EC3 is impressed with the work of the AEW World Champion MJF.
This week, EC3 was a guest on Fightful's Wrestling Perspective Podcast with Lars Frederiksen of Rancid and Dennis Farrell. Frederiksen asked EC3 for his thoughts on the work MJF has been doing as someone living with their gimmick.
"What I feel bad about is when I was coming up as EC3, you know, the low brained ignorance of people, saying you're just copying (Ted) DiBiase, and then you're just copying Alberto del Rio. I'm like, there are only so many times you can do a rich guy (gimmick), we're all rich. I'm way different than the Million Dollar Man. I'm way different than getting past that criticism. It wasn't hard, but I could see it affecting people," EC3 said.
"When he came up, they would say you're just a bootleg EC3, he's not, he never was," EC3 added. "He was his own man and he was his own talent, and he's very, very exceptional at it. What I do enjoy is the commitment to kayfabe per se. He lives like a real dick, he probably is a real dick. If you went to an EC3 seminar, you're probably a total dick bag. It's very, very difficult when the fans want to cheer you, and they are cheering you, and you can get them to turn back on you. I saw him do that a couple of times, where I'm like that's impressive, because it's very easy to fall into the “well the fans are reacting this way, we should just roll with it." I like the commitment to being an antagonist. I commend a lot. I think he's doing some great work.
Furthermore, the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion exclaimed that while he hasn't watched too much of the product, he wasn't sure if anyone in All Elite Wrestling would be able to bring out the best in him.
Lars Frederiksen, admittedly biased because of his close relationship with CM Punk, brought up that CM Punk was able to bring something out of MJF.
EC3 agreed with this assessment and stated that before the rivalry with CM Punk, he felt Maxwell Jacob Friedman was missing something. Now, EC3 sees MJF as more of a complete package.
"My one fear for him and it's not really a fear. I just didn't know who could elevate him, because before he became champion, he was kind of always in the same boat. I think he needed somebody to bring something out of him that was different before he could become the top guy and maybe I missed because I don't watch a ton of him. Maybe it was (CM) Punk. You're absolutely right, I did not know that. Punk is somebody that's been everywhere and at the top levels of WWE, and like the intricacies and depth of storytelling that people are obsessed with, like MJF, Punk, and myself, are to bring that out of him. Bring him to the next level. I'm glad that happened, because I thought that was the one missing piece. So now this is just one more guy left that can really fuck him up." EC3 said.
EC3 and MJF really do look like cousins -- pic.twitter.com/iOKKfDooC5
— janie (@mjflover) April 17, 2020
EC3 did mention a little history he had with MJF. He said "a young MJF did attend an EC3 seminar and stood out to a young EC3 hosting that seminar."
EC3 appeared on the December 6th edition of NWA Powerrr and faced Thom Lattimer. The results for that match can be seen by clicking here.
