Double G Sports Q&A with Maxwell Jacob Feinstein: The future of pro wrestling

Maxwell Jacob Feinstein (Instagram)

Outside of the ring, professional wrestler Max Friedman is just a normal Long Islander. Inside the ring, however, he IS Maxwell Jacob Feinstein. At the young age of 20, this man has the potential to become a bright star in the world of professional wrestling. Known for his controversial attitude, I had the honor to interview a friend who hopes to one day have his name in the history books of professional wrestling.

Maxwell Jacob Feinstein: Hold on, hold on. If we are going to do this, we are going to do this right. You have to give me a proper introduction. Let’s try this again.

Double G Sports: You are right… Ladies and gentlemen, I represent to you: the excellence of professional wrestling. The man that is better than you in every single way, and you know it. Ladies want him, guys want to be him. He is the king of Long island, and the soon-to-be king of professional wrestling. I present to you: Maxwell. Jacob. Feinstein.

MJF: That will have to do. You may proceed.

DGS: What got you into becoming a professional wrestler?

MJF:  l loved it the first time I saw it. However, there were a few hiccups. My uncle tried to introduce me to professional wrestling and at first I wasn’t buying it. The first match I ever watched in full was thanks to my parents driving to Hollywood Video (children may be confused because that’s not Netflix) and picking up a WWE PPV. The first match I watched was Undertaker v. Mankind in a Hell in a Cell match. I thought it was real after that, and I’m sure everyone who saw that match could understand why. Mick Foley basically died and it made me go, “wow, this is crazy.”

At that point, I was hooked. The thing that made me want to be a part of the wrestling world though was in 2002. I was in attendance at the first Elimination Chamber match inside Madison Square Garden. Shawn Michaels, with a crimson mask, was able to defeat the odds like the ultimate underdog. He hits his pose, and I’m looking around watching these people go nuts. My thought after that was, “I think I can do that, and I want to do that.” From that moment on I wanted to be a professional wrestler and nobody was going to stop me.

DGS: So a FACE (good guy) got you interested in becoming the best HEEL (bad guy) in the business?

MJF: Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there… When I got into professional wrestling, I instantly got into the old school stuff. I watched all of these old school PPV’s. That’s where I got to watch “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. It was Piper vs. Mr. T in a boxing match. The way Piper entered the ring, you saw that this guy knew that everyone hated him, and he relished in it. He enjoyed being different, and I can definitely relate to that. YouTube helped when watching Piper interviews where he chewed gum obnoxiously, put his feet up on desks, etc. I always identified more with being the bad guy.

MJF elaborating on his idols: The best thing about Piper: When he walked into an arena, everyone, including their mom, wanted to beat the crap out of him. He was larger than life. He wasn’t a Dean Malenko or Lance Storm in the ring, but his charisma alone was the best ever.

In-ring wise: Mick Foley. I dig all types of wrestling. There are a lot of styles of professional wrestling, you just have to find your cup of tea. Lucky for me, I like all of the flavors.

DGS: What wrestler has your interest now?

MJF: Three guys who I enjoy watching and look to take things away from:

• Bray Wyatt: In my opinion, he is the best promo guy in WWE right now. He’s so aggressive in the ring, which is delightful. Some guys aren’t focused on being “too vicious”, you know? It’s nice to see a guy who goes into the ring and just wants to beat you up. It reminds me of guys like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or Triple H. They are basically saying, “I came here to win a fight.”
• The Miz: As of right now, I feel like he’s one of the true-blue heels in professional wrestling. I feel like the lines are starting to get blurred; there are no more good guys or bad guys. You have to pick a side in my opinion. He’s old school. His job is to make you hate his guts and he does it very well.
• Seth Rollins: I think he’s found that perfect happy medium. He does these amazing/athletic things, but he places them well in his matches. The crowd already hates his guts. It doesn’t matter if he does a Phoenix Splash, it’s not going to get him cheered. It’s going to make the crowd go, “Oh man, he’s a jerk AND he’s athletic? I think I hate him more.” He’s one of the few guys who can get away with it because he understands when to place his moves and how to work a crowd.

DGS: The main takeaway is that they all can easily work a crowd?

MJF: Yes! Yes! Yes! The Miz is the last of a dying breed. I try my best to emulate that, but at the same time I work to see when it’s OK to do something athletic (like Rollins). It is my job to get that crowd to go to bed that night hating me.

MJF’s Milestone Moment: Everyone has been a delight like Anthony Nese, Alex Reynolds, Brian Myers and Tyler Murphy. The fact that I’ve been doing this for a year and a half has meant the world to me.

My coolest moment so far was when I got a fan to jump the guardrail to try and punch me in the face. Nothing made me feel more of a good performer. To me, that means I got to take that guy so far away from his reality that he genuinely thought I needed to be stopped. It was awesome. Everyone asked if I was OK and I’ve never been that happy in my life! It’s my goal. JUST HATE ME!

Another fun moment: There was an elderly woman. I was doing my job to get the crowd going. Like I said about The Miz, he’s concerned about getting the crowd against him. This woman says “You’re not a real man” and I told her to sit down. Compared to the entire crowd, she was the maddest one there.

DGS: Who exactly is Maxwell Jacob Feinstein?

MJF: Maxwell Jacob Feinstein is by far the greatest man who ever lived. The reason why people have a problem with him isn’t because it’s not true, it’s because he can back it up and because he knows it. It’s one thing to be a character, it’s another thing to live it. When it’s show time, I am MJF. I take it seriously, and I want promoters, fans and fellow wrestlers to think that’s me in real life. It makes me stand out.

