Jon Moxley

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

Bischoff Transitions into SD Executive Director Role

Tuesday's episode of SmackDown Live was Eric Bischoff's first as SmackDown executive director, according to PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton).

Bischoff reportedly sat in on production meetings and spent "a lot of time with members of the WWE creative team." Otherwise, SmackDown reportedly ran in the same manner as usual.

WWE announced in June that Bischoff and Paul Heyman would be taking over as the executive directors of SmackDown and Raw, respectively. While Heyman was already on the payroll, WWE brought Bischoff in to provide an outside perspective.

Although Heyman seemingly has a significant creative impact on Raw, it is unclear if Bischoff will serve in a similar capacity on SmackDown. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News) reported last week that Bischoff would "not necessarily" provide "creative ideas" for SmackDown.

Bischoff responded to reports regarding his role on his 83 Weeks podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Robert Gunier) and said: "Anything that's been written and reported so far has been wrong in terms of what my role actually is, and what it will be, and when my start date will be."

The former WCW president confirmed that he has made the move to Stamford, Connecticut, to be close to WWE headquarters, which suggests he is set to have a hands-on role within the blue brand moving forward.

Moxley Cuts Promo on Omega on Road to All Out

On Episode 2 of Road to All Out on Wednesday, Jon Moxley discussed his upcoming All Out match against Kenny Omega:

A serious and focused Moxley called Omega "myth" and "legend," and put over his in-ring ability in the process. The former Dean Ambrose also noted that while Omega was putting on five-star classics in Japan, he was "hitting people in the face with cream pies" in WWE.

Moxley opined that Omega views him as a joke, but asserted: "It's not going to be the least bit funny when I break your f---ing jaw."

At Double or Nothing in May, Moxley made his AEW debut by attacking Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega following their main event match.

Moxley's debut match for AEW was a win over Joey Janela at Fyter Fest, after which Omega attacked him. Since then, Moxley has been dominating the G1 Climax 29 in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Omega vs. Moxley will be a headline match at All Out that needs to deliver in order for the show to be considered a success, and Moxley is seemingly dead set on assuring that happens.

Evans, Blayze Trade Insults on Twitter

Following Monday's Raw Reunion show, Lacey Evans and WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze engaged in a heated back-and-forth on Twitter.

It started when Evans referred to the legends as "nasties," which led to Blayze firing back a personal retort:

You’ll be lucky to be considered a legend... 🤔 you failed in the military. you live in a portable trailer, drag your kid and husband around. Ur hubby looked at me... gave me a complement and said “honey maybe you could be more like Alundra ... your yesterday regurgitated garbage https://t.co/DobPScmSvK

— Madusa/AlundraBlayze (@Madusa_rocks) July 23, 2019

Evans then painted her military service and lifestyle in a more positive light than Blayze did:

Shootin the real shots? I musta got under your wrinkly skin. Bless her heart. Im typing this 8yrs honorably discharged from serving our country while in said trailer, over looking lots of land and $$ in the bank. As far as my family goes hubby gets it every night & baby is happy. https://t.co/9SWldMVZja

— Macey Estrella (@LimitlessMacey) July 24, 2019

After a few more exchanges, Evans tweeted the following:

I never watched wrestling, dont care what you've accomplished, barely know who you are... but I've got 2 words for you. @Madusa_rocks#FailedMilitaryMyA$$ #LikeALady pic.twitter.com/emVCVMGF6a

— Macey Estrella (@LimitlessMacey) July 24, 2019

Blayze didn't take kindly to it and called for The Lady to act with more class:

When their comebacks have nothing else relevant to say… The weak collapse and start making disgusting extracurricular sexual remarks. Definitely acting your shoe size now. I know you’re talented, strong and beautiful but don’t ever cave in and revert to Dirt like this. #nasties https://t.co/GujCbo6ZNV

— Madusa/AlundraBlayze (@Madusa_rocks) July 24, 2019

Evans fired the final shot by discussing how much she enjoys getting under the skin of WWE's legends:

I love pissing of "legends". Especially hall of famers I didnt know existed until I got signed.

Good night ya nasties. 💅👒 pic.twitter.com/PMHuhRB6y8

— Macey Estrella (@LimitlessMacey) July 24, 2019

On the heels of a lengthy feud with Raw Women's champion Becky Lynch, Evans is awaiting her next program. WWE seemingly has big plans for her since she was part of the Extreme Rules main event, as she teamed with Baron Corbin against Lynch and Seth Rollins.

