Jon Moxley On His Use Of Blood: "It's Part Of The Aesthetic, It Adds Realism"
AEW star and regular bleeder Jon Moxley on his use of crimson in wrestling.
Jon Moxley, perhaps the most notorious bleeder in professional wrestling today, has unpacked his theory on why using blood in matches adds realism.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, the AEW and NJPW star said he has a "dissertation" on blood use. Moxley noted that unscripted combat sports, like mixed martial arts and college wrestling, often feature stoppages when blood is spilt. Those artforms aren't trying to "sell a blood sport," unlike professional wrestling - and Mox believes that not only is blood part of his sport's aesthetic, but something that adds realism to it.
Said Moxley:-
“This is a combat sport. College wrestling is a combat sport, too. They have blood timeouts to patch it up. The lowest prelim bout of a UFC card or a boxing card, somebody might have a little blood on their eyebrow or blood coming out of their nose. But they’re not selling a blood sport. It’s not, ‘Tune in for the blood! Tune in for the gore!’ It’s part of the aesthetic. It adds realism.”
Continuing, the former AEW World Champion addressed criticism of his regular use of blood, mentioning his decent Dynamite clash with Tomohiro Ishii specifically:-
“Some people say, ‘This is just a random match. Why is there blood?’ I heard that last week vs. Tomohiro Ishii. He’s one of the greatest of all time. I’m not going to let that moment slip by. I’m going foot-to-the-f---ing-gas-pedal. How can I not? Then I hear that I can’t have a good match without blood. O.K., then, you made my argument for me. I’ll do it every time.”
That wasn't the end of it, however. Moxley stated that if realism is a concern, there is the potential for blood in every match, not just at the end of a long-running storyline. "Everything in wrestling is preposterous to some degree," he said, "but this helps with the suspension of disbelief."
Moxley is an advocate for using "less blood, more often," he claimed:-
“I’m actually for less blood but more often. If every single match on the card had a busted eyebrow or bloody nose, it would just be part of the sport. But some gory spectacle with blood shooting like a hose is pretty unnecessary. We’re elbowing each other in the face every single match. We’re kicking each other in the face every single match. What are these people made of if they’re not bleeding?"
This week alone has seen Moxley compete in two claret-soaked spectacles for New Japan Pro Wrestling, facing rival El Desperado across a singles and tag team match in Korakuen Hall.