I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this.
Welcome to the first edition of Tag Teaming Tunes!!! Today we’re taking a dive into the devil himself, AEW star MJF, and Taylor Swift’s new album, Midnights.
MJF and Anti-Hero
The first single from Swift’s newest album has arguably, the more layers to it than any other song she’s written. Pain, trauma, heartbreak, self-acceptance and subtle feelings of superiority all lie within the ingenious lyrics. If anyone is the anti-hero in the wrestling world, it’s MJF. The lyrics “It’s me, hi/ I’m the problem it’s me/ It’s me, hi/ Everybody agrees,” perfectly incapsulates MJF’s heel persona. “It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero,” comes into play when you examine the reactions MJF receives from the wrestling world- it’s big, loud, and… positive? As fans, we are we really supposed to cheer for the self proclaimed “devil?” Probably not, but we do anyways. We’re actively rooting for someone we’re supposed to want to see fail, someone who posses traits far from good. We actively cheer for MJF, a.k.a the anti-hero.
MJF and You’re On Your Own, Kid
“For once in my miserable life, I’m gonna earn it.” These words were uttered mere weeks ago by MJF, is what was- in my opinion- one of the best promos of his career. Upon hearing “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” and really diving deep into the lyrics the similarities are clear- Maxwell Jacob Friedman is on his own. He’s a certified asshole, his coworkers hate him, he has no friends. He’s on his own. But he makes do. He has “no reason to be afraid.” That’s what we’re designed to think. On the inside, the count of his insecurities is most likely high. That’s why he hides behind microphones and insulting promos- he hides in the midst what he excels at. No one knows who the real MJF is, we get what he gives us and nothing more. To take the meaning of “You’re on Your Own Kid,” MJF is the most lonely person in the whole company.
MJF and Vigilante Shit
“Don’t get sad, get even,” is a god complex we would all love to have, but no one possess this superiority like MJF. His losses haven’t deterred him, in fact, they only add fuel to his fire. He’s tired, fed up, and knows he’s better than everyone else. Since returning to AEW at the annual All Out pay-per-view, MJF has been on some sort of warpath cutting scathing promos every week designed to build him up and tear his fellow wrestlers down- he’s on his Vigilante Shit.
Bonus: MJF and Bejeweled
You would be hard pressed to find a Taylor Swift song more MJF-esq. than Bejeweled. His fancy suits, his diamond ring, his “better than you” facade… MJF polishes up real nice.