Blayze has been out of the game for several years, but she was the face of WWE's women's division from 1993-1995, when the company attempted to revive the division.

Although it is a time period that is often forgotten in the history of women's wrestling, Blayze was undoubtedly a forerunner to the successful female wrestlers of today.

Blayze last competed in a legitimate match at Evolution in October, when she was part of the women's battle royal, so perhaps it is still possible for her and Evans to settle things in the ring.

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

Jon Moxley improved to 4-0 in Block B action in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Climax 29 with a win over Shingo Takagi at Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall in Hiroshima, Japan, on Wednesday. 

After laying out Takagi with a running knee reminiscent of Shinsuke Nakamura's Kinshasa, Moxley managed to lock Takagi in the Texas Clover Leaf and forced him to tap out.

Moxley owned wins over Taichi, Jeff Cobb and Tomohiro Ishii entering Wednesday's match, while Takagi was 2-1 after victories against Taichi and Toru Yano and a loss to Juice Robinson.

The G1 allows for unique matches that often feature a clash of styles, and that was the case when Moxley and Takagi locked horns.

Takagi is a former junior heavyweight who recently ventured into the heavyweight division. At the Best of Super Juniors 2019 tournament, he won all nine of his Block A matches before going on to lose to Will Ospreay in the finals.

The 36-year-old hasn't been quite as dominant in heavyweight action, but he still looked like a force to be reckoned with entering the bout against Moxley.

For Moxley, the match was a significant departure from his previous contest. After beating Taichi and Cobb in fairly quick fashion, he had a hard-hitting, 20-minute war with Ishii that was riddled with brawling and hardcore spots.

Takagi is a capable high-flyer and technical wrestler, which forced the 33-year-old American to adapt his style in a way he didn't necessarily have to in his previous G1 matches.

Moxley vs. Takagi may not be a dream match anyone thought of while the former was in WWE as Dean Ambrose and the latter was part of Dragon Gate, but they meshed well and showed that contrasting styles can lead to entertaining matches.

With the loss, Takagi is 2-2, and he will attempt to rebound when he faces Jay White on Sunday in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Meanwhile, Moxley will try to run his record to 5-0 when he takes on Tetsuya Naito on Sunday in what may be the most highly anticipated match of the tournament.

            

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

All Elite Wrestling star Jon Moxley is set to face Josh Barnett at Game Changer Wrestling presents Josh Barnett's Bloodsport II in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Sept. 14.

GCW released a video hyping up the match:

Moxley is a self-professed MMA fanatic, which makes the match against Barnett a natural fit. In addition to his time as a professional wrestler in Japan, Barnett is a former MMA star who once held the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Josh Barnett's Bloodsport I took place in April, and it saw Barnett fight New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Minoru Suzuki to a time-limit draw in the main event. The event also featured former UFC stars Frank Mir and Dan Severn face off.

The first GCW Bloodsport event, entitled Matt Riddle's Bloodsport, occurred April 2018. Suzuki beat Riddle by submission in the main event of the show.

Bloodsport is meant to feature a hybrid of professional wrestling and MMA, which is what sets it apart from other wrestling events.

While Moxley is signed to AEW, he has taken other bookings since debuting for the company in May. Along with his appearances on independent shows, Moxley is a top star in NJPW, as he currently holds the IWGP United States Championship and is part of the G1 Climax.

Moxley is expected to begin working for AEW on a full-time basis when its weekly show begins airing on TNT in the fall.

Because of that, Josh Barnett's Bloodsport II could be one of Moxley's final opportunities to make a big splash outside AEW.

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

Seth Rollins isn't letting friendship cloud his quest to help make WWE the preeminent wrestling promotion in the world.

All Elite Wrestling scored a coup when it signed Jon Moxley, who was a top star in WWE as Dean Ambrose. Moxley and Rollins shared a special bond through their time in The Shield alongside Roman Reigns.

Yet Rollins views AEW as he would any other company attempting to take some of WWE's spotlight.

"We are going to knock them dead, just like we do everyone else," he said Monday in a conference call for SummerSlam, per John Pollock of Post Wrestling.

Rollins added he "was surprised" to see Moxley show up on AEW's Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May, though he acknowledged he knew the former WWE champion was looking to take a break.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZd1EBmxNQE

"Now he's competition and trying to take dinner off my table and good on him," he said.

Rollins' comments likely come with a level of kayfabe. As a cornerstone of WWE's current roster, no one should expect him to go out of his way to praise another promotion, even if AEW is nowhere near WWE's level.

