MJF Talks Insults, Wrestling Psychology, and Being Better Than You
73m 14s
Adam Friedland hosts a comedic, self-deprecating interview with AEW’s reigning heavyweight champion, MJF, blending satire, personal story, and wrestling lore. Friedland mocks his own appearance and persona while framing the encounter as a clash of personalities—highlighting MJF’s aggressive, confrontational style against traditional, heroic wrestling archetypes. The conversation traces Friedland’s own wrestling fandom back to pivotal matches like the Hell in a Cell bout between Mick Foley and The Undertaker, which deeply influenced his passion. Central themes include the cultural power of wrestling catchphrases, such as “I’m better than you and you know it,” which have permeated youth culture and everyday life. AEW is presented as a more authentic, emotionally resonant alternative to WWE, rooted in raw storytelling, real drama, and fan-driven energy. The exchange also reveals the deep emotional investment fans have in wrestling narratives, where personal stakes and emotional vulnerability create a unique bond between wrestlers and audiences. Amid fictionalized family drama and absurd claims—like Friedland’s fabricated story of his mother sleeping with everyone at the company—there’s a clear celebration of wrestling’s unfiltered, passionate, and often chaotic spirit. The interaction ultimately underscores how wrestling transcends sport, becoming a cultural force rooted in authenticity, community, and personal identity.
What you're asking me to do right now is the equivalent to, okay, you're out on a bar. And you tell this girl, you're a comedian. And what is the first thing that the dominoid girl asks you to do? Have sex with her. No. Tell me a joke. No. She says tell me a joke. All right. Well, when it comes to Adam Friedland, this dumb, disgusting, sniveling heap with a moustache and warts all over his face, four eyed piece of s*** is going to go down. Adam Friedland, what are you up to today, okay, so that I'm like, dude, I hate you like so much. Tell you. You just s***ing suck. Yeah. All right. No, dude, you're s***ing killing it. I'm going to punch you so hard. Right in the face. Your mom has s***s with every single guy at the company, even the guys they clean the bathrooms. Okay. And then just guys that live like near the building. S***. S***. Second of all. S***. S***. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Adam Friedland show I'm host Adam Friedland. It's a new thing. It's a new thing. I'm host Adam Friedland. End of next week, the 17th, 18th Tampa Florida side splitters comedy club. Please come. It's a really fun club. I forgot to mention pretty much for two months that I'm going to be in Tampa, Florida. End of next week, the 17th and 18th right, it's going to be a blast. Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, Portland, Oregon. Four days to be added, go to Adam Friedland show. My guest this week is reigning AEW heavyweight champion of the world, Maxwell, Jacob Friedman or MJF for short. He's a wrestler, folks, but before prepping for this interview, I didn't know anything about the world of wrestling. Violence and gore has never been my thing. If you've asked me to name a professional wrestler, as opposed to what I said, Jesse, the body of Ventura, who I, of course, know, is a former governor, the 32nd state, Minio Sota. Remember, you said the people of Minio Sota always eager to learn. I dove headfirst into the world of professional wrestling and what I found shocked me. Now, I'm not sure if AEW is aware of this, but MJF is a potty map. He says foul things. And I was under the impression that wrestlers are like superheroes or firefighters. Things do exist for little boys to look up to, to his wife. In that regard, MJF is a massive failure. He insults people. He's rude and he seems to have little to no respect for his opponents in the ring. And this is why, in preparation, my employees have prepared a list of insults. Is that correct, boys? Crafted, especially to hurt me, in an effort to harden my heart before I sit down to face off with one of the meanest guys that's ever been on TV. All right, go ahead. Your mama is so ugly, your dad takes her to work with him every day, so he doesn't have to kiss her goodbye. I used to be called a "jumpaline" before your mama got on it. Yo mama is so poor she eats cereal with a fork to save milk. Yo mama is so old to save milk. She really uses the milk as soggy, yeah, she has soggy, did you hear about the gay Polish guy? He slept with women. Like, he's opposite, he likes opposites. Okay, I think I'm ready for this episode. Please enjoy Maxwell, Jacob, Friedman, let's do the ads. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor to welcome the champion of all elite wrestling. He's also an actor. He's also Jewish, M-J-E-F. Here we go, baby, two Jews about to chop it up. Can you believe this? I'm just fantastic. Right here, buddy. Right here. Jamie, great. This, you, you, well, yeah, let's rock out a little bit. Yeah. Wow. Wow. Best theme song in wrestling. That's the best theme song in the world. Oh, hands down. It's not even close. And at all time, you think? Probably at all time. Yeah. You know? That, you know. And so the glass breaking. I mean, great. What, you want me to sit here and pretend? That's not great. To turn. To turn. Yeah, I mean, fantastic. That's iconic. But like, but that has become iconic of this generation. You're, you're still, you know, you're a young man. I mean, young man, but Hall of Fame career already. Your career, like, you will have an iconic, like, when you hit. Who's music is that? Yeah. Well, that bass drops. Yeah, yeah. And they will know that, like, the fart sounding kind of guy. Oh. It's Mr. Fart. It's Mr. Fart sounding man, Jeff. It's the Howard's third character fart man. Yeah. There you go. No. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming. Have a pass over. Hoxeman. Congratulations. Now, two time champions. Absolutely. This is the way. I'm going to move it. Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. Actually, that was great. Great. So, who makes these things? Have we, like. I have no, some, some, you know, poor, shlucky looking guy. And are these real diamonds? Real diamonds, real gold, platinum gold. Have you had it, somebody with a, like, you know, that tester thing? I have not done the tester, but my, my, my comfort, like, the company itself, all he wrestling has done the tester, because they paid a wide margin of money for this world championship. Did they go to the diamond this year? They. That I don't know. I can't speak up. There's some uncut gems. It's kind of like. You have your belt right here. Yeah. It's. Well, I can tell you this. The person who made this belt, not a Jew, you know? This is, this is probably a guy from, like, Arkansas or Alabama that does, like, leather work. But then, as far as the jewels go. Okay. Thank you. That is where we came in. Yeah. No, no, no. This is not a gem time. You've got diamonds for the guy from Arkansas. No, no, no, no, no. What? Diamonds from Arkansas? No, no, no. No, these aren't focac de diamonds. They're not a fougaisian. No fougaisian. No fougaisian. Yeah, no fougac. Yeah. I've had a great time researching for this because, like, I obviously was. I was super interested in growing up and then kind of like. It ended maybe the attitude there. You're younger than me. You're 30, correct? 30 on the nose. So, I'm 38. So, you missed kind of everything great. I missed a lot of the cool shit. And then, when I came into the play, it was called the ruthless aggression era. So, you're talking about your John Cena's, your Kurt Angles. You know, Randy Orden, these were the guys. Brock Lesnar. Was that also known as the PG era? It was also part of the PG era, which is why I invoked it. They invoked it. What's that? They evoked it. Yeah, they tried to evoke it. They evoked it up. They evoked it up. They evoked it. They evoked it. Yeah, yeah. It's still a little PG now. But, like, for me, that's why when I was a kid, I gravitated towards a lot of the old school. Traditional stuff. Like, your Rick Flairs of the World, your Roddy Pipers of the World. And I fell into just a rabbit hole of old school '80s territory wrestling. Because I was like, oh, this is cool. Why can't it be cool? And then, AEW came along and I was like, I can make the thing. Like, what my vision is for pro wrestling. I'm given the leash to try to, you know, throw that out there. And that's what I'm doing now. So, that was your thought process in choosing AEW. Absolutely. I mean, WWE, you have the freedom in the agency. Yes, absolutely. And, you know, WWE was very interested in me when I was, gosh, I think 21 or 22 at the time. And AEW was just starting out. It wasn't even a thing yet. But, after talking to Tony Khan, my boss, I was like, I think this place is going to understand me and understand, like, what I think professional wrestling can and should be. Yeah, you know, so they call it what the 203 call, right? Really getting the 203 call? What's the 203 call from Connecticut? From Connecticut. Ah, that's cute. Yeah, some people say Connecticut. Some people say the New York call. The New York call. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's not New York. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not in New York at all. Oh, sorry. Rot-row. Fuck. Okay. All right. Give me a second. Sorry. Oh, okay. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Okay. What's going on? My mic? Can we keep this in the blooper reel? Just give me a second. Don't cut. The thing about poor people from Vegas is, you know, it's going to take time for them to adapt when they make it big. This is a big deal for him. He's interviewing the world champion. The lights don't work anymore. [Laughter] Very nice. Very nice. Wow. The problem is, you look more like a ranch hand. [Laughter] What the hell? You're a rabbi. A rabbi? Yeah, that's another one. You're just missing the bass off. Okay. I got to tell you something. Like, literally, I'm not lying. That was a, that was a, for effort, I would say of C minus. But you gave your all in my stomach. The butterflies. Yeah? Oh, I'm bouncing. You ascended. The light's cut. The bell? [Laughter] How do you feel right now? I want to choke slamming you so much.
