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JON MOXLEY TALKS HIS JOURNEY IN PRO WRESTLING, HIS CURRENT AEW RUN, INJURIES & MORE: AEW UNRESTRICTED PODCAST RECAP

By Paul Jordan on 2020-02-20 09:15:00

The debut edition of the "AEW Unrestricted" podcast is now available.

Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards welcome us to the podcast and then introduce this week's guest Jon Moxley. Tony asks how Moxley found wrestling growing up in Cincinnati. Jon states he can't remember a time where it wasn't around. He mentions having downstairs neighbors that had action figures and old WWF tapes along with Ninja Turtles which he and Aubrey Edwards bond over. Tony mentions that Moxley was a fan of Bret Hart growing up, when did he first see The Excellence Of Execution. He said it was probably the mid-90s. Moxley says he missed the era of Hulk Hogan being born in 1985. He mentions collecting tapes and learning about the history of the business, writing down title histories and engulfing himself in the love of the business. Tony talks about being trained by Les Thatcher. Moxley says he started, about 16 after seeing an ad for the Heartland Wrestling Association at the Red Barn flea market.  He runs down the crew of the developmental territory at the time.  Moxley mentions that he would try to sneak into the Cincinnati Gardens…but failed. 

He says that he loved the up-close nature of the local show, mentioning he was in awe of Johnny The Bull.  Jon says back in the day, there was more magic on how to get in the business.  He wasn't sure how to do it.  He didn't even have the Internet beyond computers at school.  He talks about seeing Thatcher's name in the back of the program of the wrestling show.  He just showed up at the school one day not telling Les that he was 16.  Moxley would watch the practices, he talks about hearing guys do drills in the building and it sounded like gunshots going off.  He talks about Thatcher's training methods being old-school and guys looking like real wrestlers.  Moxley is asked where his name came from.  Jon talks about his original gimmick being high school football players and being based on the character from Varsity Blues.  After a while, the football gimmick went away and the name stuck.

After a short break, Moxley is asked how he got to WWE.  Moxley talks about not feeling like he was getting a lot of buzz working HWA, local Indies, Puerto Rico, etc. he discusses having a job in a factory to make ends meet.  Moxley talks about the big break that came in working Insanity Pro Wrestling and working with Drake Younger.  Moxley says that was the turning point.  He says he was in a dark place and really found a character.  He talks about taking out aggression on opponents and made him a sense of peace with what was going on in his head.  This caused his style to change and led to Combat Zone Wrestling in Philadelphia, which led to Gabe Sapolsky and Dragon Gate USA. He talks about first meeting Gabe Sapolsky for the Jeff Peterson Cup, which led to being all pay-per-view for DG USA. 

Then the call came from WWE soon after.  Moxley talks about Joey Mercury giving him the heads up.  Jon talks about how initially thought it was a joke at first.  But Mercury confirmed it was real and they couldn't wait for him to get down there.  It was hard for Moxley to process.  He talks about not being in a good place and being mindful of not screwing this up.  He had no possessions to his name only a few books.  Moxley reveals that he didn't have a bank account to even cash his moving bonus.  Thanks to a friend's girlfriend, he was able to cash the check. 

Jon mentions that because he had an eviction on his record, he was unable to get an apartment.  Someone mentioned being a roommate with other people.  But he decided to go his own way.  Moxley rented an apartment on Craigslist that was basically a crack den.  Moxley discusses wanting to get in shape and prove to everybody that he belonged and was more than a death match wrestler.  He discusses the chip on the shoulder of the development of talent feeling like redheaded stepchildren back then. 

Jon talks about how it was to get notoriety.  He was unsure of how long it's going to last.  So he didn't spend his money on a lot.  But eventually ended up buying his own truck.  He talks about then finding his own house and it was surreal.  Jon talks about WWE being good to him, but it was time to go their separate ways.

After a short break, Aubrey asks about how he got the call to come to AEW.  Jon says he wasn't sure what he was going to do.  He thought he wanted to "go off-Broadway" for a little while and go to Japan, have fun and create something new and then come back to one of the bigger companies.  Of course, that didn't happen.  He had been keeping a close relationship with Cody and Jericho.  Jon talks about how everything was already in place before the company got rolling.  He talks about how everything felt like it was meant to be that night. 

Moxley talks about wanting to go away from a while as he thought the Dean Ambrose character tarnished him as a performer talking about the vignettes, and all the shenanigans Vince made him do.  Moxley says he was afraid that he was so synonymous with WWE that fans would reject him.  But that was far from the case and Moxley was grateful for the reaction.  Jon thought was going to be a long rehabilitation process but it was like waking up out of a long nap.  He talks about debuting in Japan and trying not to overcompensate too much.  Despite all that he says he was exceptionally calm and peaceful.  Then when the match started with Juice Robinson everything started to click.  Once he got in the back, he realized he was back. 

He says the year 2019 was a rough one few months with WWE.  He calls Double or Nothing one of the highest nmoments of that year.  Moxley talks about the injuries and surgery causing him to miss All Out.  Moxley reveals that he was suffering from a pinched nerve for a little while and has done therapy and it's feeling better.  Moxley says he finished the year strong and 2020 is looking like a good year.

Moxley is asked what he thought about his surprise appearance at Double or Nothing, being kept secret.  He says not really only a few people knew.  Jon says he is sure that some Internet journalists will claim that they called it, but it was a great surprise.  Moxley says it was a great idea to do that trailer reintroducing himself to the world.  Aubrey Edwards talks about the reaction backstage when he showed up.  Tony asks about Renée Young still being in WWE.  Moxley says their power couple.  They're making all the money.  Jon talks about Renée attending the Tokyo Dome.  Aubrey mentions that Renée was at the Christmas party.  Moxley says she is hard-working and really kicking ass.  Although he wouldn't mind if she would just come to AEW to make it easier.  He jokes that one day he could just get fat and she can be his sugar mama.  Moxley talks about the locker room culture being more relaxed in AEW and no one is walking on eggshells like in other companies.  Seeing other guys do crazy stuff makes him want to do more.  It's a great learning experience with so many different styles.  He says nobody sucks and it's great.

Jon talks about his movie projects.  He is working on a project with the guy that helped him with the trailers.  He doesn't want to reveal details, but it's coming along.  Moxley talks about an upcoming appearance in Dublin.  He loves the fans over in Europe.  He said his schedule for the last few months as a crazy going back-and-forth from Japan to AEW commitments.  Now everything's calmed down and he's ready for the pay-per-view.

**

80’s Wrestling Con 3 takes place on Saturday, April 18th at iPlay America in Freehold, NJ from 10 AM to 3 PM featuring appearances by Honky Tonk Man, Zeus, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Lex Luger, Rock N’ Roll Express, “Dr. D” David Schultz, The Haiti Kid, Teddy Long, Dutch Mantell, The Conquistadors (Jose Luis Rivera & Jose Estrada), Sean Mooney, Larry Zbyszko, Sam Houston, “Polish Power” Ivan Putski, Tony Garea, Mike McGuirk, Ted Arcidi, and the daughter of Andre The Giant Robin Christensen-Roussimoff. Also appearances by Dean Malenko, The Ascension, Bill DeMott, Terri Runnels, and more! Tons of vendor tables, attractions, Q&A’s, and more! For more info visit 80sWrestlingCon.com and Email 80sWrestlingPics@gmail.com. Be a part of the biggest 80’s Wrestling Party ever!

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