10 Modern Wrestling Moments That Gave You Chills

9. Freedom

DoN Cody Dustin
AEW

Jon Moxley gratefully breathed in the Las Vegas air as if he was home at AEW Double Or Nothing's incendiary climax. He was; Moxley resides there, and within minutes, he returned from sports entertainment misery to the welcoming confines of professional wrestling.

Pacing around the ring, jittering as if he hadn't slept since leaving WWE because he was so consumed with showing the world and every poor bastard in it how much he resented his clownish stigma, Moxley motioned to a bragging Chris Jericho that he couldn't hear him. In reaklity, he was tired of listening. Moxley blasted Jericho with what once was known as the Dirty Deeds, before impaling the referee in a morbidly funny moment that reframed his character as a man of precisely zero f*cks to give.

In a great spot, Kenny Omega charged him to the outside before he completed the trifecta, igniting both a crazed, heated brawl and rapt anticipation for the dream match proper.

The angle was performed brilliantly by all involved, but that crowd was high as f*ck on the new world of possibilities, of their favourite, ruined WWE guys reinventing themselves instantly, of the first cannon fire of wartime.

That crowd was high as f*ck on the gateway drug Moxley mainlined into them.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!