On the surface, one might think Maxwell Jacob Friedman and John “Bradshaw” Layfield don’t share many similarities beyond a penchant for using their initials. One is a conniving, acid-tongued, scarf-wearing rich kid from Long Island, the other a cowboy hat-wearing Texas brute, likely to settle his disputes with fists. Still, they are both masters of their craft, and that’s generating massive amounts of heel heat. And as fate would have it, a chance meeting found these two generational talents riding in a car together, during which Layfield was left with a positive impression.

Advertisement

“I got to meet MJF over in England,” the WWE Hall of Famer said on “Cheap Heat.” “Blown away by him. What a great guy. And the questions he was asking — very intelligent. He was asking stuff about Roddy Piper and being a heel. We shared a car ride together back to the airport. Really smart, young guy. I’m a big fan of him, personally. There’s some pretty good heels out there.” Layfield said his busy schedule didn’t allow him to watch much wrestling beyond WWE’s product, and his praises are solely based on that one encounter. Still, one can’t help but wonder if that same respect would be shown so easily if the two existed as contemporaries in a WWE locker room, given JBL’s past reputation as someone who could be difficult to work with.

Advertisement

MJF hasn’t been seen on AEW programming since losing the AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe at Worlds End. His contract allegedly expired on January 1, and his profile has since been removed from the AEW roster page. Tony Khan is keeping mum on his current status. MJF is also reportedly rehabbing several injuries, including a torn labrum and dislocated hip.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Cheap Heat” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.