The bidding war of 2024 is still over a year away, but Maxwell Jacob Friedman is consistently fanning the inevitable flames. The 26-year-old All Elite Wrestling star has teased jumping ship to World Wrestling Entertainment since 2021, when he began making allusions to his friends in the other company. On live television, Friedman has mentioned that he has WWE Executive Director Bruce Prichard on speed dial, professed his admiration for WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and referred to WWE co-CEO Nick Khan as the “only Khan in professional wrestling that’s worth a d–n.”
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If Friedman does indeed jump ship, the self-proclaimed generational talent already has his sights on who he wants to work with first. Taking part in a Twitter QnA, MJF revealed that Kevin Owens is at the top of his list. As of this writing, Owens has not responded to MJF’s tweet.
Many fans replied to this by emphasizing that a Friedman vs. Owens feud storyline would make for a “dream feud.” While both men are exceptional in the ring, they are each renowned for their microphone skills.
Friedman and Owens have yet to cross paths within the professional wrestling world. Owens inked a deal with WWE in 2014, which was around the time that MJF was beginning his wrestling training. The closest that the two would have had to being in the same locker room would have been in August 2016, when a young MJF worked as a security guard for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II. By that time, Owens was already on WWE’s main roster.
There are also a number of wrestlers that Friedman and Owens have both worked with. Years after Owens feuded with Chris Jericho, Y2J was involved in a multi-month storyline with MJF in AEW. Both men also have a history with the Young Bucks.
Owens is the latest WWE superstar to receive praise from MJF. The salt of the earth has often interacted with Baron Corbin, hung out with Liv Morgan, and even recently had major applause for Sami Zayn.
“Sami Zayn is one of the most entertaining professional wrestlers on the planet. Has been for a very long time,” MJF said in a recent interview. “Hasn’t always had the platform and the opportunity to the world that. now that he is getting the platform, it’s becoming more clear than it ever was that he’s next level.”