The Architect adopted a slightly more diplomatic tone this time around as well compared to his June interview with Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina.

In that discussion, Rollins said Moxley "took his ball and he went home" by allowing his WWE contract to expire and criticized him for publicly airing out some of his grievances with his creative direction prior to leaving.

To say there's any level of bad blood between Rollins and Ambrose would be a stretch. But the two will clearly have a friendly rivalry based on their current employers.

All Elite Wrestling has hosted three live professional wrestling events.: Double or Nothing in May, Fyter Fest in June and Fight for the Fallen in July. The next event on the calendar is All Out on August 31, which will feature Chris Jericho vs. "Hangman" Adam Page and the crowning of the inaugural AEW world champion.

A wrestling fan's reaction to AEW depends on their patience; how long are you willing to wait before seeing something as refined and cohesive as WWE's NXT brand? It's hard to know whether to like AEW and what it stands for because the promotion itself is defining that identity in real time and hasn't found it quite yet.

But there are some aspects of the promotion that all fans agree on. First, MJF is an uncommon, rising star. Granted, he's been featured in less-than-ideal spots on the show, but he's been a consistent bright spot of the show. He cut an incredible heel promo at Fyter Fest. During the Battle Royal at Double or Nothing to name a contender for the AEW World Championship, his solid ringwork and psychology stood out against a lot of distractions.

https://twitter.com/MachismoSport/status/1152592063319293953

Speaking of the Battle Royal, it showed, more than any other match, that AEW is still figuring out what it wants to be. Tonally, it was all over the place.

It had a butt-to-face spot with Tommy Dreamer and Sonny Kiss, a staple gun spot with Joey Janela and a comedic interlude with Orange Cassidy, who fought with his hands in his pockets. It had Michael Nakazawa use baby oil to squirm away from this opponents. These sorts of spots were clearly aimed at an indy wrestling audience who already knew who these people were.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6C0m9i77W8

Unfortunately, it was inaccessible to the vast majority of fans who might have been tuning in to non-WWE programming for the first time and didn't understand all of the inside jokes. If AEW has mainstream aspirations, the commentary team needs to do a better job of hyping who these people are, what their schtick is and why we should care about them. That might be a task better suited for weekly television.

If they are AEW better come harder than that awful battle royal they put on last week. They literally had a clown show to determine one of the number 1 contenders.

— Jeffery Williams (@jeffwillqc) June 2, 2019

Future AEW feuds would benefit from more gradual narrative builds. In his appearance at Fyter Fest, Jon Moxley redebuted his hardcore persona in an unsanctioned match against Joey Janela. But the tone of the match and the abject violence on display (at one point, Moxley dropped the bottoms of Janela's feet directly on to thumbtacks) felt forced.

Why do these two people hate each other so much? What awful thing happened that the violence reached this level? There has to be a reason for something as extreme as thumbtacks and barbed wire unless the promotion wants to assume that as its central identity and take it as a given. It's fine for a one-off. But it's going to get old.

https://twitter.com/Danyall90/status/1145410677756108800

AEW is trying to be everything for everyone: the hardcore crowd, the lapsed Attitude Era fans, the indy smarks and the WWE fans who are curious and want to check out what's going on. But it's easy to imagine each of those crowds liking the show in brief interludes rather than overall. And by including something for everyone, AEW risks pleasing no one.

The main event talent AEW has is undeniable. Kenny Omega is a consummate performer. Cody is showing the type of spark that WWE underutilized for years. The Young Bucks pull off some jaw-dropping stunts in the ring. But they also need to pace themselves; their matches are consistently long, complex and dangerous.

The main event was solid. When you put technicians and vets in there to slow the Bucks down, they really do amazing work. Too long, but some good content. #AEWFightfortheFallen #AEW

— Jason Burke (@jayburke) July 14, 2019

They're trying hard to show off what they're capable of, which is understandable. But this pace, on a weekly television show, is unsustainable. And in the process of showing off all their tricks, they are not leaving anything for a follow-up. Not everything has to be epic. Not everything has to be five stars; they should build towards that, on the big shows, instead of making it the goal 100 percent of the time. Less is more.

The overall response to AEW from wrestling fans has been cautiously positive. And it's best to continue grading the promotion on a curve as it grows and develops. Polishing takes time. And for the fans who are willing to stick around to see what AEW becomes, the dividends could be huge.

In a battle of unbeatens, Jon Moxley defeated Tomohiro Ishii on Friday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo to improve to 3-0 in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Climax 29.

