Snapshots from the mind of the world champion
Days away from defending his world title against Hangman Page in a Texas Death match, Jon Moxley went all in on what is about to unfold
The Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of pro wrestling.
Contents for The Week in Wrestling:
Jon Moxley on his upcoming world title defense at All In
An inside look at the past week in wrestling
Yes, I am excited for Goldberg’s retirement match
Tweet of the Week
Jon Moxley: “Be ready to go all the way. Or get the fuck out.”
Two nights ago, Jon Moxley found a quiet corner in the airport. Before his flight to Texas, where he will defend the AEW world title against “Hangman” Adam Page in a Texas Death match, Moxley was in the mood to talk.
More specifically, Moxley was engaged about one particular topic: Hangman Page–namely, the suffering that Hangman is about to endure.
“I’ve found myself pacing, I’ve found myself twitching my fingers, I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve looked forward to physically hurting someone the way I’m going to hurt Hangman Page on Saturday,” said Moxley. “I don’t even hate him, but I do have this intrinsic disdain for him. It would be different if we worked in an office. But in the line of work we’re in, I get to beat the shit out of him.”
Moxley has held the world title since he defeated Bryan Danielson for it in October. Ever since, he and his Death Riders–Claudio Castagnoli, Marina Shafir, Wheeler Yuta, and PAC–have controlled the world title scene in AEW, with Moxley defending the title against the likes of Adam Copeland, Samoa Joe, and Swerve Strickland.
Yet even though he is champion, Moxley does not wear the belt. Instead, he carries it around in a briefcase, depriving the fan base–and everyone in the company–from seeing AEW’s prized possession. It is reminiscent of the storyline from the famed film Pulp Fiction, where mystery surrounded the contents of Marsellus Wallace’s briefcase.
“I don’t know who isn’t a Tarantino fan–maybe Claudio, you’d have to ask him–so you can look at it like that,” said Moxley, who is relishing the chance to put his own unique touch on this world title reign. “A perfectly cooked steak is a perfectly cooked steak. You don’t need to use any upside-down technique for that. But in a space like wrestling, I don’t want to do anything like anyone else.”
Moxley knows exactly what he possesses in the briefcase. And he refuses to share the riches with anyone, especially Hangman.
“He’s the first homegrown top guy in AEW,” said Moxley. “He has everything you’d want in a professional wrestler. The athleticism, intelligence, instinct, skill–name all the qualities you’d want as a pro wrestler, he’s got them.
“What an opportunity he’s been given. You couldn’t ask for more. That comes with a lot of pressure. The people pegged him to be the guy. Frankly, I think he’s afraid to be that guy. There are wrestlers who would walk through a minefield for his opportunity, to grab it with a fucking death grip. But there’s something about him. He reminds me of a guy who became a doctor because his parents wanted him to.
“Hangman’s a nice guy. I’ll say this about him–he doesn’t pretend to be somebody he’s not. I just don’t think he knows exactly who he is yet.”
Page has been on a long journey in AEW, one that manifested when he dropped the world title to CM Punk in May of 2022. Since then, Page dealt with lingering issues with Punk, then rediscovered himself as a heel–and now as a crowd favorite.
“I don’t care what he’s going through or what song he listens to on the way in,” said Moxley. “Unless he finds what he’s looking for and grows into a beautiful butterfly right in front of our eyes and beats me, then good for him. But that’s not going to happen.
“The Millennial Cowboy, the Emo Cowboy, that vulnerability, it’s what endeared himself to so much of the audience in wrestling. Those people will support you to the end of the earth. Now they’re asking more of him. Now he has to live up to that.
“The walls are closing in on Hangman Page. He’s about to reach the summit of a mountain, a personal mountain, he’s been climbing for the last two or three years. He created this out of his own emotional baggage, his own fuckups, and I couldn’t even explain the rest–you’d have to ask him. But he’s clearly been searching for something for a long time, and it would be a very long, very painful fall if it doesn’t happen for him. That’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
If you are of the belief that Moxley is going to retain the belt–atoning for his Texas Death match loss to Hangman in 2023–then the next chapter in Hangman’s career is going to be about his fall. That would prolong Moxley’s chance to wreak his brand of havoc in AEW, crafting a world title reign unlike any before him.
