When news broke that Jon Moxley had signed a new deal with AEW that would keep him under contract through 2027, it was met with almost universal acclaim. A three-time champion who has risen to the occasion every time AEW has called his number, Moxley was reportedly working without a contract heading into All Out, where he dropped the strap to CM Punk, but was quickly snatched up long-term thanks to his adamant professionalism and ability to galvanize the locker room in its time of need.

Fans of AEW were excited, long-term The Shield stans lamented the prospects of seeing the trio of Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins in the ring together, and the wrestling world trucked forward with only one real question left from the interaction: would Mox still be allowed to work the indies?

That's right, as per the wording of his announcement, Moxley was signing an “exclusive rights contract” with AEW that would allow him to wrestle for the promotion and their international partners but didn't mention promotions like GCW, where the one-time “Lunatic Fringe” was the promotion's champion. Though he lost the strap to Nick Gage in a Title Versus Career Match on the same night as WWE's Extreme Rules, few expected Mox to walk away from GCW forever when the match was done, as he genuinely seemed to enjoy his time in the promotion.

Fortunately, Brett Lauderdale of GCW decided to join The Business of the Business podcast to talk on that very subject, and needless to say, his interaction was very interesting indeed.

Could Jon Moxley return to GCW against AEW's wishes?

Speaking with Lavie Margolin and John Poz of The Business of the Business on the, um, business of the business, Lauderdale discussed his interactions, or lack thereof, with AEW in booking Moxley for his promotion, as transcribed by Fightful.

“I’ve had very little interaction with AEW itself over the years,” Lauderdale said. “Booking Moxley, I never spoke to AEW, it always was just Mox, talking to him and him handling I guess whatever needed to be handled with AEW. But I’m sure things are gonna change now. I don’t think we’ll see him as frequently. But I do think we’ll see him again. I think if there comes a time where there’s somebody he wants to wrestle or a show he wants to be a part of, I think he’ll be there. I think he’ll let me know in much the same way he’s let me know over the last, whatever it was, 399 days. He’ll shoot me a text and say, ‘What do you got coming up in this month?’ Or ‘When are you gonna be in this place?’ That’s how it would often come together. So I wouldn’t be surprised if I hear from him again in a few months or six months or whatever, sometime in the next year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back again and stops in for another event. But again, he does have priorities, and I don’t expect it. I don’t know what the word is. I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ll continue to look at it as a bonus any time he comes around.”

Alright, so it sounds like if Moxley ever gets some time off from AEW, which has been basically impossible to come by as of late, he might come back to GCW for a match or even more if Khan allows it. Either way, Lauderdale will appreciate the time he gets with his former champion, even if he has to defy Khan's wishes to make an appearance.

“Again, he’s not doing it for the money,” Lauderdale declared. “This guy does not need money from indie wrestling companies, and I can’t pay him anything close to what he probably gets paid on a weekly basis from AEW, nor would he ever expect that or ask for that. He’s just here because there’s a side of him that still loves indie wrestling. That’s where he came from and it’s part of his personality. I think that there’s a reason why he has done so many shows for us and was cool with being our champion for over a year. I think that’s because he respects us and what we do and what we stand for. So again, Mox is a guy who, even with this new contract, I still think he has the ability to call a lot of his own shots, and if he were to ever ask for a favor or ask for permission for something, I can’t see Tony Khan saying no forever. I think there’s always a time and a place or a reason that could make sense. So we’ll see.”

Assuming the rumored GCW-RAW partnership ultimately comes to pass, it would appear the prospects of Mox showing back up in GCW are anything but over.