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#4. AEW star Jon Moxley broke away from his past self
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AEW star Jon Moxley truly broke out and became a headlining champion when he made the jump to Tony Khan's company. When he was in WWE as Dean Ambrose, he found success with The Shield and was also a former world champion, but he was never truly treated like a top star.
Mox made an ill-fated heel turn in late 2018 that was botched to the point where he let his contract run down to leave the company. He made his iconic debut in AEW's first-ever pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, immediately putting himself in the main event scene.
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Gone are the goofy gimmicks and blase attitude he displayed as Ambrose. By reverting to his gimmick from the indies, Jon Moxley became more focused, aggressive and took his intensity up a notch. He led AEW through the pandemic as its world champion and even had a run in NJPW and GCW, winning titles everywhere.
We are truly seeing the best version of Jon Moxley and AEW as the company benefitting from it. As Mox inches closer towards his return after his stint in rehab, fans are excited to see what's in store for the renegade.
#3. AEW star CM Punk became the returning legend
After seven years away from pro wrestling, CM Punk returned and debuted in AEW, garnering an incredible fan reaction. It's clear that the audience has missed him immensely and yearns to see him mix it up with a new generation of wrestlers.
Punk was a savant on the mic and an anti-hero who rebelled against WWE's cookie-cutter PG Era. As a legend from the independent scene, he felt like a unique character in that environment. But how would he stand out in a promotion filled with indie darlings?
CM Punk didn't return from his wrestling exile with a new move set or gimmick per se. Instead, he has positioned himself as a veteran and returning hero amongst the vaunted revolutionaries. By taking the kind of role that Terry Funk had perfected years earlier in ECW, Punk is now the "guy" that young wrestlers test themselves against this time around.