- No, man. (laughing) I wouldn't do 'em so in pile drive you. I just want combat. - No, okay. - So cool, you get to do that. - It's fun, it's a really good time. - And they scream. - For me, they boo quite loudly for some reason. 'Cause I think I'm a great guy. - No, you've crossed that threshold. - A little bit. - You've got that thing, the rock hat, where he was like, he said it, not me. - Where it's like, you're so good at it that they love being a dick. - I gotta say, the first time I became aware of you is I have a group of friends who all live outside the city. And they were all those guys that they all went to rehab together. So they've been like-- - So clearly they're wrestling fans. - So yes, exactly. They've been sober since they were like, you know, like 20, so they have to get into baby stuff so they can't do drugs in it. - Sure. - To stop them from doing drugs. And so it was like Thursday and they were like, oh, smackdowns on it. I was like, I haven't watched this. It's been so long and I watch. And I guess I just didn't-- I'm gonna be a boomer for a second, but I feel like in my generation, we just had the brief had stone cold and we had the rock. And we had just like, it was exhilarating. I was like, who are the new guys like that? And I just didn't connect, right? I saw that there was like Roman Reigns and a bunch of Sommel and guys were like, they had a frat and then some kind of Sami, they were like being mean to 'em. - Sami Zayn. And I was like, I'm just not connecting with this. And then we switched to AEW afterwards. And I saw you and I was like, this is the only, this guy is a fucking star. And you're looking at the schmucks in the audience and you're like, you're poor. - Yeah. - And they are, that's the same thing. - And you're like, look at me and I'm a fancy man. You're poor and I'm stronger than you, the catchphrase. Let's go through that. What is your catchphrase? - My name is Maxwell, Jacob Friedman. I'm better than you and you know it. - I'm better than you and you know it. - And it's effective. Can I give you a couple of notes? - Please. - Okay. You need something that enters the cultural zeitgeist. - Sure. - When DX did two words suck it, it caused an epidemic in middle school. - Oh, children just pointed out your crutches. - Absolutely. - We were just to teachers, I mean there were, there were parent meetings about it. Suck it still in the cultural vernacular. - Yeah. - People don't even realize that. - Yeah, they don't even know what it's from. - Yeah. - What I'll say is we have a guy in our company who's Brian Danielson and he would do this yes champ. And now you see it all the time at the islanders game. And people don't even realize it's a wrestling thing. Can of whoopass, that's everywhere. Right? - Jebroni, I don't know. - Jebroni, did you come up with Jebroni? - Jebroni is originally the Iron Cheek said Jebroni. The rock heard him say it. He loved it and then he started doing it on television. - Is he still with us the Iron Cheek? - The Iron Cheek I believe passed away unfortunately. - Great guy. - Great guy. - Yeah, yeah. - Also the other guy, I see a lot of, obviously with the promos, you have to connect it to the, like probably the best I've ever seen at promos. I see you up there, but like it's the rock. I mean like, - Of all time? - That I ever was. - In your opinion? Sure. - I would put Steve Austin up there as well. And that's the bottom line. But bottom line is just that's, no one said, you know, I just think I'm better than you as a thing that rich girls in high school say. - So what I will say is, and it does mean a lot to me just because as a kid, you would, you would throw around those catchphrases that you hear on TV. I do a lot. When I'm in the airport, people are screaming it. I hear stories especially on the island where parents feel the need to run up to me to let me know that their child got in trouble because they just pointed out the teacher and said it. - Yeah, yeah. - So it's cool, let's catch it on. - How bad has a kid, a kid may have died trying to do one of your moves, you think? - Oh, there's probably plenty of kids that are paralyzed and I think that's funny because-- - You probably have like a body count on it. - Yeah, for sure, but the thing is, you know, before all the AEW shows, we tell people, they don't try this at home. So if you do it, you know. - Don't, if you say that, then it ain't real. - We literally tell, hey, don't do this. - If you're 11 years old, what are you gonna not do it at home? - Oh, I mean, I know I did. That's why I do it now for a living professionally. It's just, I did it better than ever. - At the pool, do you remember? Just doing like a rock bottom with your friends. - You mentioned a pool. - You mentioned a tombstone. - Yeah. - That was my go-to move, is I would sling someone over my shoulder and I'd do a running tombstone off the diving board in a pool. - We would paralyze children. - For sure, the fact that all wrestling fans are still breathing is a testament, you know, to the human race and our toughness, because I don't know anyone who grew up watching pro wrestling that didn't just beat the shit out of somebody trying to perform what they were watching, you know, on TV. I think everyone attempted a figure for a leg lock, I feel like at least once in their life. - And then our moms would be just very afraid. - Especially Jewish mother. - When your cousin is crying and he's being such a fuck. - My fault is a pussy, you know? And it's like he shouldn't have fucking erased my memory card in my mind. - It's a mess. - It's a mess. - I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have. - So PlayStation before my time. So Xbox was the console. Although, I will say, when I was five, I remember GameCube. I have a memory of GameCube. - Do you remember Crazy Taxi? - I do remember Crazy Taxi. - Yeah, it was about a drunk guy, drunk people. - Yeah, well, no, no, there was different time out. There was different Crazy Taxi characters that you could be when you drove the car. I believe at least the version that I played. - I did the, I did the, oh, I don't wanna do it. - What? - I see. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - You can't, come on. I would never, I would never, we'll cut that. - Yeah, yeah. - I do think. - We'll fix it in post. - Okay, we'll fix that in post. - We'll fix your racism in post. - Okay, fine, actually, can I get my iPad? - Yeah, yeah, absolutely. - I have my question. Okay, so no, it's right behind you, it's right behind you. - Well, it's fantastic. - This will be cut too. - Cut, at any point. - Okay, what I will say, and I'm gonna cut you off for two seconds. I'm a lot bigger than you and I can. - You're not a lot bigger than me, yeah. - Go ahead. - Okay, so you had mentioned something about the difference between WWE and AEW, and I think that's why right now, my company has so much momentum is, it feels like the shit that people grew up on, and it's exciting. - No, please take the phone call. - My dad is calling it. - Can I take it? - Is it okay if I take it? - Yeah, 'cause you have this set. Wait, look at his name. Look at his name. Let me talk to Max. - Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. - Yeah, but I got him, okay. - Yeah. - Dad, dad. - Max. - I'm in the middle of an interview right now. - For you all. - Yeah, but guess what the guy's name is? - My name is also Max. You're talking to the AEW. - No, Max Friedman, and your name is Max Friedland. So, Max, I got a question for you on a scale of 1 to 10. How Jewish are you? - I'm in 11. - 11? I love that answer. Am I detecting an accent, my friend? - Yeah, it's from Cape Town. - Yes, I am, I'm from Kurdish. - Oh, exciting. You know, so we just-- - We are the Kurdish Freelag. - Yes, yes. We actually just had a show in Australia around your neck of the woods, sir. - That's not, no, there's nowhere near. - What are you talking about? - I've as yet, no, this is too good. - You've never got to call it. - I thought you said Australia. - No, he's from South Africa. - South Africa. That's very far away from Kurdistan. - Kurdistan, yeah. I'm a pro wrestler, not a fucking geographer. All right, okay, okay. - How many Jews are there in Cape Town? I feel like a lot, there we all are. - Really? Don't count that, don't count Jews. It's okay. - No, if you count, it's dicey. - Yeah, that's what they did. They like to count us. - Well, at least he's not writing the numbers down on them, right? - All right, pop, I have Max. It's been lovely talking to you. - It's been absolutely gorgeous talking to you too, sir. (laughing) - Cape to Cape. - This has been so much fun, Max, and I thank you. And I'm better than you, and you know it. - Okay. (laughing) - That's a great guy. