Jon Moxley has new gear, a new finisher and a new record

While it hasn’t quite shaken the foundations of the wrestling business like his tell all interview on Talk Is Jericho did seven days ago, this Wednesday was a pretty big deal for Jon Moxley.

The former Dean Ambrose made his debut for New Japan at the Best of the Super Juniors 26 Finals earlier today (June 5). He beat Juice Robinson to win the IWGP United States title in a fun bout that was both what you’d imagine the hardcore matches Ambrose was pitching to Vince McMahon during his time in WWE would have looked like, and pretty much exactly what you’d wish for if someone told you CZW’s Mox was going to NJPW.

As my girl Claire already told you, go watch the thing. We’re here to share three interesting things - one which was revealed before the bell, another from during the match, and finally a very exclusive club Moxley joined - nay, established - with his victory.

First up, trunks! It’s not that Mox never wore trunks on the indies before signing with WWE, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen him in anything other than The Shield’s paramilitary-looking pants, or jeans.

The boy shorts look suits him surprisingly well, and the barbed wire on his left leg is a nice touch.

“Death Rider” isn’t just a new nickname Mox is trying out. It’s the name of the move he used to finish Juice:

Claire called it a “high-angle brainbuster version of the butterfly DDT”, and that’s good enough for me. I dig it because it looks like a logical next step to use on someone if Dirty Deeds didn’t get the job done.

The final piece of Mox’s “new” trifecta is that with today’s win, he’s the first man to ever hold both the IWGP and WWE United States championships. There have only been five total wrestlers who’ve held New Japan’s relatively new version, and only one of those (Cody Rhodes) has ever wrestled on WWE’s main roster. But still, a club is a club, and Jon just created a new one.

Fumi Saito for New Japan

WWE.com

Not bad for a Wednesday.