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After six weeks of buildup and anticipation, Jon Moxley wrestled his first title defense of his fourth reign with the AEW World Championship in the main event of Full Gear, taking on Orange Cassidy in their third-ever singles match.
Widely billed as a match for the “soul” of AEW, OC fought tooth and nail to end Moxley's reign of terror before it could really begin, but in the end, it was too little too late, as a major assist from Wheeler Yuta led to a Moxley Death Rider, and the ultimate 1-2-3 before a series of shenanigans took the show off the air.
And yet, in an interview with the New York Post before the show, Moxley noted that he isn't trying to take over AEW because he hates wrestlers like Cassidy but because he wants to help build them up, turning the promotion into a sort of boot camp where only the strong survive, let alone thrive.
Asked if he agrees with Moxley's new philosophy, Tony Khan celebrated his World Champion, noting that while he iced out his best friend, Bryan Danielson, he remains one of the most important AEW signees of all time.
“It's the greatest thing in the world. I'm very fortunate to first of all work in AEW and I'm very fortunate to work in a company where we have the four-time World Champion,” Khan told reporters. “And it's the fourth time with Jon Moxley as the champion, and all four times, it has made the company better. And even though Bryan Danielson is probably my best friend in the entire world, the fact is, I've worked with Jon Moxley for a long time, too, and even though I don't agree necessarily with what happened to Bryan Danielson, I miss him every day, I miss working with him every day, Jon Moxley is so great for this business, and we need Jon Moxley, and I have to accept what happened.”
Alright, that's all well and good, but what about how it impacts wrestlers down the card, like, say, Private Party, who were put through the gauntlet before becoming AEW World Tag Team Champions? Well, TK touched on that, too, noting that he's open to trying something new with such creative weight behind the concept.
Tony Khan believes Jon Moxley can make new stars in AEW
Discussing Moxley's desire to help get over new stars but running them through the Death Rider gauntlet, Khan noted that if it worked for Private Party, it could work for other stars too, especially younger ones like Daniel Garcia, who are on the upswing.
“I also have to say that all four times Jon has been the champion, it has been straight up; he's been nothing but positive for the business of the company, and then backstage, you're absolutely right about what you said and then look at the effects, and you see what's happening,” Khan told reporters.
“Private Party, Jon beat the h*ll out of those guys, and they've always had it in them, but after they got roughed up, after they got beat up by Jon, Claudio, PAC, and the Death Riders, I really think that we saw the best version of Private Party we've ever seen. The most confident, they've been through h*ll, they've been through the fire, and I think Jon Moxley had a lot to do with that, and that's a good example of that. And I think that's only the beginning, but I do think that all four times Jon Moxley's been the World Champion of AEW, very great things happened, and he's quite possibly the most important figure in the history of the company.”
Does AEW have a chance to use the Death Riders storyline to build up some new stars? Potentially so, but for that to happen, people actually have to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them, which is a lot easier said than done when Moxley and company are on the opposite side of the ring.
