Jon Moxley

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

Moxley Takes Another Shot at Vince McMahon

AEW World champion Jon Moxley had some less-than-flattering things to say about WWE Chairman Vince McMahon on Tuesday.

During an appearance on Busted Open Radio (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Moxley discussed one of the biggest differences between working in AEW and working in WWE:

"Pressure is having a two-page script written by a 74-year-old madman that makes no sense to you that's going to make you look stupid and your on worldwide TV live and you have to memorize every single line and somehow try to pull it off and not look like a total jackass. That's pressure. A lot of times I did pull that off. A lot of times I didn't. But, I'll never have to be in that situation again. Now I just get to be me and it's a nice feeling."

Moxley wrestled as Dean Ambrose in WWE from 2012-19. He spent some of that time as a member of The Shield and went on to become WWE champion after The Shield broke up.

Moxley also held the Intercontinental and United States Championships, and he was consistently an important part of WWE programming.

He was often put in comedic situations due to his ability to excel in those spots, however, Moxley made it clear after leaving WWE that he didn't appreciate being pigeonholed.

Mox was spoken often about how unhappy he was in the WWE system since leaving the company, and he is especially against the idea of being handed a script and not being given any wiggle room to inject his own voice into his promos.

That hasn't been a problem for Mox is AEW, and he has quickly developed into one of the company's top stars due to his in-your-face character, realistic-sounding promos and quality in-ring work.

Moxley seems to be doing everything in AEW that he wanted to do in WWE, and his comments suggest he has no plans to go back to WWE in the future.

Moon Criticizes WWE's Booking of Women's Division

WWE Superstar Ember Moon has been out of action since September 2019 with a ruptured Achilles, but she is still keeping up with the product from home.

On Tuesday, Moon discussed the women's title scene on her Twitch stream (h/t Upton), and questioned the need for both Bayley and Sasha Banks to be double champions:

"Why do we need two double champions? Is SummerSlam going to be like low-key Evolution with Sasha and Bayley wrestling for their singles titles and also for the tag titles? Is that a thing? Are we just reliving Triple H [and Steve Austin, Two Man Power Trip] from 2001? Sasha and Bayley have done a great job with a limited roster, but there are too many people sitting at home to tie up all the titles with two people."

Bayley is the longest-reigning SmackDown Women's champion of all time, and she and Banks beat Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships several weeks ago.

Banks made good on their promise to hold all the gold on Monday's episode of Raw when she beat Asuka by count-out to win the Raw Women's Championship. Stephanie McMahon stipulated that the title could be won by any result after the shenanigans that occurred during their match at Extreme Rules.

Asuka was counted out when she attempted to save her friend Kairi Sane, who was getting beaten down by Bayley backstage.

Moon wasn't a fan of that angle either, as she felt Sane should've been in more imminent danger before Asuka ran out of the ring to save her.

Ember added:

"I get we're supposed to be angry, and kudos to them for making us angry. No one wanted Asuka to lose, everyone wanted NXT Asuka back and having an undefeated streak. That's what WWE does. I fell for the ploy of 'I'm angry because I saw my friend Asuka lose the title in a crappy way.' Are we gonna have Sasha just lose the title to Lacey Evans or transfer Naomi over? They're building to SummerSlam, right? As a fan, I feel like I got ripped because once again, I don't get Bayley vs. Sasha."

With Becky Lynch away due to her pregnancy and Charlotte Flair currently out of the picture after undergoing a procedure, two top spots were left open in the women's division, and the tandem of Bayley and Sasha have seized them.

Bayley and Sasha are regularly appearing on both Raw and SmackDown, having great matches, cutting entertaining promos and showing what it means to be a heel.

Seeds have been planted many times for a Sasha vs. Bayley match, as Moon alluded to, but since they've been so good as a pairing, it may not be the time to break them up, especially since WWE would likely prefer to save that huge moment for a time when fans are in attendance.

If that's the case, then WWE is wise to get the most they can out of Banks and Bayley as a team while they can.

