How WWE Missed A HUGE Opportunity With Jon Moxley

Considering how almost every moment of his title reign has taken place in front of no fans, Moxley is one of the few performers currently operating as a measurable North American draw. His quarter hours are typically some of the best on a Wednesday night across both shows, his Dynamite title defences are tangible and proven ratings-winners, and AEW-related Google searches not dominated by industry icon Chris Jericho are gobbled up by the former Shield man.

Critics of All Elite Wrestling would argue that these metrics can be traced back to his WWE career, and even if that comes from a place of bad faith it is not entirely without merit. But it is without accepting the finer details of a bad*ss babyface run this year that arrived when wrestling - and the wider world - has needed it most.

Moxley didn't "jump" between organisations in the traditional sense when he ran down his WWE contract in 2019, but his exit was an enormous leap of faith. AEW was little more than a trojan horse "independent" show and a Jacksonville press conference when he put his trust in the concept, and there was no guarantee his New Japan stint would be a success without a wholesale reinvention. That's probably understating what he eventually crafted.

By the end of Moxley's all-timer G1 Climax 2018 run, All Elite Wrestling were given the very best version of the exonerated prisoner. And though it took a while to locate the pro wrestling polymath from NJPW, they didn't look back when they found him.

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