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I just heard his feelings, but I had to call him back and tell him that that's a thing from you. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - But as I was saying, I think that's what makes my company stand out is we feel like the wrestling that you grew up on. - Yeah. - And it's not all squeaky clean and PG and bullshit and cinema, it's real, it's good. - Yeah, yeah. And that, that was, again, that was a WCW moment. - Oh yeah. - Which was, that was the new kid on the block as well. - For sure? - And we're on the same, we're in that one-er-unbrella. - Yeah, yeah. - So when, what, do you, like, in, I propose that, like, Goldberg moment, which is so funny. - Yeah. - I mean, it's so, you kind of are carrying the torch, Max Friedman. - Yeah. - But like, Bill Goldberg. - But yeah. - Bill Goldberg, like everyone was like, (screaming) - You're saying it, somehow makes it sound more Jewish. - Bill Goldberg, just one of the champions of God. - Bill Goldberg with this star. - And there's nothing, there's nothing they can do to stop it. - I mean, this guy's out of his mind. - I said, they'd never let us. They'd never let us. - Okay. - But like, what was the moment that you had like that? Like, what was the moment when you fell in love? 'Cause you were, you had five, you were on Rosie O'Donnell. Correct, you said you wanted to be a wrestler. - At five years old, I told the world. - So, so, what was the moment you decided, like, I've, you fell in love with that with, with it, and you, like, knew I wanna, this is what I wanna fucking do. - This is such a lame answer. - The first time I saw it, I knew. - Yeah. - And what had happened was, I was at my uncle house, uncle Alan Weissman, if you're curious, not a question. - Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. - He was the, he was the super lightweight. They made a new division, the lightest, yes. One of the lightest, he only fought women. - Yeah. - They couldn't find the man in his weight class. - Well, Andy Kaufman, another Jew, used to fight women.
Yeah, I know that was so good. It was tremendous. Yeah, he was. So I was at my uncle's house. He was showing me the wrestling I immediately was engrossed with it and I made my father take me to at the time what was called Hollywood video Uh-huh. I used to we used to go to Hollywood video, too. Yeah, there you go I wasn't a blockbuster guy. I was a Hollywood video. It was closer to the house. Yeah, and uh, I When my dad and I didn't get to see the matches in full when I was at my uncle's house It was like a family party going on. It was a Friday night. It might have been passed. Good job. Good job. Good job. Can you untie me? Can you untie me? Cut that. Okay. In this day and age. Yeah. We can't be two Jewish. No. We'll offend somebody. We're going to start. President Fuentes is going to start our Auschwitz two after this. Okay. Stop. We'll cut that. Yeah. We just know it's just the straight face of the PR and division. Okay. We continue. So. Okay. We continue. So, yeah. I made my dad take me and I just saw one disc and this is why it's so funny to me that you came out to his music. I saw it was a VHS and on the cover was this zombie looking guy and I put it in and I fast-forwarded to what was called the Hell and a Cell Match because it sounded the most interesting. The first match I ever watched in full was Mick Foley, mankind versus the Undertaker and the Hell and a Cell Match, which is probably one of the greatest matches of all time. And I was like heroin addict level hooked after that was over. He was cool because he had different personas simultaneously. He would do dude love and mankind and there was a third one if I remember. I don't fucking know. Dude love mankind and cactus Jack. Cactus Jack. There you go. Cool factoid, Mick Foley wanted me to retire him. He had he had reached out to my boss and asked if he could do a program with me and I was like he's a little fat and old but I you know I'd consider it and I was ready to he got hurt in training and so we never got to do it and he recently after one of my matches he posted that you know like I wanted to wrestle MJF I still want to wrestle. He showed his he gave you your flag. He gave me my flowers. God bless him. God bless him. Another long Islander. Like when a guy like that like shows love like her like gives you your I mean the undertaker did as well. I mean the undertaker has you know the rock it's you know it's I don't want to say I see it coming because that seems egotistical and if anyone who knows me knows I'm a really humble guy but what I will say you know you're good though. That's the thing. I know I know how great I am and I know I'm going to go down to some all time great but when you hear other all time great say it and I think you'll understand this because I I know you're a comedian good when a comedian tells exactly yeah it feels good. It feels good. Yeah even if you know deep down with God damn fucking right it was a good set on me. But still oh shit the guy that I grew up watching do this thing that I love telling me that I'm good at this thing. Yeah it's it's special for sure. It's absolutely special. Yeah Alonzo Hamburger Jones one one time told did he really yeah what was that moment like. Well then he asked me to put on this dress and then I had to go to a party and the. Was it not an island? No island. You didn't go to the island. No island. Yeah no island. No island. Um YouTube was around when you were in high school. So that's how you like did your that's a research fully was YouTube. Yeah. YouTube was around essentially my entire childhood. I know that for you what were you like a Vimeo guy YouTube came out in kind of in college well. What you do YouTube was and like yeah YouTube Warsaw was like a real thing in college. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But like so that's how you could access like all the everything. I was able to watch like yeah the full canon of old school wrestlers and all the territories that were like cut off so like most of the world didn't get to watch what was going on in in a Portland territory or in a Texas territory in armorillo Texas and like you just get to in my opinion if you're not incredible this day and age you're just lazy because like there's so much to study yeah and I study rigorously you know when so going back to like when I first saw you on a W like one thing that I think that you kind of grasp that I think is to me what's more important is not the actual technical aspects of a fight it's that it means it's the fact that I bill Goldberg I prayed you know creating an emotional investment and there's this guy that doesn't even talk and he's just strong and he's on this he comes out of nowhere he's on a streak I mean you're like narratively you're attached to it so like when you the fact that you do you feel like other wrestlers in this day and age take promos like as seriously as you do no these guys are stupid idiotic scrawny little yeah dorks yeah the only thing they're concerned with is hitting cool moves so they get you know a round of applause yeah it's not something I can relate to it all yeah I'm here to be a star I'm here to make the most money I'm here to be world champion I'm here to be a draw I'm here to start doing big movies which I'm already starting to do I'm here to make a name for myself and build my brand up to such a point that I become synonymous with not just all elite wrestling but with professional wrestling as a whole so in 20 years from now you know someone sitting down and going holy fucking shit so you're a wrestler like like mjf yeah because right now when people say oh you're a wrestler like the rock or you're a wrestler like stone cold that's my goal there's an argument to be made that all eat wrestling for the most part is is where only really the most real wrestling is happening so tell me tell me about the company like you guys are exploding yet we're fucking killing it how fast are you growing like so the company's only six years old yeah we had a show already with 81,000 people there at Wembley Stadium I may have entered it in one yeah shocker now we're up met oh yeah yeah we're killing uh-huh metrically we're up year-over-year and literally every single important key demo like ticket sales ratings pay-per-view buys I wonder if it's because I'm world champion who's to say who's to say it's wise it's the anti-Semitism is also big well they have to tune in to hopefully that you get his come on stake this guy this is great for us yes this is anti-Semitism if we don't be business yeah more please yeah yeah and no we're we're absolutely killing it and the thing is as much as I'd like to take complete credit which