The Real Reason Jon Moxley Won't Appear On New Japan's G1 Climax Opener
The 'International Purveyor Of Violence' gets left at home.
Jon Moxley is unable to compete at New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Opener in Dallas next month due to restrictions in his AEW contract, according to reports on today's Wrestling Observer Radio.
While the news that the former WWE star would be entering the annual 20-man round robin tournament was met with excitement by wrestling fans in both the US and Japan, his placement in B Block immediately ruled him out of the event's opening night at the American Airlines Centre next month.
Initial speculation had been that New Japan were hoping to keep Moxley separated from stars like Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi, in order to build to dedicated singles feuds in the future, but today's reports suggest that the primary reason was contractual.
Jon Moxley was revealed as one of the marquee names for All Elite Wrestling in Las Vegas last month, and it's believed that his contract with the fledgling company prevents his from working North American shows for New Japan Pro Wrestling. A similar clause is believed to be inserted in the contracts of Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, but neither are currently involved with the Japanese promotion.
Meltzer did go on to speculate that the situation could be a temporary one, and that New Japan and AEW would seek to work together on these issues going forward, although both parties are some way apart on that at present.
G1 Climax 2019 Begins in Dallas, Texas on June 16th, 2019.