At this point, it’s as hard to imagine All Elite Wrestling (AEW) without Jon Moxley being part of their roster. He’s as important to the company as names like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes & Chris Jericho – who were able to get this company going alongside Tony Khan. When he ripped through the crowd at Double or Nothing 2019 to take down Kenny Omega, he made history. Then he did it again when he became the second ever AEW World Champion. However, none of this almost happened – as he originally didn’t think AEW was more than another indy promotion.
Jon Moxley Had To Be Convinced AEW Was The Real Deal
When Jon Moxley had left WWE back in 2019, he had some plans in mind – namely working Japan as much as possible. However, he was getting offers left and right from indies, and this had him confused. After working with just one company for nearly a decade, Moxley really didn’t know what half the companies were – including WWE. He’d reveal this when he was on the Wrestling Observer Radio, saying the following.
“The AEW thing was scary because I’m like, ‘I don’t know who these people are. I don’t want this to be another WWE. I don’t want to sign this contract.’ It was like I just got out of a divorce and I’m jumping into another marriage and I don’t even barely know this person. I didn’t know Tony. I met Tony a few weeks before Double or Nothing. Jericho was a big help. He was the first guy I talked to about it because honestly, I heard a little bit about this AEW thing. There’s all these like Impact, AEW, PWG, Ring of Honor, all these three letter companies.
So AEW, whatever, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I just thought it was like an indie, like ok, that’s another place I could work on the weekend one of these days, Maybe I can go work there. I don’t know where they run. Maybe they do a bingo hall in California. It didn’t hit my radar at all. It was when I talked to Jericho on the phone, and he was like, ‘No dude. This is like a real thing. I signed here and they have real money. It’s a real thing.”
What Would AEW Be Without Moxley?
It’s hard to imagine what would be the case if Moxley didn’t sign with AEW – if someone like Chris Jericho was unable to convince him to join. However, it’s always fun to speculate. When it comes to AEW, they have proven to be very adaptable – when something goes wrong, they’re able to work around it.
However, Moxley was a massive signing for them – and no one else would have really been able to fill the same role. He was hot after WWE announced he wasn’t continuing his contract, and he was very vocal about his dissatisfaction with the company. From a botched heel turn in 2018, to being severely underpaid for this final appearance in WWE – it’s clear why.
AEW might have been completely fine, but there is no doubt that Moxley helped to give them an extra surge with their already excellent first show. Moxley was an irreplaceable piece of that first year of AEW, and no one else would have been able to bring that same energy. Without AEW, Moxley likely would have signed with NJPW and simply worked indies in the United States – but it’s great that he was able to do both NJPW & AEW.
Do you think AEW would have been fine without Jon Moxley? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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