realistically I could if I wanted to yeah but I'm not going to because I'm a bench mentioned a sense some say yeah salt in the air you know we've got guys like me we've got Hayman Adam Page we've got Swerve Strickland we got some Moa Joe Chris Jericho's back we got John Moxley we got Darby Allen we've got Kenny Omega the list goes on and on of people like you said that make people feel like kids again yeah yeah they're all in my company yeah you tune into the other company they've got great stuff going on uh-huh but all their top acts are in their 40s yeah they just are and a lot of our top acts are in our young young hungry men you know you're positive uh-huh no no positive uh uh we're starving but we're starving for success but like in the from what I understand over my belly school in Connecticut I from what I understand in order to like drive engagement they're bringing back like 75 year olds yes they're bringing back like there's okay yeah you hit the music of the undertaker which is which is understandable because the undertaker was when everybody was you know growing up in your age demographic yes and also honestly in mind star stud like top draw right scary right so what do you do if you need to get general people who don't really watch your product anymore kind of bored by your product bring John Cena back bring the undertaker back and that's not me shitting on WWE I get it to smart business practice but what we're doing in the way we're bringing thousands of people into these pay per views and these television shows you know Wednesdays TBS APM Saturdays TNT APM you can also watch a streaming on HBO Max no big deal what we're doing is we're giving you fresh we're giving you new we are not resting on you know the the past yeah and you don't need to like kind of like I like what what is this what is this this is like the social I mean the I mean this is kind of just like a plethora I think yeah this is a recreation of the Dick Dick Cabot show set Dick Cabot yeah yeah yeah what was it like growing up with a dad that sounded like that that sounded like that yeah it was did it throw people off like when you'd have like like like kids would come over to play at your house or they'd be like what the fuck it was hard yeah it was hard throwing up with a dad that sounded like that yeah I bet and let's edit this part out I didn't know he was going to get emotional all my friends just wanted to hang out with him yeah yeah like I had a cool mom growing up it was a problem like that I had the same issue yeah really oh yeah yeah she it's not because she was hot it was because she had like a really great personality you got picked you got picture your mom yeah and what she passed away but yeah she was she was really hot was she hot before she died I don't know the day she died I don't think she's she's probably pretty how old are you and she passed uh six years ago so I have a question yeah yeah you prayed that Bill Goldberg would win I prayed to God did you pray to God that your your mom would be okay or did you only pray when no Bill Goldberg I think God's so you would say that you were more invested in Bill Goldberg winning I was a belt I was a little kid that I felt bad that I that I didn't believe in God and I was like this one time God I also prayed I prayed before this interview or the no before a stone cold versus. Shawn Michaels and Rathlin. - Okay, that Steve would win? - Yeah. - Hell yeah. - I'm just like, please, like he has to. So every prayer you've ever done was for pro wrestling? - It just, and maybe like sports, like, yeah. But yeah, it's just like, well that's the thing about the promo, right? The promo creates context and narrative in story. And that's like why sports matters to us is because we create meaning behind it, even though we're just watching like strong good body guys that are good at a game, you know? And I mean, it's the same thing to me, right? Like, and so, yeah, I remember I was like, Mike Tyson and D generation X are up to no good, God. And Stone called Steve Austin is just one of the most badass, coolest guys of all time that met me, if he met me, he would like me. And so, wait, can you say that like every time you're on an interview, an interviewer tries to cut a promo? - They make the mistake of trying to like, out with me, and then it gets really uncomfortable. - Well, can I? - And sometimes physical. - Can we just do, I'm gonna let you do your thing. - No, no, no, okay. Me and Jean's here right now. He's got the mic and he's like, you know. - Okay. - Resolumentio is next week, and you know. - I have a feeling this is gonna go great. And he's we're fighting each other for the championship. - Yeah. - Just show me the magic. Show me your magic, and then I'll come back to you. And I'll see what I can do. - What you weren't asking me to do right now is the equivalent to, okay, you're out on a bar, and you tell this girl, you're a comedian. And what is the first thing that the dominoing girl asks you to do? - Have sex with her. - No. - Tell me a joke. - Raw dog. - No, yeah. - She says tell me a joke. - And then you get frustrated. 'Cause it's like, well, it doesn't work like that, 'cause it's a little bit. - So just do it in a bridge version, 'cause I have to do this bit that I've prepared. - Okay. - And it's gonna bomb probably. - All right, so next week in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Adam Friedland. - Yeah. - So, like MJF, you hate this man? - Yeah. - The first all Jewish, heavyweight championship. Yeah, like, what can we be expecting in Winston-Salem, North, I don't know why I'm saying that. - North Carolina, yeah. - Why are we in North Carolina? - I don't know why. It just sounds like a place. - It sounds like something wrestling. - We're wrestling. - Yeah, yeah, they do wrestling. - All right, that's good, that's good. - Yeah, okay. - All right, well, when it comes to Adam Friedland, this dumb, disgusting, sniveling heap with a rape mustache and warts all over his face. - A little self hate. - Four-eyed piece of shit is going to go down. - Rape must, okay. - Yeah, okay, so, all right. All right, and then Adam Friedland, what do you have to say? So that I'm like, dude, I hate you like so much. - Hell yeah. - Can you just fucking suck? - Yeah. - All right, like, no, dude, you're fucking killing it. - I'm going to punch you so hard. - Run the face? - When I punch you, it's going to be two hits, all right? It's going to be the hit of me punching you. - Yeah. - And then the recording, audio recording of everyone laughing in the stadium, - Okay. - Which is going to become a number one hit single and sell more copies than candle in the wind, okay? - So, I do feel bad a little bit. And I want to just, no one's telling you something, and this is what makes me feel bad about how bad I'm going to be in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. So like, I don't know if you know this, but the only reason you've got the work that you work here at this company is because of your parents, okay? - Your mom had sex with every single guy at the company, even the guys they cleaned the bathrooms. And not only them, just guys that live like near the building. - Yeah. - Right? - Yeah. - All of the fights you've had so far, oh god, this is embarrassing, but can I just cut you off really quick? - You need to know this. - I have a question. - All the fights you've had so far. - I have a question. - No, no, no, no, no. - Okay, go ahead, go ahead. - All the fights you've had so far have been fake, 'cause your mom, they feel bad for you so they let you win. - They let me win because they have sex with me. - And then your mom also has sex with them and your dad writes them a check for a million dollars. And all the fights including even when you were a kid, 'cause your mom had sex with those kids. - With those kids. - And your dad wrote them a check for a million dollars. Also, I gotta say, the only reason they hired you is 'cause it's free, 'cause your dad writes AEW a check, and then they give it to you to make you feel like you have a job. And then also, this is unrelated, but could you, like, I have a favor. - Yeah. - Could you, this is weird. Could you ask your wife to stop trying to have sex with me so much? - Okay. - Okay, because the text messages she's been sending have been, I mean, quite frankly, disturbing. - Yeah. - And she knows that my girlfriend is 10 times hotter than her. - Yeah. - And finally, here comes my catchphrase, okay? I just, listen, you fucking crap. - Okay, listen crap. - Okay. - One question for you. And it's a simple, yes or no answer. - Yeah. - Do you recognize Israel's rights or exists? - Okay. I'm going to respond to everything you just said. Firstly, I didn't know we were gonna