Jon Moxley On AEW: ‘I Thought It Was An indie’

Jon Moxley On AEW: ‘I Thought It Was An indie’

When Jon Moxley left WWE in April 2019, it felt like only a matter of time before we saw him in AEW, which was gearing up for its first big show, Double or Nothing, just a month later.

Moxley would debut after the show’s main event, attacking Kenny Omega and standing tall at the top of the entrance ramp.

Speaking to Wrestling Observer Radio, Moxley admitted the decision to join AEW wasn’t automatic, and that he actually thought it was just another indie promotion when he first heard about it.

He said:

“I didn’t know AEW existed. I was already out the door. It was timing. I think what people don’t understand is that it wasn’t a super easy decision to go to AEW. It wasn’t easy at all. It was actually very scary to go to AEW. The timing was so crazy. It was almost like, I didn’t choose this, the Universe chose me. Like, I would be like a pussy if I didn’t take this opportunity. Of all people, at this exact moment in time and this crazy crossroads of pro wrestling with all this shit going down, there’s this chance for one person to step in and do this, and you were the guy the universe picked. It wasn’t an easy decision to sign with AEW. A lot of people think, ‘You left WWE and just worked for another company. It wasn’t a risk.’ It was down to wire before that original Double or Nothing. I was trying to figure out who I was as a pro wrestler still. The AEW thing was scary. I didn’t know who these people are, I didn’t want it to be another WWE and just sign some contract. I just got out of a divorce and jump right into another marriage when I don’t know this person? I didn’t know Tony. I met Tony a couple of weeks before Double or Nothing. Jericho was a big help. He was the first guy I talked to about it. AEW, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I thought it was an Indie. Just another place I could work on the weekend. I didn’t know where they ran. It didn’t hit my radar like at all. That’s when I talked to Jericho and he was, ‘No, this is a real thing. I signed here. They have real money.’ I had no idea. I was in such a bad state and I was just trying to get through the contract. I was not in a good mental space. I had no clue what was going on in the outside world.

“I didn’t know what GCW was, now I’m the GCW World Champ. I went to Bloodsport during WrestleMania weekend, I wasn’t booked on WrestleMania but I had to be there anyway, and Brett Lauderdale, who was like a ref for CZW, comes up to me and is running shit. I started checking out GCW and GCW fucking rules. I had grown to hate wrestling so much that I wasn’t paying attention to the outside world. I didn’t even watch the shows I was on. I walked in, did what I needed to do, and got out of there. It was a wild time when I left WWE, to catch up with what was going on. It wasn’t a sure thing I would sign with AEW. I’m fucking glad I did, obviously. It was all fate.”

Credit to Fightful for the transcription.

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2 years ago by Andy Datson

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