Latest news with #Moxley
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Moxley has lost the crowd — and AEW has lost the plot with this baffling run
For better of worse, Jon Moxley is still AEW World Champion. () (Etsuo Hara via Getty Images) Another AEW event ends with the same question: Just how long is that title staying in the briefcase? Yes, less than month after its live audience jeered the decision to have Jon Moxley retain against Cope at AEW Revolution, Sunday night's AEW Dynasty pay-per-view ended in another dirty defense for the champion. Advertisement Should we have expected something different? To state the obvious, Tony Khan's booking has shown just how little he cares about the fan base's disapproval of Moxley. The live crowds can boo the leader of the Death Riders all they like, but the message from the boss is loud and clear: Moxley is the top guy in AEW. It's frustrating because, unlike with Cope, the expert consensus — if such a thing exists in wrestling — seemed to be creeping toward a Swerve Strickland victory this time around. Most of us caught sight of the reports on Sunday that the challenger's family was in the house in Philly and got the sense that maybe — just maybe — the change was finally coming. Even when Moxley and Strickland settled into the match itself, there were signs it might really be happening. Just listen to the roar of the crowd when Wheeler Yuta accidentally collided with Moxley, giving Hangman Adam Page the chance to clear the ring. And then again when Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata came racing down the ramp to ward off the heels. But having teased its own tribute to Cody Rhodes' grand ascension at WrestleMania 40, AEW then veered in the other direction on Sunday, with an ending that recalled another big WWE match: Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre in 2022. Just minutes after the challenger executed a perfect Swerve Stomp, an unexpected return from the Young Bucks delivered another stolen victory for the champ. Advertisement In some ways, this was infinitely worse than Clash at the Castle, given that — at least in that case — the interference came from someone with a plausible reason to get involved (i.e., Solo Sikoa). But having the Young Bucks do the dirty work for the bad guys just had most of us scratching our heads. I can't remember the last time that a main event conclusion drew such a terrible reaction. How much longer will this Moxley reign of terror go on? There's been plenty of speculation that Khan is holding out for All In in July, presumably on the basis that the moment deserves to take place on one of the promotion's flagship shows — like WWE does with WrestleMania and SummerSlam. If that's the case, it would be another odd example of AEW — a promotion literally defined in opposition to WWE — choosing to follow rules set by its much bigger competitor. In any event, it's not like this was some random episode of "AEW Dynamite" — Sunday was one of AEW's biggest gates of the year, with a really hot crowd to boot. Jon Moxley's title reign continued Sunday with a win over Swerve Strickland at AEW Dynasty. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) We also need to contend with the notion that maybe Moxley isn't dropping the belt this year at all. Perhaps it's all wishful thinking and we'll see the Death Riders standing tall again in Texas this summer. Given that Moxley has already crushed two of the most popular guys on the roster, why not let him run riot over Will Ospreay instead? Advertisement I'm being facetious, admittedly, but would it really be such a surprise at this point? Khan either isn't bothered by the boos for his champion or — worse — has fallen into the trap of thinking they are somehow valuable currency for a heel champion. Truth be told, I still maintain a lot of respect for Moxley's work rate in AEW and the circumstances around his return to the promotion three years ago. But even the Moxley advocates need to recognize that this particular run has gone on too long. It isn't just that Moxley has lost the crowd. I've written before about the overrepresentation of former WWE guys in the AEW World Championship scene. The longer the former Shield man holds the ultimate prize in AEW, the worse that record gets. In truth, it's a bit of an indictment that a promotion with such talented wrestlers hasn't elevated more homegrown stars to win its biggest prize. When you have guys like Kevin Knight making huge waves just weeks after signing, there's really no excuse to be so focused on legacy talent. Advertisement Will this be the last time we have to air this particular rant? For the sake of everyone, I really hope so. But to have Ospreay triumph in the Owen Hart Cup only to eventually lose to Moxley — I think I'd struggle to keep this column PG if that were to happen. In the meantime, I'll stick to the gallows humor I received from a friend after I texted him my thoughts about Moxley beating Strickland. 'Yeah, it sucks, but look on the bright side,' he said. 'At least Chris Jericho finally lost the Ring of Honor title.'