go here. - Okay. - And I, and because I feel bad. - Ooh, brother. - No, no, no, no, I'm bad at you. - No, no, no, no, no, I really do feel bad. I need you to know something. I had someone tell you that my mom sleeps with everybody. - No, no, no, no, it's my turn. That my mom sleeps with everybody. And that's why they let me win the matches. I had somebody tell you that my father pays the boss to pay me, okay? And I had some, I had my wife contact you to tell you that you wanted to have sex with you. She said-- - No, let me explain why. - She said like this. - Let me explain why. - Okay. - I'm gonna explain why. I wanted you to feel very confident going into this. - Okay, oh, okay. I want you to feel confident going into this. I want you to go into this match thinking this is gonna be easy pickings for you. And there's another part of the story I need you to know. - That's gonna be easy. - Listen, your mom's dead. - She is. - But you don't know why. - Bring cancer. - Nope. That's what they told you. - Oh, you killed my mom. - I killed your mom, dude. - Okay. Well, okay, let me respond in kind, okay? - Yeah. - These allegations. - I'm hurtful. - In cold blood. - Why did your mom have sex with me last night? - Second of all, why did your dad give me a million dollars last night? - Third of all, you're gay, but the saddest part is that gay guys, you can't what don't want to have sex with you. - Is it because I'm closeted? - And they love having sex with guys. So that's just depressing to me. Third of all, probably. - How many things did you write down? - Five, six. You're probably five, six, max. You're wearing lifts, you're five, six. Your mom gave me pussy last night. You're doing great. - Okay. - Lifts, pussy. - Oh, and I have one gang. And I have one last catchphrase that I wanted to save you. - Yeah. - In response to everything you've just said, all the lies, all the gaslighting of the AEW audience, the craziest audience, the most loyal fan base in the fucking world, said no one ever. - Okay. - I have a catchphrase, that was it. Can I tell you the funniest part of this whole thing? So what you just did, what I do, like, signings, people do this, like, earnestly. - They do it, like, they, they, they, they, they, they, yes, yes, so what, like, but they come way more prepared than what we just did. - So is with his kids. - Yes, yes, they have a six-year-old child with them. And they're like, they bit, brother, they've been in front of the mirror all week. They're like, I'm gonna fucking get him. - Yes, dude, he has no idea. And they fucking wait in line for six hours, and they pay me in a whole lot of money, and then they stand there, and they do exactly what you just did. But somehow, it's better than what I just did. (laughs) - That was fucking awesome. - You heard the craziest fans in the world, the AEW fans, they were loving it. By round of applause, PR guy from AEW, you shut the hell up. By round of applause, you won. - Keep bloody pace, get loud. - There you go. - You have to pay any of these guys. (laughs) - Non-union interns, and by round of silence, everyone, okay, thank you. - You got me, dude. - You got me. - You won, 'cause it was absolutely silent. All right, but people do what you just did, and it makes me a comfortable. - They do it because they're mad at you for breathable. - I think, for TV. - So it's, I'm like one of the last people, I think, that invokes that, like in humans. - But that means you're good. - Yeah. - Yeah, that means you got the sauce. - What I will say is, I don't know if I've ever told this story on a podcast, so someone hated me so much, and Hop might have been in the company for this. Adam Hopkins is our PR guy for anybody. It doesn't always incredible. - Give it up for him, give it up for him. Do it a hell of a job, riding down all the things he wants to cut. Okay, yeah, this might have been pre-Adam, but so I'm at a show in Chicago. My father had just had a heart attack. - Don't fucking, I gave him that. - He survived, and I gave him that heart attack. - And that's because I fucked his wife. - I had sex with his wife. - So he said it was so great that he had a heart attack. - Yeah, and I killed your mom, okay. - So I'm in Chicago, my mother told me, like don't worry, 'cause this was one of the first papers using the history of our company. She was like, you don't wanna miss this thing. So I'm there, I'm pretty distraught, I'm worried about my dad, he ended up being okay. And a pilot walks up to me, and he goes, "Mr. Freedom,
I'm going to be flying you out back home after the show's proceedings, which to be fair I flown on the jet a couple times at my boss up to that point anyway to my island. Not to the island. Okay. Sorry. Well, to the island as in Long Island, the only island that matters. Okay. Yeah. So there's no cut of feel you're going on. We will say Long Island. Long Island. Long Island. Long Island. There you go. Yeah. Perfect. So I find my boss after this pilot says this to me and I knock on his door. He opens the door. He goes max. That's me. Uh, I want you to know how much this means to me the fact that you're trying to fly me back home to my dad as soon as possible after he had the heart attack because he, he did know my boss Tony did, uh, and he goes, what the fuck are you talking about? And I go, a pilot just told you go, I didn't fucking book you a jet to go back home tonight. So now I go back over with one of my bosses like one of the EVPs in the company, QT Marshall. And QT goes, so who would you say hired you again? He goes, Tony Khan, Tony Khan's my boss. We go, okay, um, are you sure about that? And then security comes and they grab this guy and, and QT goes before the guy leaves, he goes, wait a minute, wait a minute, we'll let you say if you show us your pilot's license. And the guy, I shit you, not does this, ah, I left it at home, the fuck out of here. So, so then they fucking throw, like, I guess they like throw the guy in whatever you call it, the brig or whatever, they take them fucking down. How did he get access to you? We still don't know how he got that. So, um, to be fair though, our security team has changed since then, but, and it probably was the building security, not even AEW security fault, but they asked this guy, what were you planning on doing and he was honest, he said he was going to fucking abduct me. And an adult man, an adult man, was going to abduct me and why, you think he has a wife, you fucking lunatic? No way. No way, I mean fuck, if he does, Jesus, that's crazy, but yeah, so that's, that's the craziest, like a fan wanting me dead scenario I've ever been in, for sure. Jesus Christ. Yeah. It was in Chicago. Was he prosecuted? To this day I don't know what happened after, you know, before Adam's time, your hands are clean. Classic, classic, classic, the suits over there in the scene in the corner offices looking down on, on the blue collar guys like us. I, I don't know if I'm blue collar. Yeah. Well, you, you take your clothes off and for millions of dollars, like you have to be strong and pretty generic. It's a blue, it's a blue collar thing. How much do you have to work out every day? I work out six times a week. Um, I don't work out more than once a day though. And I do a different body part every time I'm in the gym, um, every morning when I wake up, I do fast cardio for an hour on the stair master, hop in the cold plunge, put my, you know, clothes on, and then I go to the gym. I go to bed Francis Powerhouse gym on Long Island. It's the best job. Oh, of course. Give it up for that. Please. Bed Francis Powerhouse gym. Uh, uh, do you ever worry that wrestling will ever have an issue of performance enhancing drugs? No. No. You know, it's probably the most natural sport in the world. Is it? I'd say so. