10 Wrestling Career Turning Points That Took Place ON AIR

2. Jon Moxley

Scarlett NXT
NJPW

As insane as it might sound in 2022, there were genuine and realistic concerns that Jon Moxley couldn't make a post-Dean Ambrose career in pro wrestling work.

The talents of the man weren't in question, but the damage done by years as 'The Lunatic Fringe' was pressing and real. He'd been creatively hung out to dry at various points during his grinding seven years, and hadn't shone in singles anywhere near as much as he had working alongside Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in The Shield. A video drop after his release of him escaping prisons and big dogs didn't alleviate the fears that Moxley was to consumed by Sports Entertainment to escape it.

Any concerns were alleviated as he walked to the ring.

After the now-familiar sight of him storming through the crowd paired up with his electrifying Death Rider music for his NJPW debut, Moxley was a changed man. Smashing through Juice Robinson en route to winning the IWGP US Championship, Mox was a man reborn and ready for the challenges of AEW (he'd make his surprise debut there shortly after this) that awaited.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett