AEW: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About MJF
9. Jacob Isn’t His Real Middle Name
In a post WCW wrestling landscape, dominated by WWE, very few wrestlers were allowed to keep their original names in case Vince McMahon’s legal department ran into licensing issues. Even outside of Stamford, many wrestlers choose to give themselves a different moniker.
Some guys choose something that is clearly a ring name, like Jungle Boy or his big buddy Luchasaurus. Others go for something plausible but bogus, like Ethan Page or Adam Cole. Cole and the others would be just as good in the ring if they went by their real names but it’s still hard to picture an arena full of people chanting, “Austin Jenkins, Bay-Bay!”
The Salt Of The Earth”, having toyed with calling himself Pete Lightning and Maxwell Jacob Feinstein, decided his actual birth name, Maxwell Friedman, suited his character well enough. However, he did change one thing and that was his middle name.
Born Maxwell Tyler Friedman, it’s not clear why Max decided Jacob was a better fit. Possibly he wanted to keep a piece of his identity that was just his own. Maybe he just preferred the new acronym over MTF. Or perhaps it’s simply a tribute to Back To The Future star, and fellow “MJF,” Michael J Fox.