He would forfeit the title in November 2018 and make his final appearance on CZW.
On September 5, 2017, it was reported that Friedman signed a contract with the reinstatedMajor League Wrestling (MLW) to appear at its reunion eventOne Shot to compete in a match againstJimmy Yuta, which Friedman won. Friedman then became a member of the MLW roster as he continued his winning streak againstJoey Ryan at Never Say Never. MJF suffered his first loss in MLW againstBrody King at Zero Hour on January 11, 2018. He then participated in a tournament for the vacantWorld Heavyweight Championship atRoad To The World Championship, losing to the British wrestlerJimmy Havoc in the opening round. Friedman went on to defeatLance Anoa'i at Spring Break. He made hisFusion debut on the May 11 episode by defeatingFred Yehi. He continued his success with an upset win overMontel Vontavious Porter atIntimidation Games.
On July 29, MJF defeated Joey Ryan to become the first-everWorld Middleweight Champion at theBattle Riot special. Later that night, MJF participated in thenamesake match as the No. 38 entrant and was eliminated by the eventual winnerTom Lawlor.[20] On the August 10 episode ofFusion, MJF made his first title defense against Joey Janela in afalls count anywhere match, which he retained after Janela's on-screen girlfriend Aria Blake turned on Janela by hitting him in the head with a bottle. This led to Blake becoming MJF's valet. On the September 21 episode ofFusion, MJF and Blake defeated Joey Ryan andTaya Valkyrie in a mixed tag team match.[21] MJF made his second title defense of the World Middleweight Championship on the November 9 episode ofFusion, where he successfully defended the title against Jason Cade and Jimmy Yuta in a three-way elimination match. On November 25, Friedman revealed that he had suffered a fractured elbow with a recovery time of 4 to 6 weeks. MLW later announced that the Middleweight title has been stripped from Friedman due to him not being cleared in time for his scheduled title defense at MLW's live Fusion December 14 episode.[22]
MJF returned from his injury on the February 16, 2019 episode ofFusion, where he unsuccessfully challenged the new championTeddy Hart for the World Middleweight Championship. After the match,Richard Holliday joined MJF in attacking Hart.[23] As a result, the duo formed a team calledThe Dynasty and began feuding with theHart Foundation. They were shortly after joined by the newcomerAlexander Hammerstone. He later won theMLW World Tag Team Championship with Richard Holliday as part of the Dynasty.
He left the promotion in January 2020, but would wrestleMance Warner in a loser leaves town, empty arena match in April 2020.[24]
On June 26, 2025, atSummer of the Beasts, MJF returned to MLW after five years, where he attackedMístico, who he had been feuding with in AEW and CMLL.[25]
MJF during AEW's first-ever officially branded PPV,Double or Nothing, in 2019
MJF during one of the very first episodes ofAEW Dynamite in 2019
On January 7, 2019, it was announced that Friedman was signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) for a five-year deal.[26][27] The year before, he had wrestled the opening maincard match ofAll In, an event seen as a precursor to the formation of the company, defeatingMatt Cross.[28] He debuted as a heel atDouble or Nothing on May 25 as a part of the pre-showCasino Battle Royale for anAEW World Championship opportunity. He lasted until the final two, before being eliminated byAdam Page.[29] Friedman went on to compete in a four-way match against Page, Jimmy Havoc and Jungle Boy atFyter Fest on June 29, which Page also won.[30] The following month atFight for the Fallen on July 13, he teamed withShawn Spears andSammy Guevara to defeat Havoc,Darby Allin, and Joey Janela in a six-man tag team match.[31]
On the first episode ofDynamite on October 2, Friedman defeated Brandon Cutler by submission.[32] The following week onDynamite, Friedman intervened in the attack of his "best friend"Cody byInner Circle, attackingSantana and Ortiz with a steel chair seemingly turning face.[33] AtFull Gear on November 9, he accompanied Cody in his AEW World Championship match againstChris Jericho. Cody lost the match after MJFthrew in the towel when he was caught in theLiontamer and as a result, Cody was no longer allowed to challenge for the AEW World Championship again due to a pre-match stipulation. After the match, MJF turned heel on Cody by giving him alow blow and walked away.[34] Shortly thereafter, MJF found abodyguard in the debutingWardlow.[35] On the November 20 episode ofDynamite, MJF and Adam Page were the final two entrants in the inauguralDynamite Dozen Battle Royale.[36] The two met in a singles match on theThanksgiving Evespecial episode on November 27, which MJF won.Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) then awarded him the Dynamite Diamond Ring as a prize for defeating Page.[37] On January 15, 2020, atBash at the Beach, MJF teamed withThe Butcher and The Blade to defeat DDP,Dustin Rhodes andQ. T. Marshall.[38] MJF rekindled his rivalry with Cody, and laid down three stipulations that Cody must follow to gain a match against him atRevolution on February 29 which included not touching MJF till the match happened, facing Wardlow in asteel cage match and receiving ten lashes by MJF on live TV.[39] On the February 5 episode ofDynamite, Cody took the ten lashes from MJF, including one from Wardlow.[40] Cody then went on to beat Wardlow in the first steel cage match in AEW's history on the February 19 episode ofDynamite to make the match against MJF at Revolution official.[41] At Revolution, MJF defeated Cody by pinfall after hitting him on the face with theDynamite Diamond Ring.[42] MJF then entered a feud withJungle Boy, defeating him atDouble or Nothing on May 23 with a roll-up.[43] On the May 27 episode ofDynamite, MJF unsuccessfully competed in abattle royal to face Cody for theAEW TNT Championship, being eliminated by Jungle Boy.[44] AtFyter Fest on July 29, MJF and Wardlow were defeated by Jungle Boy andLuchasaurus. MJF then moved onto a feud withJon Moxley, campaigning against Moxley's championship reign and decreed that fans deserved a better champion.[45] The two faced atAll Out on September 5, where MJF was defeated, marking his first loss in a singles match.[46]
On the October 28 episode ofDynamite, Chris Jericho and MJF agreed to wrestle each other atFull Gear on November 7 during a confrontational "Town Hall Meeting" withEric Bischoff.[47][48] Should MJF win, he would join Jericho's Inner Circle.[47][48] The previous week, Jericho and MJF had participated in "Le Dinner Debonair", a meeting over asteak dinner during which Jericho and MJF performed a modified rendition of "Me and My Shadow".[49] JournalistWesley Morris later named the performance one of the "Best Performances of 2020" in an article published byThe New York Times.[50] At Full Gear, MJF, along with Wardlow, became members of The Inner Circle after he pinned Jericho.[51][52] On the November 11 episode ofDynamite, MJF appeared for the first time as a member of The Inner Circle, where he gave a speech talking the struggles he overcame to get this far in wrestling, and then brought out a surprise birthday party for Jericho, the group's leader, which involved free tickets to Las Vegas and leading the crowd in a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday".[53] On December 2, atWinter Is Coming, MJF once again became a contender for a Dynamite Diamond Ring after he andOrange Cassidy were the final two entrants in the secondDynamite Dozen Battle Royale.[54] On the December 9 episode ofDynamite, MJF won his second Diamond Ring after pinning Cassidy.[55]
On the January 20, 2021 episode ofDynamite, atag team battle royal was announced forBeach Break, with the winners getting anAEW World Tag Team Championship match againstThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) atRevolution on March 7. The Young Bucks also participated and had they won, they could have chosen their opponents.[56] Jericho last eliminatedDante Martin of Top Flight to win the battle royal, earning himself and MJF a title match at Revolution. On the February 10 episode ofDynamite, following weeks of growing tension between MJF and Guevara, Guevara attacked MJF following a backstage confrontation, which gave MJF a kayfabe rib injury. Later on in the episode, following MJF and Jericho's victory against The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens andMax Caster) in atag team match, Guevara announced his departure from The Inner Circle.[57] In the lead-up to their match at Revolution, MJF and Jericho attacked The Young Bucks' father, Papa Buck, and bloodied him backstage, vowing to take the titles off them. At Revolution, however, MJF and Jericho were defeated by The Young Bucks.[58]
On the March 10 episode ofDynamite, MJF was kicked out from The Inner Circle after it was revealed that he was secretly planning to perform a coup of the group. However, he then revealed that he had been building his own group with Wardlow, Shawn Spears,Tully Blanchard andFTR (Cash Wheeler andDax Harwood), who appeared and violently attacked The Inner Circle.[59] The stable would come to be known asThe Pinnacle.[60] AtBlood and Guts on May 5, The Pinnacle defeated The Inner Circle in the inauguralBlood and Guts match.[61] AtDouble or Nothing on May 30, The Pinnacle lost to The Inner Circle in a Stadium Stampede match.[62] AtAll Out on September 5, MJF faced once again Jericho, with Jericho's career on the line. After a false victory for MJF, in which refereeAubrey Edwards counted the pin for MJF but did not see Jericho's foot placed on the rope, the match was restarted and Jericho forced MJF to submit to the "Walls of Jericho", losing for the first time against Jericho.[63]
