Joey Janela Recalls Hijacking A Car During Intense Match With MJF

Long before he became the AEW World Champion, Maxwell Jacob Friedman made the rounds on the independent circuit, including several appearances for Alpha-1 Wrestling. During his run in Alpha-1, a promotion founded by fellow AEW star Ethan Page, MJF once captured the A1 Outer Limits Championship. The same day he won it, though, he also lost it, thanks to the craftiness of his opponent.

During a recent interview with Fightful, MJF's challenger, Joey Janela, recalled the 2017 title match, which was operated under Falls Count Anywhere rules. The match itself began inside the venue as the two traded strikes, but eventually, they traveled outside to the parking lot as MJF jammed Janela's head into the lid of a dumpster. Janela then regained control, just as some fans were driving along in a gray car. One of the backseat passengers then prompted Janela to hijack the vehicle. "Everything was on the fly in that [match]. And I jumped in and I gave [MJF] probably the most vicious lariat of all time from the car window," Janela said.

After Janela delivered a vicious lariat, he climbed onto the roof of the car before landing a pair of knees to the chest of MJF. His opponent did his best to fight back, but in the end, it Janela won with a superkick. Looking back on the outcome, Janela believes it should have been the other way around.

"Now MJF is a millionaire, and I'm still on the indies getting a hot dog and a handshake, so maybe I should have been the one on the receiving end of that clothesline... Maybe go back, maybe I'm the one that takes the clothesline from the car. He's the one giving it, and I'm the one now with the Ferrari. I'm the one with the million dollars."