Maxwell Jacob Friedman is coming home and expects a celebratory atmosphere in his honor on Long Island.
The Plainview native and All Elite Wrestling star will be a participant in the Dynamite Diamond battle royale during “AEW Dynamite” at UBS Arena on Wednesday (8 p.m. TNT). The last two men standing will then compete in a match for the 24-karat ring. MJF has won the ring twice. The 25-year-old, who is the same person when the cameras are off as he is on TV, is one of the best heels in pro wrestling and is also in the beginnings of a feud with CM Punk.
Before the big event, MJF took time for some Q&A with The Post’s Joseph Staszewski.
(Edited for clarity and length)
Q: Did you go to shows at Nassau Coliseum as a kid and do you have any memories that stand out?
A: Of course I did. I went to The Barn all the time. I saw a lot of the men and women that I work with now, which is pretty interesting. Especially for them because it makes them feel so old and worthless. I most certainly went to The Barn on multiple occasions to watch some pro wrestling.
Q: Is there someone you’re working with now that you remember seeing at one of those shows?
A: I remember seeing Chris Jericho. I remember seeing [Jon] Moxley at one of those shows. Never saw [CM] Punk at The Barn, probably because we only let people with taste inside of Long Island.
Q: What’s the next biggest venue you’ve worked on Long Island? This is obviously a huge new building in UBS.
A: Probably Create A Pro, which probably only housed 150 (people), maybe.
Q: For you, getting to this moment in your career where you’re going to be home in front of around 8,000 people, that has to feel pretty good.
A: It’s a homecoming and I’m the prom king. I personally feel … are you from Long Island Joe?
Staszewski: I’m from Queens but I just moved to Long Island.
A: Then you know for a fact that if you go to any delicatessen, if you go to any diner, if you go to any barbershop there are stories about my lore and my legend. I am a legend inside of Long Island and I am so excited to be able to wrestle in front of a crowd that deserves to see me do what I do best. I am so excited to be in front of people who get me.
I go to these places in the Bible Belt, I got to places in the south, on the West Coast, in the north, north and they just don’t get me. They boo me. I think they boo me because they don’t know any better. People from Long Island know I’m an upstanding citizen. They know I’m salt of the earth. They know I’m a hero. To me, being a hero or a villain is all about perspective. Everywhere else I’m a villain, but in Long Island I’m perceived as a hero.
Q: So MJF home game on Wednesday?
A: Hundred percent, and everyone’s gonna be chanting my name at the top of their lungs and I’m going to be kissing babies on foreheads and high-fiving everybody because these are my people.
Q: What made you look up to CM Punk as a kid and did you use anything from him when you first got started in the business?
A: Well I’m me 24/7, 365. I’m not a gimmick. I’m not one of these guys that has to portray somebody else in order to feel comfortable and confident when they walk through the curtain. I’m just me and that’s why I make so much goddamn money for my company. But as far as Punk goes, why was I such a fan? I said it in what people are calling one of, if not the greatest verbal joust in the history of the business. I said I was a huge fan of CM Punk in the ring, on the microphone. He was the best in the world, or so I thought. Ever since he’s returned, I’m not feeling the CM Punk of old. I feel like something’s missing there. I also feel like I’m the only person who’s even potentially giving him the spark he needs to give me the CM Punk I grew up on. And he should be thankful for that.
Q: What do you think is missing?
A: Killer instinct. CM Punk would have done whatever it took to get a W and he would have made sure it didn’t take him 12 minutes to beat a schmuck like Lee Moriarty. It’s absolutely nonsensical.
Q: You’ve said you’ve been waiting for that spark from him. Is there something you’ll see that says the old CM Punk is back?
A: I’ve seen the fire behind his eyes a couple of times ever since I’ve gotten in his face. I saw that fire in his eyes when we were in the ring talking back and forth. I saw that fire in his eyes when I said I was going to put his disgusting, flea-ridden mutt (Larry) down last week. I look forward to seeing the fire in his eyes again, but I want that flame to keep running. I think what that’s gonna take is CM Punk to understand that if he wants any shot at getting a match with me I need that flame 24/7, 365 just like the one I have because when I get in the ring with CM Punk, I don’t want any goddamn excuses. I want the best version of CM Punk.
