Jon Moxley breaks character; calls former WWE Champion "one of his best friends"
Jon Moxley has taken on a more violent persona in recent months. However, he recently broke character and called a rival "one of his best friends."
Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson were part of the Blackpool Combat Club for the past couple of years. However, the Purveyor of Violence turned his back on the American Dragon and betrayed him at AEW All Out, along with the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club and PAC. This marked the beginning of the Death Riders.
Following this, Mox defeated Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Championship at WrestleDream 2024. After their bout, Wheeler Yuta choked out the American Dragon with a plastic bag. This also signified the end of Bryan's full-time in-ring career, and he wasn't seen again on TV.
During a recent interview with TV Insider, the former WWE star called Bryan his best friend and someone he's known for years, but he claimed he had to take the 43-year-old out as it was part of the grander plan. He further said that he doesn't have the time to feel sad about his heartbreaking betrayal.
"It’s easy to get emotionally attached to a match with Bryan Danielson. One of my best friends and training partners and a guy I’ve been down the literal and proverbial roads with all around the world for years. There was an objective that needed to be completed. He had to be taken off the board as part of the big picture. He was a thing on a checklist. There was no way I was walking out of the building without getting the job done. I don’t have time to feel sad about it."
Jon Moxley continued to say that Bryan was lucky enough to end his career on his terms and he felt the spirit of The American Dragon leave his body.
"A lot of guys’ careers will end in the hospital or their phones will stop ringing. It won’t be on their terms. Bryan was able to do very much to end this stage of his career on his terms. He did not verbally submit or tap out, but I felt the spirit of the 'American Dragon' leave his body and feel that he can now rest," Moxley said. [H/T Fightful]
Jon Moxley claims Bryan Danielson was suffering
Bryan Danielson is no stranger to being injured. The former WWE Champion had to retire for a brief period between 2015 and 2018 due to a career-ending neck injury. During this time, he took on the role of SmackDown's General Manager before making his in-ring return in 2018.
The American Dragon's body was banged up during his final year as a wrestler as well. He had hurt his orbital bone during his match against Andrade last year. Earlier this year, Danielson took a devastating Tiger Driver '91 from Will Ospreay, which hurt his neck again, and he even took an MRI in May. Jon Moxley has seen Bryan struggling with injuries right from their time together in WWE.
During the same interview, Jon Moxley noted that competing in the ring took a massive physical toll on Bryan's body, and he was banged up every night. He further claimed that the American Dragon was suffering in pain, and he understood what his former stablemate was going through. He stated that Bryan was finally at peace after he beat him at WrestleDream.
"I don’t think people understand how much he has gone through physically. I remember the run-up to WrestleMania he headlined. I was with him pretty much every night, and he was banged up. He was getting through it to get there. A lot of people don’t understand the actual physical toll this could take on your body. I don’t think people knew how much he was suffering. You would never know it by looking at him. I was there and saw and understood what he went through. I felt like Bryan was at peace. I felt his mother was at peace, and everyone in the state of Washington was upset that night. It is what it is. We’re moving forward from here," Jon Moxley said. [H/T Fightful]
It will be interesting to see if Bryan Danielson will take on a backstage role in All Elite Wrestling.