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I've been juicing too. Yeah. Yeah, recently. I can tell. Yeah. I use blue chew. Blue chew. Um, do you remember that one of my favorite, uh, little moments was on Monday Night Raw, um, the announcement of the death of, uh, it was one of your favorite moments. Yeah. It's one of the funniest things ever. The announcement of the death of, uh, Osama bin Laden by John Cena. Yeah. Osama bin Laden has been terminated, compromised to terminate it. I feel goddamn proud to be in America, yeah, yeah, yeah. Could you like, do you ever see yourself announcing something like a historic like that to? I frown. I, I would say no. I'm not really a political guy, you know what I'm saying? It's a historic. Well, it's not political to not like Osama bin Laden. No. I, you're like, oh, I don't have, I don't have a take on Osama bin Laden. Osama bin Laden is bad. I think that's an easy take to have. Yeah, you could have it. You could have it. But there's, uh, there's a lot of stuff going on that's like, not great right now. I'm just saying like, if there's a historic moment, something historic like that happens, like, you're the face of the, of the friend, the company. Sure. So they don't have you go out there and announce it. I don't know if I'm the right guy. Also, you're the best, you're the best at promos. I'm definitely the best at talking. You would be, but I suppose, if I'm a boss and there's like a serious announcement to make about the state of the world, don't know if MJ has a guy saying that. It's a happy thing though. I'm not the happy delivery guy. All right. Do you want to try to announce the death of President Donald Trump? We're just, we're here in Winston, Salem, North Carolina, there's a big announcement. You know what I can say that's really interesting about my, I can actually segue this into my company because I'm so good at my job. We had a fuck ice champ. Why? I know. I saw you. So you saw it. It's a bit kind of a viral. Oh, yeah. I think what's so cool about that is an R company like our fans have a voice and in the other company, a lot of the times when fans curse or they say something that they don't want them to say they're, they just bleep it. They just bleep the crowd out entirely and they edit it out of the show, you know, where they, they'll create fake crowd noise over it. So you can't hear the chance that they're thinking. And I'll, I'll also say, you know, they've made a choice to be a little bit more right leaning. Um, you know, triple H's has, has done a couple of speeches in the White House and, uh, uh, Linda McMahon, I believe is in the cabinet. She's the secretary of education. Yeah. So, and I think what's, what that feel like representation for you? Is that like, is that like Wakanda for you? Yeah, for sure. Yeah, you're like, no, but one day I can be the secretary of education. Can't wait. If I learn what the difference is between South Africa and Australia, I got to be so honest with you. But I still don't know. Dude, you're such a fucking long island piece of shit. Oh, yeah. That's me. That entire education is snapple facts. Pretty much. Well, I was more of a nan tuck at Apple, Apple juice coming down. You're a long island guy that doesn't drink snapple? I'm not a snapple guy. That is your fucking, that's the one you want to get some app going for you. Do you know Arizona iced tea? Yeah. Do you know where Arizona iced tea is actually produced and made, and like where their offices are? Israel. Which is close. Yeah. About as many juice as long island as it's true. It's the same thing. Wait. You were saying something before that. You were saying that something before that. You were talking about AEW. I was just saying-- I was just saying we're not affiliated to any party so anybody can feel comfortable going to our shows. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like it should be like, you know. It shouldn't be like that. It should be. I mean, listen, I don't want-- I'm a progressive. I'm a progressive person. But the entire stadium needs to be just like, if you don't like it, you can get the hell out. That's the magic. That's the magic. That should be. I agree. No, I'm just-- No, no. I agree. 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Individual results may vary based on studies of topical and oral monoxidil and finesse to ride. Um, like, are there any, like, let's go into your early days, because I think we're bouncing around. But it's such a fun conversation, doesn't matter. When did you go into, like, independent, I was 18 years old, the story's kind of fucking wild. Um, basically, I had a full ride football scholarship as a metal linebacker, and, now, the place was called Hartwick University, and I was there at a full ride, and the head coach told me he wanted to start me as a freshman, and I felt nothing, bro. I felt absolutely, I couldn't have given less of a fuck, because I just wanted to be Roddy Piper. I just wanted to be a wrestler, you know, wear a dress and put the dress on. Put the dress on. Join the Illuminati Swipe and become the AW World Champion. Do you think Roddy Roddy Piper would put the dress on? Probably. He was in, he was in the, uh, uh, kill, uh, yeah, uh, so technically, um, so yeah, I remember telling my roommate, who was also vying for a linebacker position, so this was not smart of me. And, hey, I don't know if I really want to be here anymore. And he just went, oh, and left the room, which was a wild, weird response. The next day, I got called in to the coach's office, his mother fucking dark dawn day, and the coach, oh yeah, big time snitch. The coach was like, I heard you want to leap, and I was like, yeah, you know, I didn't want to tell him why, because how fucking ludicrous and stupid would I look if I, not the rapper. If I looked at him, and I said, I want to be a professional wrestler, like he'd laugh in my face at that point. So I didn't tell him why. I just said, you know, I kind of want to go home, and he was like, I'll get it. You're homesick. And I'm like, no, you know, like that's not it. And he's like, no, we've, we've seen this peer before. So I'm going to assign you an accountability and in walked this guy named Salavanti, not a Jew, and he was a six foot six offensive lineman, uh, and he followed me everywhere for like two or three days. And I had to like literally like, it was like a covert operation at three a.m. in the morning. I like waited to see if this fucking guy was like, dude, literally would follow me wherever I want. It was fucking wild. And when I told my boss this, who's with the NFL, and also obviously they're a little bit affiliated with the MC, double A, just to, you know, because that's the farming system. Basically, he was like, these, this is incredibly illegal. What happened here? But like, yeah, the guy was following me around everywhere and I waited till like three or four a.m. and I packed the essentials, not even everything. And I hopped in my Dodge Ram pickup truck and I drove all the way home had had my parents were not. Yeah, they must have fucking been so annoying. Yeah. And I was not better when I looked at them and I told them why we're not better than that you and they didn't know it. And I, I found a wrestling school, which there's only like a handful that are reputable. It's called creative pro wrestling academy in Hicksville, Long Island. Okay. And then I would get in my car and I would drive to Indiana, Kentucky, all the way to Florida sometimes. I drove from New York to Iowa, I drove from New York to Toronto, New York to win it. Like, I did some shots in Mexico in my car and it was all just to, you know, make a name for myself. I didn't make any money doing that. Yeah. But you know, you're just trying to get your name out there. It's like baseball. There's single A, double A, triple A, and then the majors. Did you have like a moment of virality, like, did you have like a clip that like put, like, how did, how did you get on the radar of the big company? My answer is genuine, genuinely little by little, it was momentum, which I, I think you can relate to actually because you like, when specifically with Cometown, like you guys were doing funny bit after funny bit and little by little it started getting traction, right? And then you started doing this and you started getting fucking serious traction. And that was my wrestling career. Every single shot I was doing, you have more people going, fuck this MJF kid, you saw something special. And that's eventually why I got contacted by WWE and AEW. Yeah. And so when was the moment, like, would you see like a moment, like a come up, like when you're early in the company at AEW, like, when was your moment that you kind of, I stamped your mark. I got really like, I shouldn't say lucky, it's because of skill, but I was put in a situation where it was sink or swim and anybody else would have sank, but I swam and it immediately made me a star. What was that moment? It was the very first paper view in the history of our company was double or nothing, which, by the way, double or nothing, May 24th, if you're interested, is going to be right here in New York. New York. I'll be there, I'll be there, right? Why not? Hell yeah. Why the fuck not? Let's get you a ticket. I'm not going to pay that, right? Yeah, you put the dress on, you were at the island, I put the goddamn dress for longer than you had. Yeah, I honestly, I like put it over myself and then took it right off, and your fingers were crossed. Yeah, I saw that. No one noticed. Yeah. And I, like, muttered under my breath, like, you know what I mean? I was like, guys, how long have this dress? Yeah. Do they take photos of you? They didn't take photos