Jon Moxley has lifted the lid on why he decided to stay with All Elite Wrestling for at least another five years.
On October 7th it was announced that Jon Moxley had signed a new five-year contract with AEW. As well as remaining with the company as an in-ring performer, Moxley will also take on mentoring and coaching roles going forward.
The deal came against a backdrop of uncertainty with rumours that a number of stars want to leave, and reports that WWE have reached out to others. Furthermore, just days earlier following an altercation between Sammy Guevara and Andrade El Idolo it was reported that the former WWE star had initiated the confrontation in an effort to get fired.
However, speaking to Sports Illustrated, Jon Moxley explained that there’s nowhere else he wants to be, adding that he has the best job in the world.
“I don’t plan on going anywhere else. It’s the best job in the world, and I’m very lucky to have it. In AEW, all I worry about is wrestling. That’s my focus, and that’s a joy. I love storytelling, I love promos, I love wrestling. I love coming up with ideas for other people, I love learning. For me, it’s a perfect fit.”
With regard to his expanded backstage roles, Moxley detailed how he’s lucky to be able to bridge the gap between the old and new generations.
“I’m a good gap between the old generation and the new generation. I come from the Les Thatcher system, so I understand paying your dues and respecting veterans. I’m also old enough to know what it was like to go to the post office and send stacks of my videotapes – ones I had to make – to promoters. I was also there for the advent of YouTube, and I was one of the first indy wrestlers to gain a buzz doing that. My friend had a video camera and a laptop, so I would cut promos every week on my indy shows and used YouTube to my advantage.
“When I started in 2004, there was WWE and some other indies, but there wasn’t much money in them. There was a big gap in between when you first started and actually having any success in the business. Now there are so many tools and so many promotions, and such a great fan base, and wrestling has evolved so much. It’s a great thing for the fans and the wrestlers. No one is shoving a script in your face telling you what you have to say. I wish I had this opportunity in AEW when I was 25. I hope the young people at AEW understand how cool this place is.”
At AEW Dynamite Grand Slam Jon Moxley became the first person to win the AEW World Championship three times. It has already been announced that Moxley will be back in action on a special Tuesday edition of Dynamite where he’ll defend the gold against Hangman Adam Page.
Ahead of the most recent episode of the show it was announced that Moxley’s wife Renee Paquette had also signed with the company.