MJF Says Cody Rhodes Had 'A Top Guy Outing' At WWE WrestleMania 39 Despite Loss

Maxwell Jacob Friedman doesn't have the best track record when it comes to friends. After establishing the Pinnacle and The Firm, he quickly left them behind in favor of his own selfish agendas. He did the same thing to Cody Rhodes following an AEW World Championship match against Chris Jericho in 2019 where MJF threw in the towel and unceremoniously delivered a low blow to "The American Nightmare."

However, despite MJF alienating his former All Elite mentor, the reigning AEW champion praised Rhodes to Fightful for a valiant effort against Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 39. Though he still pointed out that he's in better shape right now, "The Salt of the Earth" shared some genuinely complimentary thoughts about his ex-rival. 

"I think he came across like a top guy. He was presented like a top guy, had a top guy outing, had a top guy match," MJF explained. "He just didn't win and unfortunately some nights you just don't win. But Cody Rhodes is the epitome of putting the work in. Everything that he has accomplished is literally only because of him and he's far too humbled to admit that ... He got it done himself and he should be very proud of that. Was I happy to see him lose at Mania? I don't know if I would have been happy if he won [or] lost," he continued. "The only thing that I know is he had an incredible outing and it was probably the best match the entire night." 

Though "respectful" likely isn't the first thing that comes to mind when describing MJF, it's clear that he has always had respect for Rhodes. Although, depending on what happens at Backlash against Brock Lesnar, Friedman may still have some more colorful comments about his frenemy.