At the start of 2019, current AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, who was known as Dean Ambrose prior, left WWE after deciding not re-sign with the promotion after the expiration of his contract. At the Double or Nothing pay-per-view, Jon Moxley would make his official AEW debut with his new name after agreeing to a three year deal with the company.
Earlier this month, Jon Moxley signed an extension with the company for five years, while also taking on extra roles such as training and coaching.
Jon Moxley’s Gamble On Himself Paid Off
During his three years in All Elite Wrestling, Jon Moxley has established himself as one of the top stars in professional wrestling, including being a three-time world champion in AEW.
Recently making an appearance on Cincy 360 for an interview with Rick Ucchino and Tony Pike, Moxley spoke about gambling on himself by leaving the biggest promotion in the world in World Wrestling Entertainment, as well as giving back to the sport that he loves.
“It’s really cool to be on the ground floor and I guess I bet on myself to a degree, that’s a good way to put it, when I left WWE. The last three years have been the best three years of my career, for sure. A lot of that mindset is like…I don’t know if selfish is the right word, but self-interested.
Where am I going to have the best matches? Where can I do this, that, and the other? Now, looking forward to the next five years, I think a lot of that has shifted to, how can I give back to wrestling? How can I perpetuate wrestling going forward?
Wrestling gave me everything I have in life. I would be, the cliche is ‘You’d be dead or in jail,’ I can’t think of another way to put it. I would have nothing without wrestling. It’s the thing that brought me life and gave me purpose and is a thing that’s mine.
It brought me everything I have in life from my wife to my family to my house, my truck, my friends, my life experiences. It’s my entire life. If there are other people out there who come from where I come from or the place I come from, it could be the same thing for them.
Even just being a fan or being inspired by some wrestlers or even if I can just perpetuate the joy of the inspiration that wrestling provides or perpetuate everything wrestling has given to me and pay it forward and back to the universe, it’ll come back to me in spades.
I’ve had plenty of success, and I want to continue having that success, I’m not nearly done, but I’m already looking forward to the future of giving back over the next however many years. Being in AEW is the perfect place to do that.”