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jon Moxley's spiked board suplex is the gnarliest wrestling bump you'll see this year
Jon Moxley's spiked board suplex is the gnarliest wrestling bump you'll see this year For the last few months, All Elite Wrestling has been cooking -- just not when it came to its top title, the AEW World Championship. Star Jon Moxley has held the belt since October, when he sent Brian Danielson off to semi-retirement and bogged down storylines with repetitive beatdowns via his faction, the Death Riders. This all culminated at 2025's AEW Revolution. The annual pay-per-view put on a historic run of incredible matches, becoming the first event to earn three-straight five-star ratings from longtime pro wrestling scribe Dave Meltzer. Absolute bangers from Timeless Toni Storm and Mariah May, Kenny Omega and Konesuke Takeshita and Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher set the tone for Moxley's main event. Moxley, paired with longtime veteran Cope (a much dumber variation on his real name, Adam Copeland, better known to WWE fans as Edge) and buoyed by a run-in from Christian Cage, worked through a convoluted slog to retain his title in a bit of a letdown. That put plenty of pressure on Moxley and Cope to redeem themselves in a street fight for the title Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite, the company's flagship weekly show on TBS. So after weeks of carrying around a spiked board to intimidate opponents, Moxley finally put it to use in the ring. It backfired and, hooooo buddy, BIG WARNING HERE: it's probably not safe for work and a little uncomfortable to watch even if you're sitting on your couch. Again, WARNING: NSFW! Gah. Gaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh. What's worse is those spikes didn't come out of this grown man and father's back easily. I won't embed the images here because there's, well, about as much blood as you'd expect from a 230-pound man getting suplexed onto a pile of nails, but getting him back to normal (relatively) was no easy task. Despite the spinal trauma, Moxley went on to retain his title in a 22-minute match. While that means more Death Riders in the spotlight, it also proves what we've always known about Moxley. You can't turn his matches off, because you never know what he's going to do next.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AEW Revolution showed it once again: Tony Khan's fixation with WWE retreads is doing a disservice to his roster
It's become a bit of a cliché that AEW delivers the goods when it comes to its big shows, and Sunday night's Revolution pay-per-view was no exception — at least in terms of in-ring action. It might come as a relief to read that, given the rocky ride Tony Khan's promotion has had in recent months. Do five-star matches make up for some questionable booking? Your mileage may vary, but Khan has hinted in the past that his crowds prioritize bangers over backstories. Why not have both? In which case, Toni Storm and Mariah May had quite the match for you — capping off an already sensational feud with an audacious combination of Broadway theatrics and deathmatch nastiness. In truth, I could have skipped that vicious bottle spot, but it was made up for by that superb closing shot. They weren't the only ones who went above and beyond. Swerve Strickland and Ricochet capped off their feud with a solid grudge match, MJF reminded us just how good he really is, and Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher put their chemistry to truly demonic use in a cage match that rivaled CM Punk and Drew McIntyre's infamous Hell in a Cell match for sheer brutality. But then came the main event. Would the 11,000-strong audience in Los Angeles feel any differently from February's Grand Slam crowd in Brisbane — the ones who'd loudly expressed their dissatisfaction (to put it mildly) at watching Jon Moxley choke out Cope? Another rousing rendition of "Metalingus" left no doubt as to where their sympathies lay. In any event, I figured, it was a hypothetical — surely Khan wasn't going to tempt fate by letting Moxley leave as champion, given how bad the feedback was from Brisbane. Yet in the end, the leader of the Death Riders left the Arena with his title run — and that ridiculous briefcase — intact. As someone who admired Moxley's post-rehab return, I've tried to keep an open mind about his latest title run. But when we've had paying fans jeering him in two different continents over a three-week span, it would be a journalistic disservice not to ask exactly how long AEW plans to sustain this scenario. Not much longer, you might think, given that Revolution saw the elevation of