Jon Moxley has been the MVP for All Elite Wrestling in 2022. The company has gone through unprecedented drama this year but Moxley has always been the constant. He has formed a connection with AEW fans and has signed a new deal that will ensure he’s with the promotion for years to come.
Here are three ways Jon Moxley saved AEW this year:
The Constant
All Elite Wrestling has been through it this year. At AEW All Out, the company crowned a new AEW World Champion in CM Punk and the inaugural Trios Champions in Kenny Omega and The Elite. They were all stripped of the titles on the following Dynamite.
AEW President Tony Khan was put in an impossible position during the AEW All Out media scrum. AEW World Champion CM Punk sat down directly beside Tony and went on a rant that insulted the company and several of its top stars. Tony was left to do nothing besides take a sip of his coffee and hope that Punk eventually stopped talking.
Jon Moxley had just lost the AEW World Championship to CM Punk at the PPV. He was set to go on a vacation but then Brawl Out happened. The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega went into CM Punk’s locker room and a brouhaha erupted.
Moxley became AEW World Champion once again because CM Punk couldn’t get it done. Jon was the AEW Interim Champion during CM Punk’s injury and is now carrying the ball after Punk dropped it. CM Punk is a two-time AEW World Champion without making a single title defense. Jon will make another title defense tonight on Dynamite.
The Promo
Wrestling fans were ecstatic when Jon Moxley arrived in All Elite Wrestling at Double or Nothing 2019. He made his way to the ring through the crowd and confronted Chris Jericho. Moxley planted Jericho with the Paradigm Shift and then battled with former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
If you take a step back now, Moxley’s debut remains the most important for AEW. Bryan Danielson is popular but hasn’t connected with AEW fans as much as Jon Moxley. Most of the other ex-WWE signings get a huge pop for their debut then quickly fritter away. Moxley has not only stuck around, he’s made it to the top of the company and isn’t going anywhere.
Jon cut quite possibly the best promo of his career on the Dynamite following All Out. AEW President Tony Khan had just been booed by AEW fans as he awkwardly announced that Punk and The Elite were being stripped of their titles. MJF had just hoodwinked the Buffalo crowd by wearing a Bills jersey and pretending he was their friend.
Mox made his way to the ring and told Maxwell that this was not the time. He added that MJF’s theme music sucks before delivering the promo that AEW fans needed to hear. Moxley stated that winners always want the ball when the game is on the line and went on to defeat Bryan Danielson at Dynamite: Grand Slam to once again become AEW World Champion.
The Future
The most important thing Jon Moxley has done for AEW this year is provide them with a foundation. AEW has seen an absurd amount of drama this year, whether it be Sammy Guevara, Thunder Rosa, CM Punk, Andrade El Idolo, etc. It has been never-ending this year.
Moxley inked a five-year contract extension with the promotion. The AEW World Champion is sticking around for a long time. His wife, Renee Paquette (formerly Renee Young in WWE) also recently signed with the promotion.
Jon’s new contract also expands his responsibilities to include coaching and mentoring younger talent. The 36-year-old might not be everyone’s cup of tea but there is no denying that he puts in the work.
Moxley has performed in the independent scene during his time in All Elite Wrestling and was the GCW Champion up until recently. Jon’s new contract states that he will work exclusively for AEW and its international partners, including NJPW. Less time on the indies means more time for Moxley to devote to helping AEW.
MJF will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear. It was clearly supposed to be CM Punk in this spot, as Maxwell confronted the former champion at the conclusion of the All Out PPV.
However, the brawl at the media scrum forced All Elite Wrestling to change course and revert back to the man that has been there all along. Jon Moxley now has the task of helping MJF not just become a bigger star, but become the face of AEW. Moxley’s track record in AEW suggests that Tony Khan made the right call by making him champion once again and Jon will deliver at the PPV on November 19th.