On the November 17 episode ofDynamite, MJF began a feud withCM Punk, after Punk interrupted his promo. On the February 2, 2022 episode ofDynamite, MJF became the first person to defeat Punk in AEW and also the first person to defeat him in a televised match since 2014.[64][65] During the match, which was held in Punk's hometown ofChicago,Illinois, MJF scored a pinfall over Punk after Wardlow provided a ringside distraction and handed MJF his Dynamite Diamond Ring, which he then hit Punk with.[65][64] On March 6 atRevolution, Wardlow, who began developing tension with MJF in December 2021,[66] turned on MJF and helped Punk defeat him in aDog Collar match by handing Punk the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which Punk then struck MJF with.[67] On the May 18 episode ofDynamite, Wardlow, as part of a set of contract stipulations which would make him able to wrestle MJF, was lashed 10 times by MJF.[68] The following week onDynamite, Wardlow completed the final stipulation which guaranteed him a match with MJF at the upcomingDouble or Nothing on May 29 by defeating Shawn Spears insteel cage match, with MJF serving as the special referee and being unsuccessful in his effort to cost Wardlow the match after Spears accidentally knocked him out;[69] should Wardlow win, he would be officially released from his contract with MJF, but would be banned from obtaining a new AEW contract and be required to remain under MJF's employment should he lose.[70] At Double or Nothing, MJF lost to Wardlow after tenpowerbombs, MJF's firstclean loss in singles action in AEW.[71]
During the Double or Nothing weekend of May, MJFlegitimately no-showed a fan fest.[72] This came after months of rumors about the backstage tension between MJF and AEW ownerTony Khan about MJF's contract and payment he felt he should have, as well as doing an interview withAriel Helwani without telling management.[73] On the June 1 episode ofDynamite, MJF cut aworked shoot promo about not being respected by the fans and Khan.[74] The segment ended with MJF demanding to be fired by Khan, calling Khan a "fuckingmark", his microphone being cut off, quickly fading to commercial, and the commentators not referencing the situation after the break.[74][75] The next day, his profile was removed from AEW's website and his merchandise was pulled on AEW's merchandise site as part of the storyline.[76][77]
MJF made his return to AEW programming atAll Out on September 4. Wearing a mask, he won theCasino Ladder match as the "joker" entrant with the help ofStokely Hathaway, securing himself a future shot for the AEW World Championship. He was revealed to be the person behind the mask at the end of the event, when he came out and stared down the newly crowned AEW World Champion CM Punk on the entrance stage.[78]On the September 14 episode ofDynamite, MJF introduced his faction, The Firm, led by Stokely Hathaway. This new faction was considered as MJF's "Support System" and when they were not supporting MJF, all of the members in The Firm would do their own thing.[79] However, on the October 26 episode ofDynamite, MJF was attacked by The Firm, after he had fired Hathaway for disobeying his orders not to attack AEW World ChampionJon Moxley because he wanted Moxley at 100% for their title match atFull Gear on November 19. At Full Gear, MJF defeated Moxley after usingWilliam Regal's signature brass knuckles. Regal slid them into the ring for MJF, helping to make him the youngest AEW World Champion in the history of the company.[80] On the November 30 episode ofDynamite, MJF discarded the standard AEW World Championship belt, calling it trash, and unveiled his own custom version, which he dubbed Triple-B, the "Big Burberry Belt". It features the exact same design as the standard belt; however, the leather strap is brown and fashioned inBurberry's trademarkcheck pattern to match MJF's signature Burberry scarf.[81][82] Later in the segment, MJF turned on Regal by attacking him, causing him to be taken to a nearby hospital thus ending their partnership.[83]
