5 photos of AEW stars as kids with WWE legends

#4. AEW Star MJF

They work for the same company.@CMPunk @The_MJF @AEW pic.twitter.com/F9kQgonzAe

— MJF's Scarf  (@MJFsScarf) August 26, 2021

Like CM Punk adored Stone Cold Steve Austin growing up, The Best in the World was the childhood hero of another AEW star.

AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) was a CM Punk fan in his childhood. He met Punk at what seemed like a WWE signing. The young MJF looked very happy standing beside his favorite WWE Superstar.

A few years after taking that picture with Punk, MJF became a pro wrestler himself. After performing in a few different promotions, the 25-year-old signed a contract with AEW in 2019. He joined The Inner Circle the following year.

Earlier this year, MJF was planning a coup in The Inner Circle but failed. Instead, he was kicked out of the group. He then revealed that he had formed another group, The Pinnacle, alongside Wardlow, Shawn Spears, Tully Blanchard, and FTR.

The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle battled twice. Their first match came at AEW Dynamite - Blood & Guts last May. The Pinnacle defeated The Inner Circle in a Blood and Guts match. However, The Inner Circle got their revenge a few weeks later, beating The Pinnacle at Double or Nothing in a Stadium Stampede match.

MJF needs to get into a fued with CM Punk ASAP. The promos alone would be gold. #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/PeAT7IfkOd

— Sonny The Jobber (@SonnyTheJobber) August 26, 2021

In the past few weeks, MJF defeated Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho in one-on-one matches. It will be interesting to see if the 25-year-old will soon cross paths with his childhood hero CM Punk, who has just joined him in the AEW locker room.