10 Takeaways From MOX By Jon Moxley

7. Ups and Downs In FCW

If you ever looked at the presentation of NXT and thought “you know, there is just too much life in this building” well then let’s wind back the clock and take a look at some FCW! My word, what a drab looking venue.

Jon Moxley spent a significant amount of time in FCW after signing with WWE in 2011, a time he said he both loved and hated.

His first day William Regal spotlighted him during a promo showcase allowing Mox to flex his verbal muscles and make a good impression on WWE’s higher ups in attendance. That’s good.

But Moxley also detailed how he hated Wednesday promo class because he refused to try. Two reasons for this.

The first was he did not want to mess about with a goofy character like The BEEKEEPER out of fear someone would actually see it and like it and come to think of it that does seem like something out of NXT 2.0 but I digress.

The second was he didn’t want to cut any good promos for WWE creative folk to take and give someone else. That’s bad.

But overall Moxley does say he loved his time there putting over his series with Seth Rollins for the Jack Brisco 15 Championship as well as his rivalry with William Regal which he and Regal both say is some of the best work of either of their careers. That’s good.


6. He Thinks The Mick Foley Feud Would Have Killed His WWE Run

I deserve eight-hour sleeps, Dredd deserves a sequel, and Mick Foley deserves a better last match than the goddamn 2012 Royal Rumble.

It is common knowledge that Mick Foley and Dean Ambrose were set to feud in 2012 with the angle actually starting before the plug was pulled due to Foley’s health.

It’s a big WWE what if moment as this is something of a dream match and Ambrose’s involvement surely would meant no Shield, but Jon Moxley wrote that the feud would have killed his WWE run dead.

Filled with edgy promo material at the time, Moxley knows he would have reacted poorly to being given a script, had “difficult to work with” shaved into his hair and pushed right out the door.

Having watched the last decade of WWE programming it is hard to argue with his logic.


5. Tone It Down

A few excerpts from this book have made the rounds on Twitter over the last week with this frustrating nugget being one of them.

Jon Moxley was routinely someone that WWE management had to tell to “Tone It Down”.

Moxley uses a dark match against Ted DiBiase Jr. as an example where the match was really good with a kickass promo beforehand and a hot crowd but he got to the back and “you gotta tone it down pal”.

He’d then follow up this performance the next night with the exact same match but just less good and sure enough, that was exactly what Vince was looking for. It is so odd.

WWE has been twisted into a place where they only want you to get a C+ on your paper and if you get an A you are trying too hard.

When you see how much better the work has been from former WWE stars like Bryan Danielson and Ruby Soho immediately after leaving, it is truly baffling to hear that this is absolutely by design and WWE does not want their performers to perform to the highest level possible.


4. Triple H Match Made Them Both Feel Like Wrestlers Again

Jon Moxley’s match with Triple H at WWE Roadblock is one of the best singles matches of either man’s career and I will die on that hill. Not because I was there but because it is god damn true.

An old school wrasslin match with two guys allowed to go to the ring with no plan and wrestle the old fashion way.

Moxley waxes poetic about the match, as he should its bloody brilliant, but the real takeaway was the reaction of everyone else as Triple H, the COO of the company, was described as having a look of pride on his face and a twinkle in his eye having reconnected with the part of himself that just wanted to be a wrestler.

Triple H may be more corporate machine than wrestling man now but it is genuinely very heartwarming that the novelty of a truly great performance can still put a smile on that man’s face after over 20 years in WWE.

Also Vince and Stephanie both loved it but they’re not wholesome so I’m moving on.

2 years ago by Tempest

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