“I’m better than you, and you know it.” This has been more than a catchphrase for Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The All Elite Wrestling star who trash talks with the best of them, but then often backs it up. These days the former AEW World Champion also brings backup as a member of the Hurt Syndicate. An impressive group of athletes also made up of Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley and MVP. 

The faction is finding success with Benjamin and Lashley reigning AEW Tag Titles. MJF looks to add to the gold count by reclaiming the AEW Championship. A way to help get him there would be by winning the Casino Gauntlet match on July 12 at All In: Texas. He secured the second spot, while Mark Briscoe earned the coveted number one spot, leading into the multi-man bout where the sole survivor leaves with a future title shot. 

A victory on such an historic show will only sweeten an already busy month for MJF. The 29-year-old plays one of Adam Sandler’s sons in the much-anticipated Happy Gilmore 2, premiering July 25 on Netflix. One could say the entertainer was destined for the bright lights of Tinseltown going all the way back to his first TV appearance as a child with big dreams on The Rosie O’Donnell Show. 

Here the confident AEW talent and budding Hollywood actor pulls no punches about what he has been up to and his future.

I feel AEW has been in a rebuilding phase in the last year or so…

Maxwell Jacob Friedman: Yeah, it has really been all on my back, but go on. 

Being with the company since day one, you’ve seen the evolution of the company. I feel like right now there is some momentum building at the right time with the Globe Life Field show in Arlington on the horizon. Do you feel there is a change in the air? 

In all sincerity, there is a change in the air, and I’ll tell you why. Everybody that is in the AEW locker room right now wants to be in the AEW locker room right now, believes in what AEW stands for, believes that professional wrestling couldn’t be monopolized and believes in the spirit of what professional wrestling is supposed to look like. The spirit of professional wrestling isn’t supposed to be corporate. It’s a sport. Much like all the best American pastimes like football or baseball. I think the money aspect, while being important, it just can not supersede the beautiful, violent art that all sports are. That goes across the full spectrum. Not just pro wrestling. 

The other thing I’ve noticed. I’ve been here for six years, and here are just the facts. Fans hate facts. They love feelings. I’m the fact guy. For six years I’ve been number one, with a bullet, the most consistent, highest drawing, minute-for-minute ratings draw that we have. There have been times where I really felt like I was pulling seven gigantic airplanes at the same time, all by myself. Now more than ever, while I don’t like any of these people, you have MJF but also Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, Hangman Page and Jon Moxley. Then you have so many characters that I wouldn’t ever call the supporting cast. You have your Kyle Fletcher, [Konosuke] Takeshita and the Hurt Syndicate, which I’m a part of. We have been the most consistent and biggest part of the show. You have your Adam Cole, Daniel Garcia, the list goes on and on. I don’t think this roster has ever been more hungry. This roster has never been more on the same page when it comes to just wanting to prove what AEW is all about and AEW stands for. 

The Hurt Syndicate/Lee South/AEW

On the surface, you joining the Hurt Syndicate may seem out of place. However, given your history with MVP, you see there is a deeper meaning behind it. What are your thoughts on the group’s dynamics and how you all have been able to mesh together? 

The fact of the matter is I have known MJF since I was 18. I have been picking his brain ever since then. I met him on the independent circuit when I was a free agent. I learned a lot from him, and because of that, I ended up being a generational talent. I became the youngest and longest-reigning and greatest AEW World Champion of all-time. Without MVP, I’m not sure there is an MJF. Now what is really neat is I get to be part of the most dangerous tag team in professional wrestling in Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley. The tag team division has been turned into dust, and it’s because, who is going to stop these guys? Nobody is going to stop these guys. They are monsters. They are animals. It has just been an awesome symphony of violence that I’ve got to be a part of since I’ve joined the Hurt Syndicate. I’m going to be in the Casino Gauntlet. Obviously, I’m going to win. After I do that, I’m going to be next in line to be World Champion for a second time. 

With the Hurt Syndicate by my side, I just don’t see a reality where I don’t make my last title reign seem short in comparison. We’re easily the most dominant stable. Not just in AEW but all of professional wrestling. The cool thing about us is I feel like we’re a mix of Legion of Doom with Bobby and Shelton, but you also have MJF. Someone who dare I say is this generation’s combination of Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair almost wrapped in a bow. Then you have MVP, who is essentially the mentor. The leader, J.J. Dillon. I feel like we are this epic combination of these beautiful professional wrestling tag teams, stables, stars, wrapped up in a bow. How many times can you think of the Legion of Doom and Four Horsemen when looking at a group of men? I’m saying that is a huge rarity. The fact is we all clean up nice. We’re all very sexy. We’re all very talented and dangerous in our own way. I’m having a blast with the Hurt Syndicate. We’re doing great number merch-wise and rating-wise for All Elite Wrestling. I see all of us leaving Texas victorious. 

How has it been working with Mark Briscoe the last few weeks? 

Unfortunately, yes, I do work in the same locker room as him. He is horrible. He is white trash. He is a redneck. He has about as many teeth as he does brain cells. He is worthless. That is how I feel about Mark Briscoe. Supposedly, he wants to have a talky talk with me on Wednesday on Dynamite. That’s the dumbest sh*t I’ve ever heard in my entire life. He wants me to go out there alone. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t have to listen to him. He is not my boss. Tony Khan is barely my boss. So if I want to go out there and beat the wholly hell out of him with the Hurt Syndicate, I will. And frankly that is probably what I’m going to do. Everybody is expecting this talky talk. I don’t think it’s going to go down. 

How would you describe working with Tony Khan? What do you think he has taken from his past experiences when it comes to running AEW? 

