40 Greatest Stories Wrestling Ever Told
33. MJF’s Lifelong Mission To Maul A Hero (AEW, 2021-2022)
Growing up, MJF loved the maverick, outspoken spirit of CM Punk. There's a particularly wholesome picture of kid Max snapping a pic with WWE's Punk at a meet n' greet, and AEW wheeled that out for use during their feud between 2021-2022. When referencing it, Punk asked how such a happy young boy could turn into a surly, jaded and ruthlessly ambitious P.O.S.
'You should be asking that question about yourself, Phil', offered MJF.
Friedman didn't take kindly to Punk strolling in during one of his incendiary promos, because he likened it to a past-his-prime pipebomb prince squashing someone's else's pipebomb-worthy parade. Then, MJF beat Punk in February thanks to Wardlow, and that led to an old-school 'Dog Collar Match' at Revolution in March. There, Wardlow turned on Maxwell after months of weary eye-rolling at his so-called boss.
In effect, MJF vs. Punk became a vehicle for AEW to move onto MJF vs. Wardlow, but not before Friedman was allowed to live out his dreams of matching up against a childhood hero. On the mic, he vowed to rip ol' CM a new one and prove that he was always a myth. Why? Well, because he's MJF and he's "better than you". Simple.
Punk's disappointed facial expressions masked the truth: He was staring down someone with the same moxie he'd had in his youth, and he didn't like it one bit. It's clear that Tony Khan could've done more with this than he did, but the feud remains one of AEW's best ever narratives.
Crafty veteran Punk was looking into the mirror and seeing his younger self reflected back as an antagonist.