of me. They took photos of you? They said I had to take photos of you. Oh, good. I forgot what the question was on. No, no. There's a sinker swimmer. Ah! So it was a sinker swim moment of very first pay-per-view. Brett, the hitman heart, ever heard of him? Of course. There you go. He was out there in the ring and he was introducing this very championship, the All-Eat-Restling Championship. Yeah. And he was insowing it with another gentleman named Hangman Adam Page, and because Hangman was up for a shot at the World title. And I came out there and I cut a serious scathing promo on Hangman Adam Page and Brent Hart. Who's a legend? And it was the first time that many people heard me speak, and it was pretty much game-set match after that. And he was like, "Oh, fuck yeah, that's the guy." Yeah. And I've been the guy ever since. It was like a risk. For sure. I mean, if that microphone, I think, was in anybody else's hand, I think it would have been, like, sacrilege, and it would have been an awkward, shitty dog-ship. But if you did OK, if it was like a B-minus, you can't cut an OK promo out on your ass. Yeah. Because we are introducing the most important championship in all of professional wrestling. What did you say? And if I were to walk out there and shit the bed, the company wouldn't look fucking good. Would you say I'm glad your brother's dead? I didn't bring up Owen. I don't know. You like bringing up dead relatives. I brought up the fact that he got jumped during his Hall of Fame speech. Yeah. Yeah. That was, I remember, because the first time I went to a paper view, my friend Max in Vegas, and there was an event called "Tour de America." How many Maxes are in your life, though? A lot. Well? Yeah. Maxes are either, like, Jewish boys or dogs. Yeah. It's a number one dog name in America. Yeah, it's a dog name. And it's a number one Jewish name in America. And you got that dog in? I got that dog in America. Oh! OK. Yeah. And I remember Yoko Zuno was fighting-- Very fat. --was fighting Owen Hart. Dead. Yoko Zuna, dead. And I think that there was another time that they fought where the crowd was chanting USA, USA-- Even though Owen's from Canada. And Yoko Zuno's from Hawaii. Well, that was a pretty good one. Yeah. But I guess the geography and pro wrestling, as you've learned today, does not mix. What is the toll that you've seen? Like, there is, like, a darker side. Like, you know, we all know about the Chris Benoit thing. There are times where this thing that you've dedicated your life to, which is-- you're at high risk. There are people that are doing anything they can to maintain their position. Their body is their position. position and you know obviously there's risk of
like CTE and something like that. Like how, just can you speak to that or like see, like have you had first hand, like you've obviously had first hand, like kind of you've witnessed this amongst men and like how can you be sure to like protect yourself from like a similar kind of thing? I'm the wrong guy to ask this too. I have a very old school mindset. You're like healthy? Well, yes, but also the times I had been hurt, I didn't, I like lied and I just continued to wrestle. - But everyone does that. - Exactly. And I think if you don't do it, you're a pussy. Like, do you want to be the best or not? Like I'll give you an example. I was wrestling, well this is a good example 'cause I'm wrestling him coming up on April 12th, Dynasty, Vancouver Canada. (audience clapping) We have a paper view and it's me versus Kenny Omega. This was a couple of years ago. The first time I held this title and my shoulder was, it was Friday, bro. My AC joint was completely torn. - It was five minutes in, right, too. - It was like, it was before the match. I had tore it before the match in a different match. I can't remember who it was against and I wasn't gonna fucking tell anybody. So I wrestled Kenny Omega with an entirely like torn rotator cuff and AC joint. And oddly enough, Kenny Omega was wrestling me. He was like a week away from being on Death's Door because of diverticulitis. And we had like one of the greatest matches of all time like in the history of my company. And now we're about to wrestle again. We're both actually 100%, which is great. And I'm gonna beat the fucking shit out of 'em. But, and then there was another time, this was the worst one. I was wrestling this dude named Jay White at the forum in LA. And my shoulder's already completely fried. And I put him on a table 'cause I had intended on hitting him with an elbow drop from the top rope all the way to the outside, through the floor, through the table, right? I put him on the table, the table breaks instantly. So I have two options. I can either let the world be like, well that was fucking lame in this sucks. - You're not gonna climb down, right? - And I fucking literally, I climbed up and I hit the elbow drop, not even Mick Foley ever did this. From the tippy top rope, all the way to the fucking floor. - What's going on? - No panic. My hip came out. And we had-- - My grandma-- - We had 50 more minutes to go. And I continued to wrestle the match and proceeded to continue to wrestle, I think, for like three more months. So, I'm the wrong guy to ask that question too. - Why would you do that? - Because you're a Jewish boy. - This is-- - That must feel amazing. - There's no better thing in the world to grab a horse. - Can I touch it? - Honestly, I'll allow it. Just be very careful. - I'll be careful. - Whoa, it's hand. - Two hands. - Two hands. Very heavy. - You're doing great. It looks natural. - Hey, they fuck you, everyone. - Yeah. - Why don't you come out down in this ring and be-- - You were born for this. - You made your wife in the company? - So I met my wife. - You said something really funny to her too. - I did? - Oh, I called her Tits McGee from Hoor Island. - From Hoor Island, yeah. - The very first interview we ever did. - And we are the same guy, that's how I met my fiancee. - You called her Tits McGee from Hoor Island? - No, she called me that. - You called you that? - Yeah, yeah, no. - Wow, it's amazing. - So you met your wife interviewing? - Uh, no, I met my girlfriend randomly. - Got it, yeah, in life. - Oh, so you were just making a joke? That didn't land? - No, no, but I've, you know, we both hate women, so I was just trying to connect over that. - Let's pause. - Okay, there. - Write that down, sir. Write it down on your list of whatever. I thought we were men. - Yeah, yeah. - So we were men here. - I thought we were free and men. But, no, in all sincerity, I met her when I was 20 in Canada, and she interviewed me, and we just always stayed in touch, and I always thought she was hot. And then one day, we both found herself single, and I was like just slitting over DMs and just dud, and it worked. - Would you, like, let's say, just like your, your loyal married man. I'm sure that women are throwing themselves at you. - I think, 'cause there's a goalie, doesn't mean you, you know. - Okay, so let's say, like what I would say to women around the world. - Let's say primes. - Give it a shot. - Primes, Stephanie McMahon. - Yeah. - She's given it to you. - Sure. - Do you mean why wouldn't she? - Do you think-- - On the handsome man. - What would you do? I mean, that's probably perhaps 2002 Primes, Stephanie McMahon. - Sure. - Do you think the streets will ever forget? 2002 Primes, Stephanie McMahon? - I think the streets are gonna forget about 2026, Stephanie McMahon. She just came out on TV this week, and she looked very good. - Yeah, but like, look at this. I saw this, but I sent this to my boy. - Are you just gooning in the corner right now? - I saw this to my boy. - Dude, do you have a fucking boner right now? - My balls are stuffed into my bum, right now. - Yeah, yeah. - I hope Triple H is watching this, and he's just like watching you goon over his wife. - The streets will never forget 2002 Stephanie McMahon. Do you think the streets will ever forget? - I don't know, let me ask Adam Hopkins. So you were working there. - I hope, no, Adam's going, Adam don't ask me about Stephanie McMahon. - Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine with your money and your corner office and your glass window. - Just sitting inside my tower brother. - All right, Adam Hopkins. - Okay. - We'll talk about Stephanie McMahon, horrible. - Okay, anyway, so, yeah, I just know Triple H is a lucky man, dude. - Just explain to me a little bit of just like, what the rush is. And like, just what, like, do you feel like? - Doing this? - Doing this. - Okay, I can't describe it. So I have very bad attention deficit disorder. And one of the only times where I'm able to fully hyper-vigilantly like focus on something is when my fucking