I can’t bite my teeth into being a mailman if I’m not actually one. What I think the best thing a wrestler can do is the following: Find an extension of yourself and turn it up all the way. I take those things in myself that are confident/cocky and I turn that dial up to the MAX (no pun intended). That’s how I’ve been able to stand out in my young career.

DGS: What is it like to learn from professional wrestlers like Brian Myers and Pat Buck? What exactly is Create A Pro Wrestling?

MJF: Brian and Pat are two of the best wrestling minds I’ve gotten to meet so far, and I’m not sure if I’ll meet better. Based off the things they have taught me, Pat and Brian have helped me expand on my character both in and out of the ring. They are both two completely different flavors of ice cream; Pat is more old school and Brian is more new school. One day I got stuck while doing offense, and when Pat does it it is just effortless. He can do it with his eyes closed. Brian can hit a promo so naturally, and his in-ring presence is phenomenal. When I try and think of ways to stand out more, I watch the stuff Brian does now. He just oozes “it”, and unfortunately, not everyone in professional wrestling has that.

I feel that Pat Buck does not get the recognition he deserves. He is SO good. I think it is amazing that Pat has created his own world outside of WWE with WrestlePro. He has also created so many future stars in professional wrestling under his wing.  It makes me happy to see a guy like Cody Rhodes put Pat on his list of guys he would like to wrestle.

I respect it so much that Brian’s trying to reinvent himself after leaving WWE. Some people after leaving that company do the same exact thing. He changed instead of being repetitive. He’s “Indie Cool” which is not easy to do after starring in a major promotion. I respect the hell out of that.

In regards to Create A Pro: In my opinion, there are a lot of schools that are scams. Create A Pro is the farthest thing from that. There are two guys who genuinely want to see guys exceed. As far as the students go, we are all like a family; I would do anything for anyone at that school. We all have each others backs, and we are all trying to help get better. Create A Pro Wrestling is the best place to go to start your career as a wrestler. Pat and Brian look at this like we are their kids; they take pride when we succeed. The internet is great now for finding the best school. You will see how great Create A Pro is whether online or just by showing up.

DGS: For someone on the rise, how important is patience in the professional wrestling industry?

MJF: It’s crucial. It’s so important to show that I have respect for the industry. With the way I am in the ring, my character may make it seem otherwise. People can take it the wrong way. Unfortunately, not everyone will look at you the same way you look at yourself. Maybe I think I’m a top-tier guy, and someone else will agree with me. There could be someone in another promotion however that thinks I’m a low-card guy. It is your job to respectively prove everyone wrong. It is your job to go out there and get the crowd to emote, and to put on the best possible performance that you can. If you do that, bookings will come.

I personally believe that if you go out there, give 110% and get the crowd going then people will have no choice but to take notice. There are people out there who do not want to see you succeed. Find those people and turn them over. They can say they don’t like me as long as they say in the end, “…but he’s pretty damn good.” I’m giving it my all when I go out there, and I have no reason to be upset if a promotion does not want to take me. At the end of the day it’s like school; if I study for a while and get a D- on a test, what am I going to do? I tried my very best. I can go to the next promotion/test and get an A+.  You have your on and off nights.

There’s a room, a spot and a time for everything and everyone. If it’s not your time that month maybe it’s your time next month. If it’s not your time this year maybe it’s your time next year. I want to be on your TV in your living room, but I can wait for my time.

DGS: Future dream matches?

MJF: Can I reanimate Roddy Piper? No? OK.

I enjoy wrestling everyone because it’s so different. I can wrestle someone who’s a high flyer one week and a brawler the next. I must adjust to that and make it the best match possible. You should always be evolving.

• CM Punk out of retirement: The promo’s we would give would be awesome. It would be TOO SWEET!
• Sami Zayn: He is the ultimate good guy and he can work well with anybody. I respect what he does so much.
• Pat Buck: I don’t know why this hasn’t happened yet. I just want a singles match with my trainer. C’mon man! I want THE BUCK one-on-one.
• CPA: One of the best comedic wrestlers out there. In my opinion we have a lot of chemistry in the ring. CPA vs. MJF is the new CM Punk v. Colt Cabana. #BookIt
• I’ve wrestled him before, but Anthony Nese. Also, Matt Macintosh and Dan Maff.
• Adam Cole (BAY BAY) – Our styles are very similar. If you don’t want to be in the Bullet Club, go away. I WANT IN!

Ultimate dream match: Triple H– I can watch him wrestle for hours. When I watch videos I try to emulate off him Ric Flair, Seth Rollins, etc.

DGS: Any advice you would be able to give to aspiring wrestlers?

MJF: First of all kids, I’ve only been doing this for about a year. What I can say so far: The best place to go to is Create A Pro. As I stated before: understand not everyone’s going to like you. As long as you give it 110% and you prove your worth, you will get respect and opportunities. Always shake everyone’s hand, be polite, don’t be fake but be respectful. If it wasn’t for the veterans, we wouldn’t have anything. Patience and respect are so important in professional wrestling.

DGS: What does the future hold for Maxwell Jacob Feinstein?

MJF: I want to be a household name. You may hear that a lot, but I’m gong to scratch and claw to get my way. I love wrestling, and I’m not going to stop until every fan brings up my name and says “he’s the best.” I’m not there yet, far from it, but I’m going to get there.

DGS: Any parting words for your fans/critics?

MJF: My name is Maxwell Jacob Feinstein. You had the absolute privilege to get inside the greatest mind in professional wrestling today. You are welcome, but more importantly…. I’m better than you, and you know it.