Q: As far as a moment for you in AEW, where did that verbal joust stand for you?
A: I don’t have any weak points (on the mic), neither does Punk and we created a moment that’s gonna go down in the annals of time in our sport and I think that’s special. But what’s gonna be more special is when CM Punk realizes he may be the best in the world, but I’m better than him and he knows it.
Q: Why is the Dynamite Diamond Ring so important to you that you’re going back for it for a third time to make sure it stays on your finger?
A: I personally feel the ring doesn’t make the man, the man makes the ring and I’ve made this ring very special. I’m about to be a three-time Dynamite Diamond Ring champion. To be able to say for three straight years you have won a championship in a row, there is only a handful of gentlemen in the history of sports that could say that they’ve done that and I am most certainly going to be.
Q: What’s up with The Pinnacle right now? You guys are off doing some different things?
A: The Pinnacle’s great baby. It’s really funny to me. We’re not like Dark Order. We’re not like a bunch of weirdos that need to be connected at the hip 24/7. We’re all very passionate. We all have our own beliefs, but at the end of the day we’re all still friends, we’re all still family.
We are an incredible cohesive unit. It’s just the simple fact that since we’re not standing shoulder to shoulder like frickin’ weirdo penguins in the arctic, now all of sudden The Pinnacle is in trouble. We’re great. We’ve never been better and we’re all accomplishing incredible things in our own right.
Q: You and Darby Allin are probably not known to the public as these great technical wrestlers
A: It’s laughable, Joe. It is.
Q: Did that make the match that you had at “Full Gear,” the style of it, to pull it off the way that you did, more meaningful to have that technical of a match on a pay-per-view?
A: We have had people on TV for the better part of a decade now, who if you’re really good at talking, you can’t wrestle. If you’re really good at wrestling you can’t talk. And we haven’t had someone like me come around in a very, very, very long time. So, when people see me they immediately in their minds go, ‘This guy is like,’ insert name of guy you can think of. And then I wrestle and they go holy s—t that’s nuts, he’s just as good in the ring as he is on the microphone.
Then you got a guy like Darby Allin. A schmuck, but a talented schmuck. The guy was known for being this hardcore, risk-taking daredevil and people were sleeping on the fact that he’s one of the best wrestlers in the world, just like MJF.
I think what we did is we went out there and we spit in the face of anybody who questioned our in-ring ability. Quite frankly, I’m f—king better than Kenny Omega. I’m better than Adam Cole. I’m better than Bryan Danielson. I’m better than CM Punk. I’m the guy who can grab you by the face when you’re on your couch chomping away at your Doritos and give you no choice but to keep watching me.
Q: What does it mean for AEW to continue to have success in the New York market?
A: It means an awful lot because Tony Khan, while I get upset with him sometimes because I feel like I deserve a little bit more in this company, he’s an incredible businessman. What he’s been able to accomplish in the span of, I don’t even know if it’s been three years, it’s absolutely insane. We’ve beaten a company (WWE) that has monopolized this industry in the key demo (18-49) on more than one occasion. That’s insane. And the fact the people aren’t talking about it like it’s insane is laughable to me. And then people bring up WCW. WCW was around for a long time before it even sniffed ratings that were even remotely close to at the time the WWF.
Q: You have a little bit of a friendship with Taz. How did that come about and why did you guys click?
A: Well me and Taz we both live on the Island. Sometimes we’ll hang out and smoke some cigars and just talk about the biz. Taz is one of the most intelligent minds in the sport today. The man doesn’t get enough credit. He invented a lot of the maneuvers you see in the ring today he doesn’t get a lot of credit for. To top it off, he’s just like me. He’s just incredibly handsome and I think that’s why we get along so well.
