MJF has dominated AEW headlines over the last few weeks, from his now-infamous pipe bomb promo to no-showing a fan event ahead of Double Or Nothing, and now it’s being reported that he’s got eyes for Hollywood. That certainly makes sense, as he’s one of the best speakers in professional wrestling. He has a dynamic presence and is consistently one of the top drivers of ratings in the company.
In just a few years, MJF has gone from an unknown wrestler to AEW’s topmost homemade star. He wasn’t an indie darling like some of the promotion’s early notables and didn’t have a background with WWE like Chris Jericho or Jon Moxley. Instead, he was largely a Cody Rhodes project and evolved into one of, if not the, best heels in professional wrestling. This has caught the attention of WWE, where MJF claims he wants to be. And, not surprisingly, those close to him say that the 26-year-old Salt Of The Earth has eyes for Hollywood as well.
Fightful reports that “MJF has had a growing interest in pursuing Hollywood opportunities. According to his friends, as well as other consistent Fightful sources, MJF has been speaking more about the possibility of getting into acting.” The Patreon page also notes that Friedman may have had meetings in Los Angeles last week to examine the possibility of working in Hollywood.
This is a route that professional wrestlers have been taking for decades now. Hulk Hogan carried the “Hollywood” moniker during his time in WCW, while The Rock and John Cena have experienced a tremendous amount of success as actors. Everyone from Liv Morgan to Alexa Bliss wants to get into movies, and given his age, now is a fantastic time for MJF to start dipping his toe into that revenue stream. It’s been said that wrestling matches are just commercials for other products, be it shirts or pay-per-views, and over the last 15 years or so, top acts have been promoting themselves for roles in Hollywood as well.
Not all wrestlers have the chops needed to cut it on the silver or big screen, but MJF absolutely does. He continues to break the fourth wall between audiences and the AEW product, and whether fans like it or not, MJF has them wondering where the shoot ends and the work begins. That’s acting in a nutshell, and it will be worth keeping an eye on Friedman if he decides to pursue acting in the near future.
