Cody Rhodes seems to have touched a lot of lives in the wrestling world, and MJF is surely one of them. The unchanging heel from Tony Khan’s promotion is known for not breaking his character, even during interviews. He is usually rude and upfront about his desires when playing his role. He is so far into this gimmick that fans usually can’t tell apart when he is being sincere and when he is being sarcastic.

However, when it comes to The American Nightmare, we can see Friedman softening up. He tends to be more gentle when talking about Cody Rhodes. This is an unusual sight when you know what MJF is like with other stars. AEW All In also contained a tribute to their wholesome relationship.

Cody Rhodes gets a violent tribute

Despite the wires between WWE and AEW being tense at all times, the former AEW American Champion considers Rhodes a special person in his life. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, MJF claimed that the reigning WWE Undisputed Universal Champion is his mentor and best friend. During his title defense match against Will Ospreay at Wembley Stadium, the Silver-Tongued Devil also paid tribute to his ‘mentor’. There were various interesting spots in the match especially at the hands of The Aerial Assassin. To add to the surrealism of the match, there was this one moment when MJF performed a Cross-Rhodes on his opponent.

This was an amazing sight that oozes sportsmanship and positivity. Although it didn’t ultimately work out for Friedman because Ospreay ended up winning. Nevertheless, it was a refreshing spot. This shows the respect that Maxwell has for his former co-star. But all this love still doesn’t change his fun-loving personality.

Cody Rhodes was called out before finishing his story

In the events leading up to the WrestleMania XL main event, The Rock had completely gone out of control. He once beat Cody Rhodes backstage with a belt and put his blood on it for Mama Rhodes. This sent a ripple throughout the wrestling community and one female artist ended up pouring this scene onto a canvas. Dwayne Johnson, being himself in the character, tweeted publicly about being impressed with this art and asked to place an order for the same. The artist happened to be MJF’s ex and this grabbed his attention, allowing him to wiggle into the storyline online.

He issued a tweet to the Final Boss of Cody Rhodes’ story and said something hilarious. The AEW top star claimed that it was first his idea to lash a belt at the former Bullet Club member and he should not have stolen it from him. This was hilarious to spot online because nobody was expecting a tweet from MJF. Now that we know how much he respects the two-time Royal Rumble winner, the joke becomes even funnier. Both the stars have worked together in both AAA and also AEW, so that explains the bond that they must have.

What are your thoughts on this tribute?