“I don’t need a fancy entrance,” said Moxley. “I don’t need pyro. I don’t need shit. In fact, I don’t even need to wear the fucking belt. I’m inherently the AEW world champion. You can steal the belt, make your own, it doesn’t matter. You can’t take away what I’ve cultivated. Hangman is worried about who I’m bringing to the ring, or the type of weapons I’ll bring. None of that shit matters. Myself and my wits, that’s what I rely on to get the job done. Can he do what I do when you take away all that extra shit? What happens then? He ain’t got shit. He should worry about that more than his soul search from the past three years. I’m going to absolutely torture him, and I’m going to embrace and revel in it.
“The world will see the difference between him and me. He doesn’t want to win. He’s thinking about The Young Bucks and his apology for burning down Swerve’s house. That was cool. Why apologize? Fucking own it, man. He’s in his own head. I’m at peace with the world. I give less than zero fucks. I have less than zero sympathy for him. It’s going to be ugly, people are going to be sad, and I’m going to love it.”
Moxley is celebrating his twenty-first year in pro wrestling. In addition to carrying the AEW brand, he has also played a starring role for WWE, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and throughout the indies. He is acutely aware that the next show is always the biggest, which is why he’d only refer to the All In pay-per-view on Saturday as the biggest show in the history of the company–for now.
“It is our biggest one, then the next one after that will be, and the next one after that, and the next one after that,” said Moxley. “I’m walking to my flight, and each step forward is my most important. By the time I’m done analyzing and looking at that step, I’ve walked ten more. So I don’t think in those terms. All Elite Wrestling is still so young. When you zoom out and see what we’re building, it’s all very exciting.”
An AEW original, Moxley’s provided an entirely different level of credibility to the company with his arrival. He has put the brand on his shoulders since, precisely what he plans to do this Saturday at All In.
“I hope I’m on my back foot with blood in my eye,” said Moxley. “I love that shit. This is my element. The world title is on the line. That’s no fucking joke. Be ready to go all the way or get the fuck out.”
This past week…
Charlotte Flair wrote an outstanding piece for The Players’ Tribune. She discussed the Four Horsewomen’s place in pro wrestling, the way women are aged out of the industry, the manner in which Tiffany Stratton’s divorce line genuinely rocked her, the relationship with her dad, and more–including her dreams of having children. It was a brave piece filled with courage, and it really highlighted the person behind the character.
Paul Heyman’s alliance carried Raw. Heyman was his usual brilliant self on the microphone, dropping some Spanish while calling out Penta, while Bronson Reed did a number on Jey Uso, and Bron Breakker nearly broke Sami Zayn in half. But not to be lost in any of that is the way Penta held his own in the main event against Rollins.
LA Knight ended the show brawling with Rollins, and he would greatly benefit from a victory in their match this weekend on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
There’s no other way to put it: right now, Lyra Valkyria is out of her league beside Becky Lynch and Bayley. For her sake, hopefully their match at Evolution on Sunday is outstanding.
The Young Bucks found their stipulation: they’re risking their EVP titles at All In against Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland, who won’t be able to challenge for the world title for a year if they lose the match. It feels like the right storytelling method, as it allows the Bucks to win–and sets up a new feud between Swerve and Ospreay.
In a hard-hitting bout, Kazuchika Okada defeated Kota Ibushi in the main event of last week’s Dynamite, further emphasizing Okada’s long-awaited bout against Kenny Omega this Saturday at All In.
Yes, I am excited for Goldberg’s retirement match
Bill Goldberg wrestles his retirement match on Saturday.
One of the last connections to the glory days of WCW, Goldberg will finish his career at Saturday Night’s Main Event in a match against Gunther. The opponent is important. Fresh off making Pat McAfee look like a world-class performer, Gunther will ensure that Goldberg gets a send-off befitting a legend.
The moment that sold me on the match took place during Monday’s Raw. Goldberg, who is 58, left his muscle car and came to the ring dripping in old-school aura. When he slapped the microphone out of Gunther’s hand, it only added to the scene, which was perfectly executed. The crowd clearly enjoyed it, and the video got numbers on YouTube. While the landscape in wrestling has changed since Goldberg powered his way through WCW, his methods still work.
Vince McMahon is not involved in the booking process for this match, so it feels highly unlikely that Goldberg wins. He isn’t winning to get cashed-in on from Seth Rollins, and former champ Jey Uso (who was laid out by Bronson Reed on Raw) isn’t going to cost Gunther the match. I’m sticking with the idea that Goldberg will lose–then hit a jackhammer after the match, likely on Ludwig Kaiser.
In a weekend packed with wrestling, Goldberg will add punctuation to an extremely memorable career.
Tweet of the Week
If this was focused on wrestling, my choice would be Ricky Steamboat.