For almost 3 years Maxwell Jacob Friedman was a force in Major League Wrestling.
Running his mouth and then backing it up by conquering some of MLW’s top ranked athletes en route to winning two championships put MJF in some truly rarified air.
As a charter member of the Dynasty, MJF alongside his bros Richard Holliday, Alex Hammerstone and Gino Medina proved they were elite and the entitled athletes could get away with it because of their excellence in the ring.
Then, things took an unexpected turn.
Unapologetically arrogant, the dynastic quartet pushed their luck and did so with the wrong man in the “Southern Psychopath” Mance Warner. And for the first time in his career, MJF’s mouth was writing checks his body couldn’t cash.
With tensions flaring and the situation rapidly escalating, MJF, infamous for being a hothead, would impulsively agree to Mance Warner’s loser leaves MLW challenge despite Alex Hammerstone’s efforts to counsel MJF.
Fixated on vanquishing Warner once and for all, MJF entered the empty arena this past Saturday confident he’d send the “Bucksnort Brawler” packing.
Tragically for MJF what transpired resulted in the unexpected: MJF would be defeated and forced to exit MLW, courtesy of a heavy-hitting lariat from Warner.
Did MJF employ the wrong strategy?
Did he not expect Warner’s uncanny threshold for pain?
Did MJF simply not realize Warner’s undeniable momentum?
No one knows – and for once the Dynasty isn’t speaking to MLW.com or the media.
While crying could be heard coming from the Dynasty’s arena suite after the match, one thing is for sure: Mance Warner has possibly put an even bigger target on his back.
“The Dynasty have put a BIG target on Mance,” said a source. “This isn’t about simply defeating this [expletive]. It’s about permanently injuring and ending his career.”