Strickland — perhaps the only AEW talent to rival Cope for babyface status — crowned as the number-one contender. Does that mean we're heading for a title change at Double or Nothing in May? We can only hope so. The former AEW champion has put in the work — and then some — since his title run ended at Wembley Stadium last year. But he's also a rarity among AEW's world champion contenders, in that Strickland has built a name for himself in the promotion, rather than arriving with one already in tow. When I look at the list of names who have held the men's world championship in AEW, I'm still astounded by how few could be described as homegrown. For almost half of its existence, the promotion's biggest belt has been held by Moxley, Chris Jericho, CM Punk or Bryan Danielson — all of whom arrived as legacy stars from WWE. It isn't like AEW is short on talent. Konosuke Takeshita, Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, Powerhouse Hobbs, Jay White, Orange Cassidy, Brody King, and others have all shown they are capable of a run in the main event. But only a couple have enjoyed a world title shot, and, even then, usually as massive underdogs. That's the big paradox at the heart of AEW: Why does a promotion that has always defined itself in contrast to WWE reserve its biggest opportunities for those who made their name under the old regime? (For another example of this phenomenon, ask yourself why Christian Cage was holding the title shot contract in the first place…) Perhaps that will prove to be the silver lining from last night. I wouldn't have begrudged Cope enjoying one last title run for history's sake, but if it means clearing the path for some of AEW's more exciting, younger talents to get a shot at the big prize, then so be it. Bring on Strickland vs. Okada or Strickland vs. Ospreay when we get to AEW All In: Texas later this July. Because while Sunday's Revolution pay-per-view was a great show in-ring, it was also another reminder of why AEW needs to rethink its world title scene. Khan says that his promotion is where the best wrestle. Well, how about letting one of them win the world title next time?
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mrs. Julie Moxley is our Educator of the Week!
BOONVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) — FOX8 honors Julie Moxley of Boonville Elementary School. Congrats, Mrs. Moxley! If you know of an educator who is worthy of this nomination please fill out the nomination form here. Educator of the Week is sponsored by the North Carolina Education Lottery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Moxley vs. Cope Ends In Controversial Fashion At AEW Revolution
Jon Moxley defended the gold at AEW Revolution, and the match ended with some controversy. Cope challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at AEW Revolution. The match featured a ref bump and plenty of interference, as Wheeler Yuta got involved and Jay White attacked him, but White inadvertently hit Cope as well. Christian Cage threw a wrench in Cope's plans as he broke up the pin following multiple Spears and cashed in his contract for a world title shot. Despite his best efforts to pin Cope, Cage failed to do so, as Moxley choked the leader of The Patriarchy out with the bulldog choke to ensure that he left with the title. However, Swerve Strickland crashed Jon Moxley's celebration, as he dove off the guardrail and took Moxley down with a Swerve Stomp. Strickland earned a world title shot earlier in the show by defeating Ricochet. Here's how the match broke down, courtesy of our play-by-play: Moxley drops him with a piledriver. He locks in a chokehold. Moxley gets in the referee's face. He goes to ringside and gets a chair. The referee stops him. Cope rolls Moxley up, but the referee is distracted. Moxley shoves Cope into the referee, knocking the official down. Mozley hits the Paradigm Shift. He gets two chairs and goes for a Con-Chair-To, but Cope counters. Wheeler Yuta comes out and hits Cope with a running knee. He gives Moxley his briefcase. Jay White runs in and attacks Yuta. He grabs the briefcase and swings, but Moxley ducks, so he accidentally hits Cope. White and Yuta brawl to the back. Cope fires up with a Spear for a two-count. He hits another Spear and rops Moxley with a third. A hooded man pulls the referee out of the ring and reveals himself to be Christian Cage. Christian Cage hits Cope with his contract. He cashes in his contract, making this a three-way match. Cage hits a Spear and a Killswitch for a near fall. Moxley chokes Cage out to win. RELATED: The post Jon Moxley vs. Cope Ends In Controversial Fashion At AEW Revolution appeared first on Wrestlezone.
