Did you know that a major figure in today's wrestling scene once had a brief stint at a Central New York college?

"I'M BETTER THAN YOU, AND YOU KNOW IT!"

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, often stylized as MJF, is one of the biggest names in wrestling today. He currently wrestles for All Elite Wrestling, a competing organization to the more widely-known WWE.

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PWP Nation via Facebook
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The Burberry scarf-wearing sh*t-talker has earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished heels, or "bad guys," in the industry. Known for his acid tongue and better-than-you persona, he recently enjoyed success as the longest-reigning world champion in AEW history.

As the story goes, Friedman was accepted into Hartwick College's football program after graduating high school in Long Island in 2014.

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Plainview-Old Bethpage Newsletter
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Despite the head coach wanting to make Friedman a starter as a freshman -- something most young athletes would cherish -- Friedman's lack of enthusiasm quickly became apparent. He then decided to drop out of the Oneonta, New York college to pursue his true passion of becoming a professional wrestler... something that didn't exactly go over well with his parents.

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Given a four-year ultimatum to succeed as a wrestler or get kicked out of the house, Friedman enrolled in a wrestling school where things began to fall into place rather quickly:

The first day, when we were done rolling around we had what was they call ‘promo class,’ and I went up there after six other guys went up there, and they were bumbling and fumbling, and their hands were shaking and saying, ‘When I see you on Friday I’m going to give you a whuppin’. It was brutal, and then I went up there, I did my thing, and I’ll never forget, my trainer looked at me, and said, ‘Huh, all right, we’re about to print some money,’ and that was that.

It wouldn't be long before his parents would see their son had made the right choice.

Nina Friedman via X
Nina Friedman via X
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It may have been for just a cup of coffee, but it's an interesting tidbit nonetheless.

via GIPHY

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