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Jon Moxley made a huge statement on May 25th, 2019 when he debuted for All Elite Wrestling after the main event of Double or Nothing. He tore the roof off the building with his appearance.
Now, we know that he signed a multi-year deal with All Elite Wrestling, but it turns out that AEW won't be the only place that we'll be seeing him. He confirmed an appearance for independent promotion NorthEast Wrestling, where he'll be taking on AEW star Pentagon Jr. Interestingly enough, that isn't the only thing - Renee Young was announced to make an appearance for the same show.
But Moxley once again shook the wrestling world when he announced that he'll be appearing with New Japan Pro Wrestling on June 5th, 2019 for the final day of Best of Super Juniors. You can watch the promo below:
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His target is none other than Juice Robinson, whom he'll face for the IWGP United States Championship. Here's why he's appearing at NJPW!
#5. Big money offer
The reality of Jon Moxley's situation is quite an interesting one. He's got offers from various promotions across the globe, and NJPW is clearly one of them. What many people don't realize is that within the second half of 2019 alone, Moxley will likely be making more money from his appearances than he would have for a full year in WWE.
NJPW is the second most profitable wrestling company in the world and is a clear #2, even more so than Impact Wrestling, despite having television deals in countries such as the UK and India. With money to spend, NJPW likely offered Moxley a whole lot of money to make a few appearances, if not more.
And if you are Moxley there's no reason to turn down the offer.
#4. Has till October to work extra dates
What we know so far about the AEW talent is that they have till October to work all their extra dates, after which they'll likely be bound by contract because that's when television tapings begin.
That itself will change the whole deal, but for someone like Moxley who's been itching to get out and do his own thing, NJPW presents the perfect opportunity. He has till October and it won't be surprising if he makes multiple appearances for the promotion during that time.
Moreover, we don't know the details of his contract yet, so there might be a loophole for Moxley where he doesn't necessarily have full exclusivity to the promotion as we may have thought.
Or, it's highly possible that he had high bargaining power when making a deal with AEW and stated his intentions to make the occasional appearances outside, even on contract.
#3. Wants to work with the best talent in the world
Having escaped the chains of WWE, Moxley has declared his intentions to change the paradigm and go a completely different direction. Do remember that throughout his time in WWE, Dean Ambrose was criticized for being a rather boring in-ring worker?
The fact of the matter is that WWE wrestles a safer style that's done by design in order to increase the longevity of their talents' careers. He didn't seem to have much motivation or incentive to put it all out there, but with NJPW, we could.
If he does become a heavily featured star in NJPW, even at a part-time rate, he can work with some of the best talents in the world. Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Tomohiro Ishii, and Will Ospreay are just a few of many top names he can work with, proving that he's a far better in-ring performer than many think.
#2. NJPW wants someone to fill a top spot
NJPW seems to be having a bit of trouble with regards to filling the "top gaijin" spot. It was clearly held by Kenny Omega up until January 4th, 2019, but with his departure to AEW, he dropped the title to Hiroshi Tanahashi on the biggest stage, who subsequently dropped it to Jay White a month later.
Now the problem with Jay White is that NJPW rushed his push and put the title on him to quickly establish him as the top gaijin talent of NJPW. While that spot is something he'll likely hold for a while, NJPW may have gotten Moxley in hopes of filling a certain deficit.
With his commitment to AEW, he won't be able to put in the same time that Jay White has, but they might fill him into a Jericho-kind of role where he's constantly challenging for top titles even when he wrestles on a part-time basis.
#1. To make a statement to WWE
If you saw Jon Moxley's post-Double or Nothing promo, it's clear as to how fired up he is and just how motivated he is. You can watch it for yourself below.
He claims he's there for a paradigm shift and to give the industry a much-needed "facelift". It was clear that his "flipping off" after the show was also a message to WWE. He truly viewed it as a prison to him and only now are people truly realizing why he left and why staying was simply not an option for him.
Moxley is there to make a statement and AEW is just one part of it. By signing with NJPW as well, Jon Moxley is putting out a clear statement to WWE that not only does he not need them but there are plenty of others who are willing to give him the opportunities that he deserves.
