During the wee hours of the night, thousands of miles from the United States, Jon Moxley will wrestle his first match since leaving the WWE and his Dean Ambrose persona behind.
Normally, someone’s first post-WWE match isn’t worth writing a column about. But, let’s face it, 2019 is not exactly a normal year for professional wrestling. So, the implications and ramifications of this match may not only have a lasting impact on just Moxley himself, but New Japan Pro Wrestling (where Mox is debuting), All Elite Wrestling, and WWE.
For those unfamiliar with the match let’s do a quick set-up. A few weeks ago a stranger video appear on social media and New Japan shows of a leather jacket wearing wrestler at a dive bar. We couldn’t see his face — all we could see was he had a knife, a British flag on his jacket, and the words “Death Riders” scrolled across the back. The faceless wrestler stared at a television which showed current IWGP U.S. Champion Juice Robinson on it. A bottle is broken, a knife is wielded, and the phrase “Time’s up!” flashed across the screen.
Many thought this was the much-rumored way to debut British wrestlers Chris Brookes or Chris Ridgeway– neither strangers to leather jackets, and British flags. Others theorized recently released WWE talent Tye Dillinger, or maybe soon-to-be-released Impact star, Eli Drake.
However, after his debut at All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing, it was revealed that the former Dean Ambrose, Jon Moxley would be debuting for New Japan on June 5, and that he was coming for Juice Robinson and the IWGP U.S. Title.
Since Moxley came out and debuted All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing, Moxley has become one of the hottest names in wrestling. His AEW debut stunned people as many thought his leaving WWE was an angle. Regardless, his AEW was executed to near perfection as was his reveal of going to New Japan. Then came the podcasts. His podcast with Chris Jericho followed by his epic interviews with Wade Keller broke the internet. His unflinching and passionate criticisms of the WWE creative process, Vince McMahon, and his own mental, physical, and creation exhaustion in the company lit the wrestling world on fire.
In these interviews, and his post-AEW debut promo, Moxley talked about breaking out of prison, and breathing fresh air for the first time in a long time. He talked about how he he feels reborn, motivated, and itching to be creative once again.
So that’s why this match with Juice Robinson is so important.
To paraphrase Top Gun, Moxley’s mouth has written a lot of checks, and it is now up to his body (of work) to cash them in. He’s the hottest star in the world right now. That’s why he needs his first post-WWE match to be good, really good.
If the quality of this match is terrible or is just simply “meh” this puts a dramatic halt to Moxley’s momentum. Since his WWE departure he’s done a remarkable job of rehabilitating his reputation and character which was noticeably dinged during his past few years in WWE. However, a poor match could make him seem like just another malcontent who’s left WWE — searching for the big day and is looking to bury the company at any turn. Is this who he is? Not in my opinion, but let’s face it, in wrestling — perception is reality.
The luster of his stunning debut in AEW would definitely come off, and that directly impacts AEW. Yes, the upstart company has a lot of top tier talent, but right now Mox is the star of that brand. A bad match out the gates will definitely turn people off, especially those who may be turning the corner on AEW. Or maybe those on the fence to potentially drop $50 on the idea of Moxley/Janela at Fyter Fest might feel more likely to pass.
A cold start for Mox definitely also makes for creative work for AEW to overcome a potential perceived notion of Mox being a bitter, past his prime WWE castoff that fans may have.
If you’re WWE, a bad start for Moxley quiets the uproar Moxley’s interview have caused — both from the fans, and rumors and innuendo we’ve read about the locker room. A bad start allows them to brush off the criticisms of the system Moxley espoused and they will continue business as usual (if they’re even taking these criticisms seriously).
On the other side of the coin, if Mox delivers a match that ranges from “that was fun” to “wow, that was awesome” — then the Mox Train keeps on rolling at a thunderous pace.
For New Japan — man, oh man they’re going to want to lock Mox down to any available non-AEW date he’s got. Listen, if Mox doesn’t deliver in his contracted matches, they have him on a limited deal and can forget about him shortly after his deal is up. But if, he kills it, he’s going to get more eyes on New Japan World, on the AXS TV show, and if they can get him in Dallas for the G1, it’ll help ticket sales. Also, this will help elevate Juice Robinson, someone who has worked hard to shake his NXT persona, and deserves the spotlight.
AEW obviously benefits huge from a hot start from Moxley. This drives immediate attention to Fyter Fest and his match with Joey Janela, which the potential to be absolutely nuts. In the long run, a hot start for Moxley will help carry the long months until their debut on TNT.
If I’m Ring of Honor, I’m a bit worried about Moxley. ROH wasn’t exactly impressive at Madison Square Garden. They haven’t done much to move the barometer on their profile. Their show is still on random channels in odd time slots. They seem perfectly fine being where they are. Yet, if AEW contracted Jon Moxley, and AEW contracted Chris Jericho are doing big numbers for NJPW — why does NJPW need ROH anymore? NJPW treats ROH like their version of McLovin from Superbad, keeping them around because they have a fake ID, or in this case, the ability to get NJPW into American venues. Well, now AEW can do that, and they have better television.
If Moxley has a good-to-great match with Juice Robinson, in the eyes of the fans, all his venting and ranting and criticism will be validated in their eyes. He would show he’s better off without WWE, and while they probably don’t care, this another hit they’re taking in a year where they’ve been knocked around. This would also strengthen the reported angst and anger in the locker room.
But maybe, if they care, this will be the moment where they realize maybe something needs to change. Someone’s success elsewhere, outside of WWE, might motivate them to implement a modicum of change to keep talent at bay, and win back fans. Listen, I know WWE’s got a ton of money coming there way, but there’s just something not right there.
At the end of the day I just want great wrestling, and more of it. I’m rooting for Moxley and Juice to have a barnburner. I want this match to be part of the paradigm shift Moxley was talking about because the winners of all this will be us, the fans.
