The AEW Unrestricted podcast debuted this week, with Jon Moxley as the first guest interview.
He shared some thoughts with hosts Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone on how he was worried about the fan reaction before his AEW debut. He knew the fans there wanted an alternative to WWE, but he thought they might see him as the embodiment of the goofy WWE product that they did not care to see:
“I didn’t know if people were gonna cheer, if they were gonna boo, if they were gonna not make any noise at all. That’s when I was like I gotta go off Broadway for a while. I just feel like my reputation had been tarnished so bad that I had to start from scratch again.”
“Once you get popped in the ass with a syringe on TV, and dress up like a teddy bear...I remember one time standing in the ring in a bear suit for some reason. I can’t even explain to you why I’m standing in the ring in a bear suit. I DDT’d Miz or something and take off my bear hat. You get the Pavlonian response, but I remember just thinking, this is so stupid. This is not even funny or entertaining. I just remember standing in the ring feeling like I’ve hit rock bottom. I’m just done. This sucks. Oh god, I’m just like ‘What have I become in this bear suit?’ But I’ve had many moments like that.”
“I was scared that I was so synonymous with WWE crap that I’d walk out and they’d be like ‘Oh god, the idiot from WWE. What are you gonna do? Hit someone with a hot dog? Jesus Christ, this company has gone to hell. I can’t believe they’ve brought the hot dog guy.’ I was scared of that.”
“I can never explain my gratitude toward the people that were in the building that night for just immediately embracing and accepting me as myself and not putting any of WWE’s crap onto me.”
It’s clear that Moxley needed to get out of WWE; he was completely miserable there during his final months. He said that the trailer he released right after his WWE departure went a long way to helping restore his reputation among fans, and it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
Moxley went on to explain how much he loves that nobody backstage at AEW is walking on eggshells, especially the young talent like Darby Allin. They can just go out there and do their thing without fear of pissing anybody off, and it fosters an environment that you want to be a part of.
Jon Moxley sounds extremely happy to be working with AEW, and said that 2020 is shaping up to be the best year of his pro wrestling career.
You can check out his full interview on the AEW Unrestricted podcast here.