On the latest episode of Dynamite, Jon Moxley defeated CM Punk to become the AEW World Champion – before putting WWE and Vince McMahon on blast during a promo.
On August 24, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, two of the biggest names on the roster went toe-to-toe. However, the contest, which fans expected to turn into an all-out war, only lasted a mere few minutes.
Upon the opening bell, the pair of legends instantly got the action going, with Punk seemingly doing the better work. But after attempting to throw a Roundhouse kick, he injured his leg, and Moxley took control. He landed his finisher and pinned his opponent to successfully unify the titles.
The new champion jumped on the ropes in a state of euphoria, while his rival hobbled backstage with the assistance of the medical team. But while his victorious performance impressed those watching at home, it was what he said after the taping had finished which really got those in the arena on the edge of their seats.
Jon Moxley slams WWE in promo
The 36-year-old hasn’t always gone by the name ‘Jon Moxley’. He previously made a career in the WWE as Dean Ambrose. Renowned for his fierce determination, will to win and incredible character work, ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ became one of the key figures in the company and even became WWE Champion.
However, his relationship with the promotion eventually spiralled, and in 2019, he decided to move on.
During an appearance on Chris Jericho’s ‘Talk is Jericho’ podcast, he explained: “Whether AEW exists or not, I was still leaving WWE.
“It was good to know the wrestling business was doing so well outside of WWE, but even if it wasn’t, I still would have left. If there was no other promotions to work for in the world, I still would have left WWE.
“If there were no other wrestlers, I would have just started my own promotion, started my own training school and trained my own opponents. I would have re-seeded the wrestling business from scratch if I had to. But the timing of it is just so crazy.”
However, despite several years passing, he still holds a degree of resentment towards the business.
After claiming he and Bryan Danielson were the two best wrestlers on the planet in his latest promo, he turned on the WWE.
Moxley said fans should watch AEW rather than watching “that Monday and Friday night c**p” (quote via Ringside News/PWInsider), referencing WWE Raw and SmackDown.
Moxley then took aim at McMahon. Back in 2014, the former WWE Chairman appeared on Steve Austin’s podcast and explained why Cesaro, now Claudio Castagnoli, lacked the “it factor” to become a star.
Moxley praised the new Ring of Honor champion for “ignoring some crazy old man’s opinions” and sticking to his guns.
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