Why a lot of folks think Ambrose is teasing an AEW debut, and why we just don’t know

The “WWE imprisoned me” themes of Jon Moxley’s Twitter video tease are pretty clear. It’s not 100% if that’s referring to his overall personal creativity being locked away while he was Dean Ambrose, or just the edgy death match character he used in places like CZW and AIW before signing with WWE whose name he’s retaken. But after the wall punching and the barbed wire fence scaling, Mox has broken out. That much is for sure.

What’s less clear, but has become the subject of much debate among fans, is what the tweet indicates about where Jon is headed next.

Speculation centers on AEW, of course, because that’s where we believe every WWE wrestler who seems unhappy or that we don’t believe is “being used right” dreams of going these days. But there’s a sequence in the video which seems to tease not only a move to Tony Khan’s company, but a specific date for Mox’s arrival...

It’s that moment where an on-the-run-from-the-law Moxley walks past a wall with a logo for Hollywood’s The Viper Room painted on it which has folks fantasy booking his debut at May 25’s Double Or Nothing. There’s the gambling theme which The Elite’s been associated with since ALL IN, and the fact the dice are showing 2 and 5. That’s enough to get people making jokes with the word “imminent” in them.

There’s also that the video is a slickly produced, professional and expensive-looking piece of work. Jon (and his wife) certainly have the money and connections to get something like this done. But it’s not an outlandish idea to think that the Jacksonville billionaire starting a rival wrestling company might have helped.

Two big things keep me from jumping into the “MOX TO AEW CONFIRMED” camp with both feet.

One, it’s very good business for Moxley to plant seeds about his joining the hot new company, even if he doesn’t plan to sign with them immediately. A savvy operator like fka Dean knows that quick image will get wrestling fans salivating and keep his name trending longer than something like an announcement he’ll be appearing at a Rockstar Pro show in Dayton next month would. I’m sure he’s spoken to Cody Rhodes & The Young Bucks, but I’m not positive the deal is done.

Two, Mox obviously left WWE on good terms, working to the end of his contract and doing whatever was asked of him. I’m still not positive that means he can appear on a televised pay-per-view (PPV) three-and-a-half weeks after it’s up, though. We’re in relatively uncharted territory, as there haven’t been many Superstars who left the company this way with the immediate option of joining a high-profile competitor (Christian when he went to TNA, maybe?). Is there a non-compete? Is it only enforceable if he’s still accepting their money?

We don’t know, but if Vince McMahon and company have a way to block one of their Grand Slam champs from showing up at the MGM Grand on May 25, I bet they will.

The exciting thing for wrestlers and wrestling fans is that we even get to have this discussion. It’s been a while since there was a path other than “work the indies until WWE signs you”. Now the future feels more uncertain, even dangerous.

Kind of like Jon Moxley.