MJF’s very MJF reaction to PWI 500 win, and his thoughts on the rest of the Top 10

Earlier today (Sept. 24), Pro Wrestling Illustrated released its big annual conversation-starting list of the 500 pro wrestlers it deems the best in the world – the PWI 500. In first place for the Aug. 2025-July 2026 year the magazine was considering for its 36th PWI 500 was AEW’s Maxwell Jacob Friedman, a man with the gift of gab and a never-ending desire to toot his own horn. PWI having a reaction podcast set with the new #1 immediately after this year’s top ten dropped? That’s just smart booking. Speaking, and often jousting with, PWI’s Lyric Swinton, Friedman congratulated the magazine for finally getting it right and putting him on top. Then Max and Lyric bantered about the nine names after his on the list. To kick this off Swinton mentions sticking to five words about or sending a message to each man, but they didn’t hold to that throughout: 2. Cody Rhodes: “Mentor. Beat him.” 3. CM Punk: “[Bleeped word I believe started with a ’c’]. Beat him.” 4. Mistico: “Douchebag. And I beat