Opinion: Jon Moxley should win the 2019 G1 Climax
Jon Moxley started his G1 Campaign with a win over Taichi. In a match that lasted about 10 minutes, Moxley dominated, for the most part, putting Taichi through a table and hitting the Deathrider on the Suzuki Gun member to secure his first win in the twenty-man round-robin tournament. Moxley will be up against Jeff Cobb in his second match in the G1 on July 15.
Ever since leaving WWE, Moxley has become one of the most-talked-about stars in the wrestling business. His shock appearance at Double or Nothing was the biggest talking point coming out of AEW's inaugural event. A few days after his AEW debut came another shocker as New Japan announced the arrival of the former Dean Ambrose to the promotion.
Mox was revealed as Juice Robinson's secret tormentor and would challenge Juice Robinson for the IWGP United States Champion at the final night of 2019 Best of the Super Juniors. Moxley would defeat Robinson in his New Japan debut, capturing the IWGP United States Championship in the process.
With Kenny Omega and The Elite leaving New Japan at the start of the year, there has been a huge void when it comes to gaijin (foreign) superstars in the Japanese promotion. Although the company has tried filling the void by putting names like Jay White and Juice Robinson in a prominent position, that sadly hasn't clicked in a big way.
New Japan's lack of top-tier foreign Superstars was clearly evident during the G1 Climax opener in Dallas where there were rows of empty seats, which wasn't very pleasing to watch on TV. This is the very same company which had sold out MSG in record time just months ago.
Moxley was one of the popular stars in the business during his time in WWE and was one of the top stars for the majority of his run with the Stanford-based promotion. Therefore, it goes without saying that if there is anyone who can fill the void left by the departure of Omega and The Elite, it is the man formerly known as Dean Ambrose.
Moxley is a globally recognized name and someone who is an even bigger star (remember we are talking about worldwide recognition and star power, not in-ring ability) than Kenny Omega. He is someone who can bring new eyes to the New Japan product and get fans across the world interested in the Japanese promotion.
While Moxley has also signed with All Elite Wrestling, which will be his first home moving forward, that doesn't mean he wouldn't want to work in New Japan in the future. Moxley winning the US title in his very first match was a clear indication of how much value the NJPW management sees in him and it goes without saying if the circumstances are right, they wouldn't mind positioning Mox as their next big gaijin superstar.
Moxley has openly spoken about how much he enjoys working in New Japan and on the independent circuit. If he does end up having a great run in NJPW, it is safe to say that he will be staying back in the company for the near future. Moxley can also act as a catalyst for New Japan and AEW forming a working relationship.
New Japan's global rise over the past few years can largely be attributed to the phenomenon called 'The Bullet Club'. This isn't to take anything away from the company's top Japanese Superstars like Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi, who we believe are the best in the business at the moment. But, if New Japan intends on becoming a global brand, it would need a global face like Moxley.
Moxley winning the G1 Climax will be a huge boost to the company's global fortunes. Besides, Okada vs Moxley in the main event of WrestleKingdom 14 at the Tokyo Dome has the potential to be the biggest money match in New Japan history.