Each and every year, the New York Times publication releases its “Best Of” list, a list that includes best movies, best TV shows and best performances.
This year, an AEW segment called Le Dinner Debonair featuring two of the promotion’s top stars in “The Demo God” “Le Champion” Chris Jericho and MJF made the New York Times’ “Best Performances of 2020” list.
The segment took place back on the October 21st episode of Dynamite and it featured a dinner followed by an amazing musical performance. However, it is interesting that MJF’s performance was put over and praised by Pulitzer Prize-winning Critic Wesley Morris.
Morris praised MJF for his in-ring talents as well and he even took a shot at Vince McMahon and the WWE. Morris said that MJF and Jericho’s version of “Me and My Shadow” was less than spectacular, but not for anything MJF did. Morris would then note that MJF was smooth in a way that should worry Ric Flair and MJF makes you wanna say, “Woo!”
This is what Wesley Morris said:
“Some weeks the athleticism at this professional wrestling start-up is more exciting than anything happening in Vince McMahon’s empire. And no one in the WWE has this kid’s combination of diction (Juilliard by way of Long Island), intensity or cheesiness, either. Even when Friedman’s lost his cool (his nom de ring is MJF), he still has astounding control. The character is part heel, part tool (hair gel, loafers, Burberry bling — tacky, tacky, tacky) and part goodfella wannabe; his mouth does more running than he does.
For reasons only the producers of this show can explain, a long segment in October between MJF and the veteran Chris Jericho culminated in a version of “Me and My Shadow” complete with dancing women and live singing. It was less than spectacular, though not for anything Friedman did. He wasn’t embarrassed at all. He was smooth in a way that should worry Ric Flair. This kid makes you wanna say, “Woo!”
It was reported in the past that MJF was the one who came up with the idea of the musical performance after watching the film, Rocketman, which is a biographical musical film based on the life of British musician Elton John and was released in 2019.
