Why Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli Aren't In The AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament

18 months on, Jon Moxley finally got his vacation.

The brackets for the AEW World Tag Team Title tournament baffled many fans as Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli were not included in the tournament despite their clean win over FTR at the Revolution pay-per-view. Initial reports noted there was no reason as to why Blackpool Combat Club weren't in the tournament beyond that AEW simply didn't add them to the competition. That doesn't appear to be quite true, however.

According to Fightful Select, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli were already planned to have some time off following Revolution which meant they would not be available for the AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament. Dave Meltzer also reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Blackpool Combat Club were in the original version of the tournament but Moxley being banged up and having upcoming bookings in Mexico and Japan led to his and Claudio Castagnoli's removal. 

Moxley will team with Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta at CMLL Homenaje a Dos Leyendas on March 19 to take on Mistico, Volador Jr., Blue Panther, and Ultimo Guerrero. Moxley will then head to Japan for Sakura Genesis on April 6 where he will team with Shota Umino to take on Jack Perry and Ren Narita. This comes ahead of Moxley facing Tetsuya Naito, possibly for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, at Windy City Riot on April 12. 

The quarter-finals for the AEW World Tag Team Title tournament are as follows:

• The Young Bucks vs. Private Party
• FTR vs. The Infantry
• Mike Bennett & Matt Taven vs. Best Friends
• Ricky Starks & Big Bill vs. Top Flight