10 Best Wrestling Talkers Of 2019 (So Far)

3. Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley NJPW
AEW

A great promo isn't just in the words; it's in the body language.

Moxley darts around the scene as if he still hasn't acclimatised to freedom. He is restless. He lunges into the air as if it sustains him, in parallel with the distracting, relentless ideas he has in mind to hurt his opponents. He is the International Purveyor of Violence, and he has rediscovered his frenzied creativity after years in shackled wilderness.

His video reintroduction to society felt a bit on-the-nose, initially, but this wasn't a performer released from creative captivity; Moxley has framed himself not as an escapee but a violent criminal. His promo aimed at Joey Janela ahead of AEW Fyter Fest was almost scary in setting its brutal scene - that "Amazon Prime for head trauma" line threatened a none-too-real invitation to CTE - but he expertly put Janela over in the process. He hid in plain sight the requirement to build his opponent.

"From one guy who gives zero f*cks to another," he said, hopped up after the workouts that have remodelled him as a shredded killing machine. Moxley built himself as a new force, and his upcoming match as a disgusting violence festival.

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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 current Undisputed WWE 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!