Jon Moxley had doubts about joining AEW after his WWE departure; reveals what convinced him to sign
It's been revealed that Jon Moxley had his reservations about joining AEW following his WWE departure.
Under the WWE-exclusive moniker of Dean Ambrose, Moxley held the WWE World, United States, Intercontinental, and Tag Team titles. After his grand farewell as one-third of The Shield, Moxley departed the company in 2019 at the end of his contract.
He debuted for AEW at Double or Nothing in May of that year. He has since cemented himself as a franchise player for the company, holding the AEW World title a record three times. At the time of his signing, Moxley was just the second major defection from WWE after Chris Jericho.
However, he wasn't always so sure about making the jump to become 'All Elite'. As noted in Bloomberg's profile feature of Tony Khan, Moxley felt a degree of skepticism towards his future employer. However, in talking to the former WWE Champion about wrestling, Khan clearly did enough to convince him.
“I didn’t know if it was gonna be an old guy in a suit, a mob boss, an eccentric dude in a Hugh Hefner robe or what...I told him at my kitchen table that night: If this is what you’re doing, then I’m in.” - Moxley said.
We're kicking things off with Ohio's own @JonMoxley, accompanied by his father, and @WheelerYuta, making his way to the ring!
Tune in to #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! https://t.co/hniVJr2XY8
Moxley held the world title twice throughout 2022 when the company needed him most. He first took on the belt as Interim Champion while Lineal titleholder CM Punk was on the shelf. He later defeated Punk to unify the titles. Then he won the belt again after it was vacated in the aftermath of the 'Brawl Out' incident.
Jon Moxley defeated former AEW World Champion Hangman Page this week
We have a FIGHT on our hands!
It's @JonMoxley vs. #HangmanAdamPage LIVE on #AEWDynamite on TBS! https://t.co/IPX1UmyzeA
Moxley continues collecting major scalps week in and week out. Just this week, he faced Hangman Page in a rubber match to their two previous bouts. Page had challenged for the title in October last year but suffered a severe concussion and was ruled out of the contest via referee stoppage.
They battled once again in January, and this time Page delivered a Buckshot Lariat to secure the win via pinfall. This week, they met in a trilogy bout once more in Moxley's home state.
The match was as physical and intense as before, but this time Mox got the upper hand on the ground to secure the pinfall victory. Despite Mox leading their saga 2-1, the feud feels far from over.
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