He has learned I’m his biggest star, which is why he pays me the big bucks. He understands what I bring to the table more than ever. The other thing I would say Tony Khan has learned is you want people in your locker room that not only want to be there but are worthy of being there. We’ve had a lot of guys in the past come in and think they are going be king sh*t just because they had their time in the sun for a millisecond in other promotions. That’s not it f*ck’in works. It’s called All Elite Wrestling. Not All Average Wrestling. Not All Mediocre Wrestling. Not All…I’m going to show up, cash a check and expect to be world champion wrestling. It’s All Elite Wrestling. 

Right now, everyone in that locker room is on the same page. We aren’t coming there to cash a check. We aren’t coming to give 50 percent. We’re all giving 110 percent. If you think you’re going to come into my company, and yes I said my company because I’ve been here since day 1, and I’m the best professional wrestler in the world. If you think you’re going to come into my company and barely put in work, you’re out of your goddamn mind. You don’t belong here. We don’t want you here. So stay where you are and be miserable over there because you don’t belong swimming in the ocean of sharks that is AEW. And you’re talking to the biggest shark of them all in MJF. 

Do you find you have a bigger chip on your shoulder knowing AEW has other shows in the marketplace [WWE] that have been running against you? 

You mean shows that are running at the exact same time as us, even though they claim we’re not competition? How do I feel about it? I think it’s a smart business practice. I give jolly old St. Nick and Trips a whole lot of credit. At the end of the day, if you can stomp out your competition, you’re doing what is necessary. Lord knows I would. Everyone is judging them for it. I think that’s silly. Don’t judge them for it, but also, don’t be stupid. They’re not doing this by happenstance. This isn’t circumstantial. None of it is. The difference between me and everyone else is even though I know that, I’m not going to pretend that is not the truth or going to stand here and pretend that’s not an incredibly intelligent thing to do. I would stomp on anyone’s neck if it meant I would get ahead. I’ve done it a million times in my career. That’s my thoughts on that. 

This month is also big for you because Happy Gilmore 2 comes out, which you are in alongside Adam Sandler. He is also a pro wrestling fan. 

He is. He is also a big MJF fan, and I’m a big Adam Sandler fan. 

What was it like on set? How is it to have this opportunity as far as acting concerned? 

This is my second film. I also got to executive produce The Iron Claw. This film I’d say I for sure have a bigger role in. I loved every second of it. It felt like I was shooting with family. Very rarely do I feel like that in any environment. I don’t know if you realize this about me, but I can be a little bit prickly. I enjoyed being a Gilmore. I felt I will be a Gilmore for the rest of my life. I feel like whatever success that occurs in my career outside of the wrestling bubble I’m going to owe so much to Adam Sandler moving forward. If he ever needs anything, if his family ever needs anything, I would be there at the drop of a dime. 

What kind of advice has Adam or any others who have had big careers in Hollywood that you’ve taken with you? 

I think the best advice came from Adam when I was picking his brain. He just told me to be myself. Whether I’m doing these media rounds or out in public, he told me to be myself. That was lovely to hear because a lot of people don’t really like me very much. I enjoyed that advice. 

John Cena and MJF/X

Can we expect to see Adam Sandler appear in AEW down the road? 

My friend, this is  professional wrestling. Never say never. 

You also have a role in the upcoming movie Stranglehold with Justin Long, Ron Perlman and others. What can you tease about that one? 

Once again an incredible time. I don’t want to give anything away, but the amount I laughed on set…I think anyone that sees that film will have an absolute knee-slapping time and really enjoy it. 

What are your acting aspirations? Is there someone you want to work with or a type of project you want to do? 

Obviously. I want to work with John Cena at some point in my career. That would mean an awful lot to me. Whether that is inside the wrestling bubble or outside the wrestling bubble. That’s the first name that comes to mind for sure. I would say I have to throw Dave Bautista on that list too. Also, my good buddy Paul Walter Hauser. I think he is one of the best actors in the world. To be involved in a project with him would be an awful lot. 

Back in the day when a pro wrestler was auditioning for a role, they would be seen as a pro wrestler. Do you find it to be easier now to be looked at as more than that? 

It’s easier because of the work that The Rock, Bautista and Cena put in. Also, I feel so stupid now because Dwayne [Johnson] is also on that list I spoke about earlier too. This was a great question. You might be the only interview that gave me a question I liked. Growing up, you’re watching these guys break this mold that unfortunately Terry Bollea [Hulk Hogan] created by being one of the worst actors of all-time with Santa with Muscles, Mr. Nanny, and all that genuine garbage. Here are three men who are just great actors and proving to the world what we do is really difficult. It takes a certain type of star power to make it to the top of the professional wrestling industry. Dare I say it’s just as hard or harder than making it in the acting industry. I think those three guys broke the mold and allowed a guy like me to really get opportunities in the land of Hollywood. 

This is shaping up to be a great year for AEW. As someone who has been there for so long, what’s one thing you hope to see from the company? We saw you in MLW again recently. Is it more partnerships? Do what they are doing? 

I think we need to keep putting those blinders on and keep chugging along and moving forward at a 90-degree angle. Heads held down and charged forward. I wouldn’t change anything right now. We are filling up these venues. I love the venues we’re doing because it does feel like an alternative. It’s a completely different vibe. Merch is coming off hot right now. This quarter we had such a tremendous increase in viewership from the last. I think we need to just keep chugging along. 

AEW Dynamite, Wednesdays, 8/7c, TBS

AEW Collision (Special Night), July 10, 8/7c, TNT

AEW All In, July 12, 3/2c, Pay-Per-View 

Happy Gilmore 2 premiere, July 25, Netflix