In a matchup that lived up to its enormous hype, Moxley was able to end it with a Death Rider to secure an impressive win.

Moxley entered Friday's bout with victories over Taichi and Jeff Cobb to his credit, while Ishii had already beaten Cobb and Jay White.

The clash between Moxley and Ishii was among the most highly anticipated matches of Block B; Ishii is arguably the hardest-hitting wrestler in the world, and nobody can absorb a beating quite like Moxley.

The winner stood to establish himself as the man to beat in Block B of the tournament.

Moxley has quickly been pushed as one of the top stars in NJPW despite the fact that he is also contracted to All Elite Wrestling. He beat Juice Robinson for the IWGP United States Championship in his first New Japan match and has been impressive in the G1 as well.

Although Moxley is set to make the transition back to AEW full time in the fall, NJPW is getting its money's worth out of him by placing him in a series of dream matches.

While Moxley's first two matches of the tournament may not have appealed to everyone, Ishii was viewed as an intriguing potential opponent as soon as Moxley signed with New Japan, and the brawlers managed to deliver.

Moxley is in great shape and has a chance to bolster his status as the Block B favorite with a win over Shingo Takagi in Hiroshima on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ishii will look to get back on track Wednesday when he faces the 0-2 Tetsuya Naito.

                      

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

Jon Moxley improved to 2-0 in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Climax 29 with a win over Jeff Cobb at Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Hokkaido, Japan, on Monday. 

The match marked Moxley's second outing in the G1 Climax 29 on the heels of his win over Taichi on Saturday in the Block B opener. Cobb also competed Saturday, but he fell to Tomohiro Ishii in a hard-hitting affair.

Since leaving WWE, Moxley has turned New Japan on its head and quickly risen up the ranks to become one of the top stars in the company.

In his debut match for the promotion, he beat Juice Robinson to win the IWGP United States Championship. He followed that up with a convincing victory over Shota Umino at Dominion, after which he announced his intention to enter the G1.

That announcement was met with a great deal of excitement and anticipation among wrestling fans since it set the stage for several potential dream matches.

Moxley vs. Tetsuya Naito is the match fans are primarily waiting for in Block B, but Moxley vs. Cobb was an intriguing clash of styles that never would have happened had Moxley not entered the G1 since they are part of rival companies with Moxley in All Elite Wrestling and Cobb in Ring of Honor.

While Moxley is best known for his brawling and Cobb is an amateur-style wrestler who possesses ridiculous athleticism, they quickly found some chemistry and managed to put on an entertaining match.

Moxley was a heavy favorite entering Monday's match since he seems like a true contender to win Block B along with Naito, while Cobb is seemingly being used as a vehicle to put on quality matches rather than being an actual contender since his primary focus is on ROH.

With Moxley winning, he will put his undefeated record on the line Friday when he locks horns with Ishii in a match that could steal the show at the legendary Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

              

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

Kenny Omega defeated Cima at All Elite Wrestling's Fight for the Fallen in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday. 

The match represented Omega's final tuneup before his clash with Jon Moxley at All Out on Aug. 31 in Chicago.

Although Omega and Cima had no real issues entering Fight for the Fallen, there was a great deal of anticipation surrounding their clash since they had never before met in a singles bout.

Both stars went into Fight for the Fallen with momentum on their side after picking up wins at Fyter Fest. Cima beat Christopher Daniels in the opening match on that card, while Omega teamed with The Young Bucks to defeat Pentagon, Fenix and Laredo Kid.

Fyter Fest represented a strong bounce-back for Omega and Cima since they both lost at Double or Nothing in May. Cima lost a six-man tag team match against SoCal Uncensored alongside T-Hawk and El Lindaman, while Omega fell to Chris Jericho in the main event and lost out on the right to face Adam "Hangman" Page for the AEW World Championship at All Out.

After the loss to Jericho, Omega was brutally attacked by the debuting Moxley, who fought him to the top of a poker chip stage prop and drove him down with a DDT.

Omega suffered embarrassment on multiple fronts at Double or Nothing, which made it even more vital for him to get back on track before one of the biggest matches of his career against Moxley.

Meanwhile, Saturday's match was a huge opportunity for Cima since a win would have helped establish him as one of AEW's top stars with All Out and a weekly television show on TNT approaching.

Omega was a heavy favorite given his upcoming match against Moxley, and it came as little surprise that he defeated Cima in a match that showcased AEW's considerable depth and talent.

      

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Jon Moxley kicked off Block B action in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Climax 29 with a win over Taichi at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo on Saturday.

