AEW Star MJF Offers Grudging Praise For Bryan Danielson

In a rare instance, the sharp-tongued Maxwell Jacob Friedman has offered praise for one of his former opponents, namely Bryan Danielson. Ahead of AEW All In, MJF appeared on "Busted Open Radio" to highlight the event's match card, which will be headlined by an AEW World Championship match between Danielson and the reigning titleholder Swerve Strickland. In assessing this title bout, MJF extended some positive words for the challenger.

"Bryan Danielson, as much as it pains me to say this, and I'm saying this through gritted teeth on the phone, I have been in the ring with the quote unquote, best of the best. There is no one better than Bryan Danielson," MJF said. "I was, I'll say it, and I don't like to use the word lucky, because lucky doesn't count unless it's horseshoes and hand grenades, but if I was ever going to use that word, I would use that word in regards to my win over Bryan Danielson. It took cunning[ness], which is something that I have in loads of droves, more than anybody in the sport, but that was the most difficult match of my entire life."

The match in reference took place at AEW's 2023 Revolution pay-per-view, in which Danielson challenged MJF for the AEW World Championship in a 60-minute Iron Man match. After the first 60 minutes resulted in a draw, AEW officials announced that the time would be extended under sudden death rules. Five minutes later, an exhausted MJF secured the win via submission when "The American Dragon" tapped out to the Lebell Lock.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.