Maxwell Jacob Friedman discusses the foundation of The Pinnacle.
In a short period of time, The Pinnacle has risen to the top of AEW. In spite of their short time together, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who formed the group as a method of elevating himself and usurping the top spot currently held by Chris Jericho, MJF believes that he has surrounded himself with the best group of guys united by their strong foundation rooted in their respect for the tradition of professional wrestling.
Speaking with Paste Magazine, MJF addresses comparisons his faction has to the legendary Four Horsemen and why he chose the members he did.
“Dax [Harwood] and Cash [Wheeler]—FTR—are the greatest tag team on God’s Green Earth. Shawn Spears is a guy who has been one of the best professional wrestlers in the world, best in-ring technicians in the world, it’s just he’s never had the proper spotlight put on him in his 19-year career and now here we are in 2021, the spotlight is on Shawn Spears, and I’m loving every week the more and more people who are saying “oh my God, where has this guy been?” He’s been here all along. He’s always been great. He just didn’t have the proper spotlight, and as MJF that’s something I can bring to the table. Wardlow’s been with me since day one, pretty much. He is the best insurance policy money has to offer and then there’s Tully Blanchard, a guy who probably will go down as the greatest mind in professional wrestling history.”
He added, “Well, not just the Horsemen, but old school wrestling as a whole. I feel the reason why I stand out so much in my generation, why FTR stands out, Spears, Wardlow, is because we’re not doing the same thing stylistically everybody is doing in this modern era. Everybody else is basically trying to kill themselves for fan acceptance. Guys like us, guys like the Horsemen, guys of that bygone era, all they cared about was getting the winner’s purse. They didn’t care about being flashy. All they cared about was proving they were the best, the cream of the crop and that’s something the Pinnacle does every single time we go out there. We’re not doing it by trying to cater to you with flips, or phony baloney hardcore crap. We’re just really good professional wrestlers.”
As for the future of the group after Blood & Guts, MJF wants one thing: gold.
“The goal is most certainly I need to secure my spot at the top of the promotion. I already feel that I’ve come very close to doing that, but the only person that is in my way is Chris Jericho. Once I’m able to take that “greatest of all time” spot—once I’m able to take his crown, his throne—from therefore it’s time for the Pinnacle's conquest towards gold. It’s time for Dax and Cash to win their tag championships back. It’s time for Spears to go for a TNT belt or an FTW title. Same thing goes for Wardlow. And it’s time for me to win the title that I should already have if Jon Moxley didn’t cheat. Which he did. And that I am very excited for. But none of that can happen until we get rid of the disgusting fluff that is Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle.”
Fightful will have live coverage of AEW Dynamite and Blood & Guts beginning Wednesday, May 5, at 8 p.m. Eastern.