Jon Moxley defeats Taichi with The Death Rider #g129 #njpw #njpwworld
pic.twitter.com/pJNPxOd4HJ

— قنوات تردكة (@TardakaPro) July 13, 2019

The match marked the first of many first-time-ever bouts that Moxley is set to experience throughout the G1 tournament.

It hasn't taken long for Moxley to make an impact in New Japan on the heels of his departure from WWE. In his first match for the promotion, Mox defeated Juice Robinson to win the IWGP United States Championship.

After beating Shota Umino in his second NJPW match at Dominion, Moxley announced his intent to enter the G1 Climax, making him one of the biggest names in the entire tournament.

While Taichi may not be as world renowned as Moxley, he is a veteran performer who has been a major player in New Japan for much of his career. The 39-year-old is a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team champion and two-time NEVER Openweight champion.

Taichi has never gotten much of a look as a main event-caliber guy in New Japan, but he had a chance to prove he belongs on that level in Saturday's match against Moxley.

Since Moxley is under contract with All Elite Wrestling, his time with NJPW is expected to be relatively brief. Once AEW's weekly show begins airing on TNT in the fall, Moxley will likely be exclusive to AEW.

Because of that, NJPW has a limited amount of time to get the most it can out of Moxley, and putting him in the G1 Climax is an ideal way to set up a bunch of dream matches.

Moxley vs. Taichi wasn't necessarily a dream match, but it was a contest that seemed unlikely to ever happen given Moxley's lengthy tenure in WWE as Dean Ambrose.

Now that Moxley has a win under his belt in the G1 Climax, he will turn his attention to Jeff Cobb, who he is set to face in Hokkaido, Japan, on Monday.

              

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

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

        

Jon Moxley Offers Thoughts on Paul Heyman, Eric Bischoff

Since leaving WWE, Jon Moxley has been candid with his opinions regarding the company. When it comes to new executive directors Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff, Moxley echoed the general refrain of many wrestling fans.

During an interview on The Store Horsemen (h/t Wrestling Inc.'s Erich Pilcher), he argued Heyman and Bischoff will largely be as successful as Vince McMahon allows them to be:

"They definitely made some kind of move. Paul Heyman is really smart it sounds like that is a great idea. I just hope Vince lets them do their ideas. It's not just, 'I made him head of creative, but I'm telling him what to do type of thing.'

"Eric Bischoff was behind the NWO, he also presided over some crappy WCW shows. He is probably pretty motivated to make you forget that part of the resume. The more wrestling that is good, the more fans that there are and the better it is for everybody."

Moxley knows better than most how much influence McMahon has on WWE's creative direction. He expressed his frustration in that regard in a wide-ranging interview with fellow All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho.

Perhaps the arrivals of Heyman and Bischoff showed McMahon is willing to take a step back.

         

Bella Twins Had to Abandon WWE Return

Nikki and Brie Bella returned last September for a brief run that culminated in Nikki's defeat to Ronda Rousey at Evolution on Oct. 28.

The Bella Twins revealed on their podcast that WWE had penciled them in for the SmackDown Live after WrestleMania 35 to kick off a feud with The IIconics (h/t Robert Gunier of Wrestling Inc.).

However, Nikki said she underwent an MRI that revealed a herniated disc, inflammation in her neck and a cyst on her brain. Her doctor advised her to retire from wrestling altogether or risk further injury.

The fact WWE had to quickly shift gears could partially explain why the women's tag team division has largely been devoid of a direction since The IIconics won the titles at WrestleMania.

          

WWE Reportedly Considers 18-34 Demographic 'A Major Target'

WWE offered a change of pace to open the July 1 edition of Raw. The show began with a Falls Count Anywhere match between Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley that ended when the two stars crashed through part of the stage.

That may have set the tone for Raw's tonal shift under Heyman.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported WWE is hopeful of attracting more viewers between the ages of 18 and 34: "The edgier nature of Raw was pitched as a 'third hour' idea months ago, and was short-lived. After the success of last week's episode of Raw under a new direction for the duration of the show, the company is hoping to recapture that magic, and the lost teenage audience."

The Attitude Era was commercially successful for WWE and beloved by fans, but it was far from perfect. Women's wrestling was largely an afterthought, and WWE's willingness to push the envelope occasionally led to some tasteless moments that look bad in retrospect.

But there's a balance WWE can strike between the Attitude Era and the more family-friendly product it has delivered in recent years. Perhaps that's where McMahon can be valuable as a moderator for Heyman in the creative room.