On the July 5 episode ofDynamite, MJF and Adam Cole were teamed together to participate in atournament to receive anAEW World Tag Team Championship match on the July 29, 2023 episode ofCollision.[93] The two men would form a strong friendship and bond in various matches, segments, and skits over the next few weeks and MJF would show signs of a face turn. They won the tournament, defeating TheJericho Appreciation Society (Daniel Garcia andSammy Guevara) in the finals.[94] However, they would lose their title match toFTR. After the match, MJF in frustration would tease hitting Adam Cole with the AEW World Championship but eventually tossed the championship aside and embraced Cole in a hug, turningface for the first time in AEW and in his entire career. Despite the loss, MJF would grant Cole his rematch in the main event ofAll In: London on August 27 while also challengingAussie Open to a match for theROH World Tag Team Championship on All In: Zero Hour. At All In, MJF would both successfully defend the AEW World Championship against Cole and win the ROH World Tag Team Championship with Cole, making MJF a double champion.[95][96] AtAll Out on September 3, MJF and Cole successfully defended the ROH Tag Titles against The Dark Order; on his way to the back, MJF was pushed byROH World Television ChampionSamoa Joe, leading to a brawl.[97] Joe would win an Eliminator tournament to earn a shot against MJF for the AEW World Championship atGrand Slam on September 20; before Joe's tournament final match againstRoderick Strong on the September 13 episode ofDynamite, MJF cut a promo that referenced the infamous "Scott Steiner math" promo that Steiner cut against Joe beforeTNA Sacrifice.[98] At Grand Slam, MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Samoa Joe.[99]
AtWrestleDream on October 1, MJF successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team titles against The Righteous (Dutch andVincent) in ahandicap match after Cole suffered a legitimatebroken ankle.[100] On October 25 episode ofDynamite, MJF successfully defended the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the fifth time againstJuice Robinson. After the match, MJF was challenged byKenny Omega to an AEW Championship match on the October 28 edition ofCollision which MJF accepted.[101] OnCollision, MJF successfully defended the title against Omega.[102] On November 8 episode ofDynamite, MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Daniel Garcia.[103] On October 30, it was announced that MJF and a mystery partner would defend the tag title againstThe Gunns (Austin Gunn andColten Gunn) during theFull Gear Zero Hour pre-show on November 18.[104] He was offered by Samoa Joe to be his partner in exchange for a future AEW World Championship match, but MJF declined until the November 17 episode ofRampage when he accepted after Joe saved him from a beat down.[105] At Full Gear, MJF would both successfully defend the AEW World Championship againstJay White and the ROH Tag Titles with Joe against The Gunns, although MJF suffered a minor leg injury.[106] On the following episode ofDynamite, MJF said he would defend the AEW World Championship against Joe that night, but Joe declined, opting to challenge MJF at theWorlds End pay-per-view on December 30 instead. On the December 27 episode ofDynamite: New Years Smash, MJF and Samoa Joe were scheduled to defend the ROH World Tag Team Championship against The Devil's Masked Men, but an apparently injured Samoa Joe was shown backstage, causing MJF to unsuccessfully defend the titles on his own. After being defeated by the Masked Men, MJF was attacked before being saved by Joe. However, it was revealed that Joe feigned the injury and had been working with the Devil to set MJF up, after which, Joe hit MJF with a steel chair and delivered a muscle buster.[107] At Worlds End, MJF lost the AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe, ending his reign at 406 days. After the match, MJF was attacked by Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Wardlow, who revealed themselves as The Devil's Masked Men, with Adam Cole revealing himself as the Devil.[108] After the event, it was reported that MJF would be taking some time off due to injuries.[109]
AtDouble or Nothing on May 26, 2024, MJF returned after nearly a hiatus of five months by attacking Adam Cole and revealing that he had re-signed with AEW.[110] After a mini feud withRush, who MJF defeated on the June 19 episode ofDynamite, MJF turned heel by attacking Daniel Garcia atBeach Break special episode ofDynamite on July 3.[111][112][113] AtDynamite 250 on July 17, MJF defeatedWill Ospreay and won theAEW International Championship for the first time, in a match that finished only seconds short of the sixty-minute time limit.[114] AtBlood & Guts on July 24, MJF unofficially renamed the International Championship to the AEW American Championship with a brand new belt design that featured the colors of theAmerican flag and would successfully defend the title inConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre againstTemplario andRevolution Pro Wrestling againstMichael Oku.[115][116][117] On August 25 atAll In: London, MJF lost the title back to Ospreay after interference from a returning Daniel Garcia, ending his reign at 39 days.[118] On September 7 atAll Out, MJF defeated Garcia.[119] On October 12 atWrestleDream, MJF made his return after a brief hiatus and attempted to attack Garcia, but would be chased off by a returning Adam Cole, reigniting their feud. On November 23 atFull Gear, MJF defeated Cole'sUndisputed Kingdom stablemate Roderick Strong.[120] On December 28 atWorlds End, MJF successfully defended his Dynamite Diamond Ring against Cole, ending their feud.[121] After defeating Cole, MJF began a feud with"Hangman" Adam Page, who MJF lost to atRevolution on March 9, 2025.[122][123]
