Michael Perry on March 30, 2022
Maxwell Jacob Friedman has risen from relative independent obscurity to one of the most talked-about heels in professional wrestling. The Long Island native’s sharp tongue and acclaimed feud with CM Punk have made him a major star. It wasn’t too long ago that nobody saw the potential MJF truly had.
Friedman auditioned for WWE Tough Enough in 2015. MJF was only 19-years-old at the time. The AEW star was certain that his promo video would be enough to land him a spot with the company.
Things didn’t work out in the end. MJF discussed the process with Ariel Helwani recently. Friedman said he believes his application video rubbed some people in WWE the wrong way.
“I was nineteen years old at the time. I was about a year in the business, maybe not even a year yet. Probably not even a year yet. I remember cutting this promo, sending it in, and thinking, ‘Nobody is cutting a better promo than me.’
It ended up having the most views, at the time, of any of the applicants and I still didn’t get in. To this day, I just have a feeling that it might have rubbed certain people the wrong way with some of the verbiage I used in the promo. But, I had the most views. I got through one casting call and that was it, I didn’t hear from them again.
If I’m being honest, everything happens for a reason. I think if I went there at that point in time I would have been doing f*cking rolls. They wouldn’t have understood what they had. Now, not only do they understand but they’re gonna be unloading an absurd amount of money by 2024 just to hopefully get a sniff of getting MJF in their company.”
Things worked out perfectly in the end for MJF. WWE has been reported to have major interest. When his AEW contract expires in 2024, the bidding war could be epic.
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H/T Fightful
March 30, 2022 1:24 pm
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