AEW World Champion Jon Moxley: "When WWE Sucks...It Kinda Pisses Me Off"
Says he wants all of wrestling to be awesome...
AEW World champion Jon Moxley took part in a 90-minute interview with Dave Meltzer and Garrett Gonzales for The Wrestling Observer, where, inevitably, discussion of his former wrestling home came up.
Moxley was asked about WWE's inability, or unwillingness, to change up their product, even as a new promotion finds success with a younger audience, whereas WWE is struggling to do so, despite its wider scope.
"We know what their problem is. It's one person, three letters: V-K-M," Moxley said. "That's the problem. Until he's gone, or relinquishes control, it's just not gonna change.
"When I watch the show during the pandemic era, I'm just like, 'Oh thank God I'm not there. Jesus Christ.' I mean, what would I be doing on that show right now? Can you imagine? You think it would be any good? Like, come on."
Moxley was also asked about the new "Thunderdome" presentation for WWE programming, to which he said, "Like all the LED boards and s**t in the 'Thunderdome' is gonna fix their problems. We know what their problem is.
"I saw a picture of the Thunderdome - it was like a Zoom call with all the faces on the wall, and it tripped me out. It immediately made me think of...have you ever read the book Fahrenheit 451? This book was written in 1953 by a guy named Ray Bradbury, and it's like a dystopian kind of thing, kind of like 1984. But he basically predicts, in 1953, exactly what 2020 will be like. It's trippy."
Moxley, however, maintains that he wishes WWE no ill will, and in fact it frustrates him greatly to see his ex-employer stumble at the line.
"I want WWE to be awesome," he insists. "When WWE sucks at this point, I don't get excited, like, 'Ha ha, you suck', it kinda pisses me off. Because they're the number one brand in the sport. They represent the sport to a lot of people. And when their product is embarrassing to watch, it makes all of wrestling look bad.
"And it's like, you're driving away fans that could potentially be WWE *and* AEW fans. Like, I want wrestling *all* over the world to be awesome. The hotter it is all around, the better it is for everybody, right?"
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.
