MJF Reflects on His Rivalry With CM Punk: "[He Was a] Mentor Through Hate"

As a dedicated fan of professional wrestling and a follower of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), I can confidently assert that Maxwell Jacob Friedman, or MJF for short, is the most captivating homegrown star AEW has ever produced. Having been a part of AEW since its inception in 2019, MJF’s meteoric rise to fame was evident from the get-go. With his immediate exposure and interactions with wrestling veterans such as Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho, it became clear that AEW had big plans for this young talent.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) has emerged as AEW’s most prominent homegrown talent since the promotion’s inception in 2019. From the start, AEW showcased MJF as part of their founding roster, indicating grand plans for his development. As AEW Dynamite premiered in Fall 2019, MJF mingled with established stars like Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho, boosting his own popularity. Through these experiences, MJF’s career continued to ascend until his high-profile feud against CM Punk solidified his status as a major player in AEW.

In the November 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite, Punk clashed with MJF, leading to an intricately woven and deeply personal five-month long storyline that AEW has created. During this period, MJF dealt Punk his initial defeat in AEW. However, at the AEW Revolution event in March 2022, Punk managed to secure his victory back.

MJF Reflects on His Feud With CM Punk

In his reflections, the self-declared exceptional talent expresses a bitter perspective towards his past competition with the Second City Saint.

In an interview on “Casual Conversations” with The Wrestling Classic, MJF referred to CM Punk as his “hate-filled mentor” when asked about his perspective towards his previous rival.

“I’d describe my mentors as two brilliant figures in the industry. Cody Rhodes is one of them, who guided me with love. The other mentor influenced me in a challenging way, through hatred or adversity.”

The MJF vs. Punk rivalry is considered one of the greatest wrestling feuds in recent history, but it may also become one of wrestling’s biggest missed opportunities. It seemed certain that their trilogy match would take place at AEW All Out 2022 with the AEW World Title up for grabs. However, Punk’s unexpected foot injury halted these plans, leading AEW to crown Jon Moxley as Interim Champion instead. When Punk was finally given the green light to compete just three weeks before AEW All Out, a hurried title match between Moxley and Punk ensued to decide an undisputed champion. MJF, who had been sidelined all summer following his “exit” from AEW, made his return at the end of the pay-per-view to challenge Punk for the AEW World Title.

Destiny had a sense of humor again, as Punk suffered a torn tricep during his bout with Moxley and was sidelined for the following nine months. Consequently, he lost his title. Meanwhile, MJF seized the opportunity to claim the AEW World Championship on his own.

In summer 2023, Punk rejoined AEW and carried his AEW World Championship title with him, declaring himself as the authentic world champion since he hadn’t lost the belt. The ultimate goal of this “real world champion” narrative appeared to be a unification match against MJF. However, before that plan materialized, Punk was let go from the company.

2024-07-24 21:41

MJF Reflects on His Rivalry With CM Punk: “[He Was a] Mentor Through Hate”

MJF Reflects on His Feud With CM Punk

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