WWE Provides Mysterio Injury Update

WWE provided an update on Rey Mysterio on Tuesday following his loss to Seth Rollins in an Eye for an Eye match at Extreme Rules.

WWE.com released the following statement on Mysterio's status: "WWE Digital has learned that Rey Mysterio's vision is improving slowly each day and that his optic nerve is intact, completely secured and back in its socket. A timeline for Mysterio's return to the ring is unknown at this time."

At Extreme Rules, WWE simulated Mysterio's eyeball popping out of its socket. He hasn't been heard from since, but Mysterio's son, Dominick, appeared on Monday's episode of Raw.

Dominick got beaten down by Rollins and Murphy before Aleister Black made the save, but Murphy then pushed Black's eye into the corner of the steel steps just as Rollins did to Mysterio previously.

Dominick was able to make a comeback and fight off both Rollins and Murphy with a kendo stick, but the rivalry between them appears far from over.

It seems likely that the update WWE provided on Mysterio is its way of setting the stage for him to return eventually, perhaps as soon as SummerSlam provided Dominick ends up in a singles or tag team match against Rollins.

Mysterio and Dominick working side by side is an intriguing storyline WWE could get a lot out of, and all signs point to that being the case some time in the not-too-distant future.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

AEW's next major event, Fight for the Fallen, takes place a year-and-a-half after the creation of the company. A lot has happened within AEW's walls since January of 2019, so who better to talk about it than president Tony Khan?

B/R Live spoke to the 37-year-old executive about the upcoming event, the state of AEW 18 months in, how the pandemic has affected them, the high points for the promotion, what he feels they need to work on and the future of the company.

He also discussed what he believes are the defining moments in AEW's history so far.

"The biggest moment overall was extending our media rights," Khan said. "Getting on TNT in the first place, obviously, but then extending those rights was the biggest in terms of the state of the company. I think we were very fortunate to get that deal signed two months before the COVID-19 outbreak because things could've looked a lot different if we hadn't. 

"In terms of a milestone moment on screen, I think Jon Moxley showing up at Double or Nothing. It was such a classic show already, but there had to be a big payoff, and Moxley showing up at the end was it. It wouldn't have been the same without him. ... The way the show went with Moxley coming in and wreaking havoc on Chris Jericho and then the way we ended it by having that brawl with Kenny Omega up to the poker chips was the culmination of a lot of great stuff to me."

You can find the full interview below and watch Fight for the Fallen, headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage for the AEW world championship, at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 15, on TNT.

Jon Moxley will defend his AEW World Championship against Brian Cage at Fight For The Fallen on Wednesday, July 15, one week after he was initially scheduled to do so at Fyter Fest:

The two were initially scheduled to wrestle in the second part of AEW's two-night special, which will take place at 8 p.m. ET on TNT next Wednesday.  

However, the match was pushed after WWE broadcaster Renee Young, who is married to Moxley, tested positive for COVID-19, leading to Moxley being pulled out of the event as a precautionary measure, per Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.) provided details on Young's condition, as well as Moxley's decision to stay home on June 27:

"Young reportedly started feeling sick this past Monday, with pressure on her chest. She was bedridden and then lost her sense of taste, according to the Observer. She and Moxley both immediately got tested by a local doctor. The next night, around midnight, Moxley received his test results back and they were negative. The couple was relieved, but a few minutes later they got Renee's positive test results back. Young immediately contacted WWE with the news, and Moxley immediately contacted AEW, informing them that he had been with his wife for several days straight and even with his negative test, he didn't feel like it was worth risking the other AEW talents just in case he was in the early stages of the virus. Plus he didn't want to leave his wife at home while she was beginning to fight the virus."

The report also stated that Young appeared to be past the worst symptoms of the virus but that "she was still tired and her chest felt heavy" as of last Thursday.

Young announced on Instagram Wednesday that she handed in a manuscript for her upcoming cookbook, which will contain over 70 recipes for breakfasts, cocktails, main courses and other meals.

She did not provide an update on her condition but did say that she was "not allowed to leave the house" as of yet.

Moxley has held the AEW title belt since Feb. 29, when he beat Chris Jericho at Revolution.