music hits. And so it's like, it is like a drug for me in a sense because I'm fully locked in and fully present. Whereas a lot of professional wrestlers are dorks and losers and they can't be fully present. And that's why when they're out there, they're doing all this cool shit, but they're like this. - Yeah. - You know? And it's just, I think a real weapon I have is being able to be fully present. Which I, I think that's something Michael Jordan like talked about once, like when he's on the court. That's the only thing he's thinking about. There's nothing else going on in his life, except what's happening in that moment. - Yeah. - Yeah, so that would be my answer. Just fully locked in. - When you're locked in, but what I'm saying is when you're engaging with a crowd, like how does that feel? Like if you've just fucking, like when the bell goes. - Yeah. - You know, like when you get the three. - Yeah. - Like what is it? - It's like heroin, it is. Winning is like heroin, you know? And that's why I do it by any means necessary. - I guess so, like, the last thing I kind of want to ask is like what's interesting, going back to that point about like how funny it is that John, it wasn't funny. I mean, it was like electric. When you watch John Cena say that they killed Ben Lawton on Raw, it is just like the way, it still gets you fired up, right? There's something about it where it's just like, where it's a man in gene shorts with big muscles, but it's still like, it's making you like vibrate, like in just like what I'd run through a phone. - Yeah, yeah, that's what I do with people. - There is something cool about how like wrestling kind of intersects with culture and kind of a time in America. - For sure. - There's like, guys, where do you see it right now? Like right now professional wrestling is hot. And I think it has a lot to do with what my company's doing right now. I don't think that's an unfair thing to say. The fuck ice thing went everywhere. And like, I've had a couple of promos that I've done go super mega viral. And, you know, I have people walk up to me in the streets and be like, "Oh my God, when you said this and that date is like. " And they like, hyper, hyper, remember the specific time and the place and the wind and the why. And like, I think that's what makes all sports, not just pro wrestling, but all sports so special. - Yeah. - Because they're just like you, you remember that moment when you were knees down next to your bed with your hands together. - I know. - Like Phil. - Phil, please. - Oh, were you doing the. - Please God, please, can Bill Goldberg win tomorrow? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - But, you know, you remember that. It's a part of like your core memory. And I think that that's something that sports offers you and that's something that AEW offers you. - Yeah. - Mainly that's something that Maxwell Jacob Friedman offers you. - Well, that's fucking good. - Oh, and also just real quick, I'd be red isn't not to mention this. - I like when you're the star of Happy Gilmore, too. - Happy Gilmore, too. - Let's give it up for you. - Thank you. - And for what I understand, you've grown quite close with the Sandman. - I have. - You're in the Sandler version. - He's my dad. I'm in the Sandler version. He's a fucking great guy. We were talking about Passover yesterday. I love him. - I do have my phone on me. Would you want me to reach out to him? Or do you want me to reach out to him on your, you want me to talk to him about you? - He's just calling right now. - Yeah. - Why don't you just call Adam Sandler right now? - This is the only time during the interview I felt uncomfortable. - He's my hero. Just calling him. - And I get that? - He means more to me than he is you. - But I talk to your dad over the phone. - Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. No, no, no. You talk to my dad. Let me talk to your dad. - That's fair. - It's only fair. After we turn the cameras off, Megan, he's quiet. - 'Cause I need it on the record. Because Adam Sandler is notoriously litigious. And if you notice, it's on the record. - Is he notoriously litigious? - You're just making sure. - Do you ever hoop with him? - No, I'm very bad at basketball. It's the only sport I'm not good at. - All right, you wanna play basketball after this? - No. - Like genuinely, no? - My best friend, everyone. The champ. Give her up her. - Violin Night 2.
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Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Adam Friedland hosts a comedy-style interview with AEW wrestler MJF, blending satire and personal anecdotes to mock wrestling culture and his own persona.
MJF is portrayed as a controversial, aggressive figure known for offensive promos and a strong, unapologetic presence in the ring, contrasting with traditional "heroic" wrestling tropes.
Friedland reveals his deep personal connection to wrestling, tracing his fandom back to early childhood experiences with old-school matches like the Hell in a Cell match between Mick Foley and The Undertaker.
The conversation highlights the cultural impact of wrestling catchphrases, such as “I’m better than you and you know it,” which have become embedded in youth culture and social behavior.
AEW is positioned as a fresh, authentic alternative to WWE, emphasizing real, unfiltered storytelling and emotional investment over sanitized, PG content.
Friedland and MJF share a mutual admiration, with MJF acknowledging the influence of legends like Bill Goldberg and the emotional resonance of wrestling’s narrative structure.
The interview includes a mix of self-deprecating humor, fictionalized family drama, and audience reactions, showcasing the intense fan engagement and fan-driven culture of AEW.
The discussion underscores the importance of authenticity, grit, and personal passion in professional wrestling, contrasting with perceived corporate or artificial elements in other sports or entertainment.
Summary:
Adam Friedland hosts a comedic, self-deprecating interview with AEW’s reigning heavyweight champion, MJF, blending satire, personal story, and wrestling lore. Friedland mocks his own appearance and persona while framing the encounter as a clash of personalities—highlighting MJF’s aggressive, confrontational style against traditional, heroic wrestling archetypes. The conversation traces Friedland’s own wrestling fandom back to pivotal matches like the Hell in a Cell bout between Mick Foley and The Undertaker, which deeply influenced his passion.
Central themes include the cultural power of wrestling catchphrases, such as “I’m better than you and you know it,” which have permeated youth culture and everyday life. AEW is presented as a more authentic, emotionally resonant alternative to WWE, rooted in raw storytelling, real drama, and fan-driven energy. The exchange also reveals the deep emotional investment fans have in wrestling narratives, where personal stakes and emotional vulnerability create a unique bond between wrestlers and audiences.
Amid fictionalized family drama and absurd claims—like Friedland’s fabricated story of his mother sleeping with everyone at the company—there’s a clear celebration of wrestling’s unfiltered, passionate, and often chaotic spirit. The interaction ultimately underscores how wrestling transcends sport, becoming a cultural force rooted in authenticity, community, and personal identity.
FAQs
MJF's catchphrase is 'I'm better than you and you know it.' It's significant because it has become a cultural phenomenon, resonating with audiences and even influencing youth culture, much like iconic phrases from past wrestling legends.
MJF first became interested in wrestling at age five when he saw a VHS of the Hell and a Cell match between Mick Foley and The Undertaker, which deeply impacted him and hooked him on the sport's storytelling and drama.
MJF believes AEW stands out because it offers raw, unfiltered, and real wrestling that feels authentic and exciting, unlike WWE’s more sanitized and PG approach, which he sees as less genuine.
MJF emphasizes that wrestling creates strong emotional investment through storytelling, personas, and narratives, making fans feel attached to the performers even when they're just watching strong, athletic individuals compete.
MJF believes AEW is growing rapidly, with strong year-over-year growth in ticket sales, ratings, and pay-per-view buys, and is bringing in younger, hungry talent that makes the product more dynamic and exciting.
MJF highlights that AEW fans are passionate, loyal, and emotionally engaged, often reacting loudly and enthusiastically, creating a unique and vibrant atmosphere that differs from other wrestling promotions.
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