Jon Moxley: "I Love Independent Wrestling And I'll Do It Forever"
Moxley's found happiness once more in his old stomping grounds
Current AEW star and Game Changer Wrestling champion Jon Moxley has had quite the career since leaving WWE in 2019. Not only has he been a top star in emergent national competitor All Elite Wrestling, but he's also returned to the chaotic indie wrestling.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Moxley explained why he will continue to lend his time and energy to the independents.
"I just love doing them. I f**king love independent wrestling," Moxley began. "I love the small building, 250 people packed into a small building atmosphere. I love that s**t. To me, I can get the same feeling there as I get from a 20,000 seat packed arena. A lot of times, it's better because in that environment, nobody is going to be pushing me for time or telling me I have to go home in three minutes or 40 seconds or I have one segment and a commercial break. There's no f**king commercial breaks. It's just wrestling. It's fans in the building, lost in the moment, enjoying wrestling, and you can get lost in the moment too. That's the drug I live for."
Moxley also explained that in his days of wrestling for CZW, Dragon Gate USA, IWA Mid South, and elsewhere, he didn't make much money, but notes how the indie landscape has changed for the better today.
"The indie wrestling scene is more healthy," he adds. "The pandemic hit indie wrestling really hard. I'm like, 'If I can help, I'll step up and help.' I'll jump on whatever indie show I need to jump on and draw a few more fans or eyeballs. If I'm on a show and if there are a few more eyeballs ... I'm not saying I'm the biggest draw in the world or anything, but if there's a couple more eyeballs on the show because I'm on the show and those eyeballs then become a fan of somebody and they buy their shirt and they follow them to other shows. If I can help in any way I can, I'm gonna step up, get in there, and help indie wrestling.
"It's where I come from and I'm not going to leave it behind. I just like f**king doing it. I never understood why WWE was trying to buy up the indies. Just let them exist on their own because that's where you get guys who develop, exist, and become main eventers and then you can take them from there. I just love indie wrestling and I'll do it forever."
(Credit to Fightful for transcription)
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.