The resurrection of Jon Moxley

Refocused, revamped and reborn, Jon Moxley’s G-1 performance is the biggest surprise of 2019.

There isn’t much difference between the Death Rider and the Dirty Deeds. They’re both double underhook DDTs inspired by the legendary Kenta Kobashi. But the Death Rider takes the Dirty Deeds and adds a lifting elevation. It’s a new spin on something very successful. It looks cleaner, more impactful. Jon Moxley spiked Tatsuya Naito’s head into the mat, winning his fifth match in this year’s G1 tournament. Like Mox himself, the Death Rider is new and improved.

When Dean Ambrose made his WWE return at the 2018 SummerSlam, wrestling fans saw the former lunatic fringe with a new look, excited for what came next. Ambrose spent most of 2018 recovering from injury. When he finally returned, fans anticipated a potential heel turn where Ambrose would embrace his violent past in wars with Rollins and Reigns. That didn’t quite happen.

Instead, Roman Reigns’ leukemia returned, and Ambrose turned on Rollins after winning the Raw tag titles, the same night as Reigns’ announced hiatus. Instead of a vicious, villainous Ambrose, we were given a knock-off version of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises. Ambrose, once considered one of the best promos in WWE, talked about how the fans were diseased, going as far as inoculating himself on camera. What should have been the biggest feud in the company failed to capture the audience. Ambrose himself seemed cold. The fire that burned in his words when he was the unofficial mouthpiece of The Shield was gone. He looked bored and defeated by the WWE system.

In January, rumors spread that Ambrose was leaving WWE. Many fans refused to believe that a top star, a millionaire made by the machine, would leave. Even the Network special commemorating The Shield’s last stand seemed to be more work than reality. Rumors floated that Ambrose was only taking a sabbatical and would return by summer. That was until a simple Twitter video changed everything.

The video, created by Sick Nick Mondo, featured a man breaking out of prison, chased by big dogs ended with blood dripping from the hands of barb-wire wrapped fists. The implication was simple: Dean Ambrose was dead and indie, deathmatch specialist Jon Moxley was back. Mox made his official return at AEW’s Double or Nothing, attacking both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. When Mox came through the crowd and jumped in the ring, it looked like the Ambrose of old. The fire was back and in one night, Mox became the biggest non-WWE star in the world. When AEW announced a match between Mox and Joey Janela, many thought that Moxley would return to the violent mayhem the WWE would never allow in their PG world. Then came the surprise.

The wrestling world was shocked when Moxley was announced as the stalker hounding IWGP US Champion, Juice Robinson. Moxley making big money in AEW, wrestling deathmatches with Janela made sense. Moxley in the technical, strong style world of New Japan changed everything. Dean Ambrose was never thought of as one of WWE’s top workers. Ambrose was a character guy who got over with his tremendous charisma. His matches, while solid, were never considered in the league of Finn Balor or AJ Styles, two former NJPW stalwarts. How would the punch-kick heavy Moxley fit in with Okadas and Tanahashis of New Japan?

When Moxley hit the ring for his debut match against Robinson, we got our first look at the new Mox. The jeans and tank tops were gone and replaced with compression shorts and amateur wrestling shoes. Not only was the fire back, but his style had evolved. The Robinson match was the wild brawl everyone expected, but Mox debuted a devastating release suplex to go along with the Death Rider en route to winning the US title. After defending the belt against his now personal young boy, Shota Unimo, Mox declared his intention to enter the G1 Climax Tournament.

Again, skeptics doubted whether Moxley would expose himself. Could he keep pace with NJPW’s top acts? Could a WWE worker handle the grind of the six-week tournament before a group of fans who value work rate over character? After back-to-back-to-back wins over Shingo Tagaki, Tomohiro Ishii and Tatsyua Naito, Moxley has proved that not only is he one, if not the, best promo in the game, he’s evolved into one of the best workers.

Moxley isn’t Okada, but his unique combination of wild brawls and intense character work and his revamped offense has won over the Japanese crowd. The rebound clothesline is gone, replaced by the Regal knee strike. Along with the traditional punch-kick blows, Moxley added a few submissions (the STF and Cloverleaf) to compliment the occasional bite to the fact. It isn’t just the moves that have won over even the most cynical fans; it is his unique ability to connect with an audience.

Moxley stood in the center of the ring, victorious in an upset victory of Naito, proudly claiming to be the next winner of the G1. It would certainly be a shocking turn of events, considering  Moxley is signed to AEW, but the genius of Gedo’s booking has made it a possibility. Regardless of Moxley’s G1 finish, he’s shown to be a man reborn with an intensity to match his work ethic.

A year ago, Ambrose was a man broken by the systems that made him a star. Today, he’s the biggest star in the wrestling world.