Jon Moxley believes there are endless possibilities ahead for the 20+ wrestlers recently released by WWE.
The AEW World Champion spoke with SEScoops earlier this week to promote his role in Cagefighter: Worlds Collide. The film premieres on FITE pay-per-view Saturday night, May 16th for fans outside the United States. A domestic release is planned for later this year. Moxley plays Randy Stone, a pro wrestler who crosses over into the world of mixed martial arts. Moxley told us that he relates to Randy Stone, who he described as 'kind of an a-hole' with a chip on his shoulder.
We asked Jon Moxley if he thinks AEW should sign some of the Superstars who were laid off by WWE last month. We also got his take on AEW's impact on the wrestling industry at large.
Jon Moxley on WWE Releases
WWE released and furloughed over 30 people in April. Many of the released performers could be strong additions to All Elite Wrestling, whether in the ring or behind the scenes.
We asked Jon Moxley if AEW should considering signing some of them, or if he thinks AEW should focus on developing their current roster.
"Everybody in wrestling, you kind of generally end up where you're supposed to end up," Moxley began. "That's just kind of how it goes. The cool thing is that, of all the kind of current free agents who are unfortunately on the market at an unfortunate time? Once the world kind of goes back to normal and stuff? Now [companies] are all gonna have all these great talents."
Getting released by WWE is the end of the road for some. It marks a new beginning for others. We've already seen The Revival, Gallows & Anderson, Matt Cardona (Zack Ryder), EC3 and others set the stage for the next chapter of their careers.
Jon Moxley says he would not simply sign former WWE talent and plug them right into AEW programming. He thinks the talent needs time to branch out and evolve.
"It's not like I'm just gonna plug this person in here and then put them into AEW and it's gonna be the same thing," he said. "You can't even think like that because you have no idea what these people are going to become. They may become totally new characters, they may branch into a different style. It may be the best version of all 20 of those people, we've yet to see. It's endless possibilities, and you just kind of have to see what the future holds."
AEW's Impact On The Business
We asked Jon Moxley what his friends in WWE think about AEW. He hasn't gotten much feedback specifically about the AEW product, but a few people said it looks like he's having fun.
"I haven't really got much feedback or opinion on anything like that from anybody within WWE," Moxley began. "Just in general, just like 'Happy for you, looks like you're having fun, keep killing it' kind of thing. I don't really know what the opinion and situation is. But I do know that ... in terms of business? Obviously nothing's gonna change in the last month or two, but from the time AEW came in the picture? All positive things have happened for the business all across the board."
He elaborated on AEW having a positive impact on the industry. "People in WWE have gotten new and better contracts or new and better schedules. NXT is live on TV now as a direct result of that [AEW Dynamite] so that's a great opportunity for those people. I think it's just good for everybody. It's good for the whole business, so I don't see how there could be any negative thoughts whatsoever. I think everybody's loving that the business is still kind of on fire right now."
Catch Jon Moxley in Cagefighter: Worlds Collide on Saturday, May 16th at FITE.TV.