“It was damn embarrassing” - 27-year-old star compares major Jon Moxley match to “two drunk salarymen arguing”
A top star slammed Jon Moxley's recent match and called it embarrassing. The star being discussed is Gabe Kidd, and he criticized Moxley's bout with Tetsuya Naito at Forbidden Door 2024.
The Puryevor of Violence won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Tetsuya Naito at this year's NJPW Windy City Riot pay-per-view, becoming the first wrestler in history to have held WWE, AEW, and NJPW World Championships. He defended the title against Powerhouse Hobbs, Ren Narita, Shota Umino, and EVIL throughout his reign.
Moxley and Naito were set to face each other at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view for the championship. This was a much-hyped bout, but many fans believe it failed to deliver amidst the other acclaimed matches on the show. The contest saw Naito win the gold back after Mox held it for more than two months.
Gabe Kidd has been one of the fastest-rising stars in NJPW this year. While speaking with Tokyo Sports, the 27-year-old opined that the former AEW World Champion's match with Naito was embarrassing to watch and described the contest as an argument between two drunk salarymen:
"I'll just beat the rest for fun. Naito beat (Jon) Moxley, but what does that mean? Their match at the Forbidden Door was like watching two drunk salarymen arguing at a Koenji pub, and it was damn embarrassing," he said. [H/T - Tokyo Sports]
Gabe Kidd criticized Jon Moxley during his title reign
During his IWGP Heavyweight World Championship reign, Jon Moxley defended the title in both AEW and NJPW. This didn't sit well with some of New Japan's stars.
While speaking with Fightful, Gabe Kidd claimed that the IWGP Champion should be in Japan rather than in America.
"If you’re going to be IWGP Champion, you stay in Japan. That’s how it’s always been. You talk about respect for this company and that title. Well, come here for a month. Oh, you can’t, you have a family at home, you have commitments in America? That’s a shame. I don’t give a f*ck. If you’re the champion, you have a responsibility. With great power comes great responsibility. F***ing deal with it," he said.
It will be interesting to see what is next for Jon Moxley, as he hasn't been seen in AEW since Forbidden Door.