On the March 12 episode ofDynamite, MJF was offered byMVP to joinThe Hurt Syndicate, but would be rejected by membersBobby Lashley andShelton Benjamin two weeks later.[124][125] Over the next following weeks, MJF would continue to attempt to join the group by attempting to impress Lashley and Benjamin by offering various gifts and assisting the duo in retaining their AEW World Tag Team Championships on April 6 atDynasty againstThe Learning Tree (Big Bill andBryan Keith), but would continue to be rejected.[126][127][128] However, after viciously attacking Top Flight (Dante Martin andDarius Martin) on the May 7 episode of theDynamite, MJF was accepted into the group the following week atDynamite: Beach Break with an official contract signing being held the week after.[129][130][131] MJF then began a feud with CMLL'sMístico, leading to a match atGrand Slam Mexico on June 18, where MJF hit Místico with alow blow, causing adisqualification. After the match, MJF continued to attack Místico and unmasked him.[132][133] On July 2 atDynamite 300, MJF won a four-way match to earn the number two entrant in theCasino Gauntlet match atAll In: Texas on July 12 and would go on to win the match at the event, earning a shot at the AEW World Championship at any time he wants.[134][135] After All In: Texas, MJF was kicked out of The Hurt Syndicate due to his selfish attitude on the August 6 episode ofDynamite after weeks of tension.[136][137][138]
On August 13 episode ofDynamite, MJF was tricked by AEW World Champion"Hangman" Adam Page into executing his Casino Gauntlet Contract for the title at Forbidden Door. However, on the August 20 episode ofDynamite, MJF had kidnappedMark Briscoe with help fromRicochet andGates of Agony. Threatening to burn Briscoe, MJF made Page agree their title match will happen without MJF's contract being used and that the title can change hands on count-out or disqualification. AtForbidden Door on August 24, MJF was unsuccessful against Page for the AEW World Championship, and due to his actions he must give one week of advance notice in executing his contract moving forward.[139] After Forbidden Door, MJF continued to feud with Mark Briscoe, which ended atAll Out on September 20, where MJF was defeated by Briscoe in aTables 'n' Tacks match.[140] After All Out, MJF went on hiatus in order to filmViolent Night 2.[141][142]
Friedman's character has been described byThe New York Times as "partheel, part tool ... and partgoodfella wannabe".[50] Many people within the wrestling industry have praised him for his aggressive villainous character, largely due to his ability toblur the line between storylines and reality; he often insults fans and other non-professional wrestling celebrities on social media,[147][148] and fellow wrestlerDasher Hatfield praised him for being able to "walk on the edge" and be a "heel without people calling him racist or homophobic".[149] He has also been praised for his professionalism and skill, despite his young age, by the likes ofJim Ross,Jim Cornette,Tommy Dreamer andChris Jericho.[150][151][152][153]
Friedman began dating artist Naomi Rosenblum in 2020, and they were engaged in September 2022,[154] but had broken up by February 2023.[155] He started dating Canadian media personalityAlicia Atout in November 2023, who is ofPalestinian ancestry.[156] They married on September 5, 2025.[157]
In a statement toThe Players' Tribune, in relation to theGaza war, Friedman said he did not "support terrorism,Zionism,genocide [and] genocidal governments, dead innocent Palestinians [and] dead innocent Israelis [...] And I’m sick thatHamas, a literal terrorist organization, has fans on this side of the world".[158]
MJF as the Limitless Wrestling World Champion in 2019MJF with the "AEW American Championship", his custom version of the AEW International Championship
^When MJF won the title on July 17, 2024, the title was named the AEW International Championship. On July 24, 2024, the title was rebranded to the AEW American Championship
^Meltzer, Dave (February 2023). "February 2023 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Results of the 2022 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards".Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
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