Jon Moxley Former WWE Superstar Begins Belt Collecting Journey
For those that do not know, Jon Moxley, formerly known as Dean Ambrose in WWE, has begun his title belt collecting journey. Since leaving WWE Moxley made his presence known at upstart rival promotion All Elite Wrestling’s first official Pay Per View (PPV) Double or Nothing in Las Vegas. While not listed as on the card at all, Moxley was able to perform his trademark DDT move variation and leave quite a bit of destruction in his wake. Now, less than two months since his contract with WWE was completed, Moxley can lay claim to his first title since leaving the Stamford Connecticut company. What is interesting is where Moxley won the title.
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Anyone that has followed wrestling, particularly WWE, for a few years will probably remember the misuse of Austin Aries. Aries was a big name in Total Nonstop Action (TNA), later to become Impact Wrestling, where he held many titles. Eventually Aries made his way to the WWE via NXT. Aries was positioned to be an interesting addition to the main roster but was eventually released at his request due to personal reasons (later elaborated as not liking WWE creative’s use of his character being a major reason).
This is something that Moxley would echo on the Talk is Jericho show where he called out WWE creative and Vince McMahon himself. The main concern Moxley had was stupid storylines and apparently what pushed him over the edge to leave WWE was the demand from McMahon for Ambrose to attack Roman Reigns’ real-life leukemia battle (one battle fans are thankful Reigns won).
There are many former WWE superstars that have similar feelings as Aries and Moxley. I won’t bother wasting your time, or padding this article, with listing them all. What is clear from hearing their sides of the story is WWE creative is out of touch with what performers are often comfortable delivering to fans and it shows in the dropping viewership rates for Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live.
Much like other superstars that have left the WWE, Moxley has done so by finding his feet elsewhere. Unlike many other superstars though, Moxley seems to understand the power of negotiation, performing at a higher level, and delivering a product fans want to see, which makes the companies happy with more ticket and merchandise sales.
Recently Moxley made his debut in NJPW won the IWGP United States championship from Juice Robinson. Moxley’s attitude in the ring was described as “…far more vicious…” than his work in WWE according to Bleacher Report. BR also mentioned that Moxley is the fifth man to hold the IWGP United States title since its inception in 2017. This was Moxley’s first official match since leaving WWE. I must wonder what his Shield brothers are thinking about his departure now.
Fans of Jonathon Good will know that he was severely watered down in WWE versus his style prior in promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW).
Moxley is currently under contract as a full-time talent with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It seems that much like other promotions, working with NJPW is an option for talent. I do want to report that NJPW currently has a working agreement with Ring of Honor (ROH), another televised wrestling promotion in the United States – it is unknown how working with AEW might affect that agreement. ROH and NJPW recently completed the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Gardens.
Moxley’s first official match with AEW will be on June 29th at Fyter Fest with AEW airing their first show on TNT late this year. This gives Moxley at least two months to work with NJPW where he can continue honing his post-WWE character and ring style. While there he might add another title to his collection.