It’s half past 1 in the morning on Thursday. Air conditioning serves as a reprieve from the sweltering heat in Tokyo, which had felt like a sauna the previous two days at Korakuen Hall.
Full of adrenaline from back-to-back physically grinding matches—full of blood, bruises and foreign objects—Jon Moxley has no intention of going to sleep.
So he agrees to take a phone call. Sitting on his hotel room couch, the shirtless purveyor of violence notices a puddle of blood beside him.
“I just realized that,” says Moxley. “It’s not the first piece of furniture I ruined. They’ll charge me for the cleaning.”
Some love Moxley’s bold, unapologetic style. Others don’t. But he is pioneering a different style, one covered in blood.
That was visibly apparent this week, when Moxley celebrated the Fourth of July at Korakuen Hall. He teamed with Homicide against Jun Kasai and El Desperado in a gnarly Doomsday no disqualification match, and the chemistry with Desperado was quite evident.
“Desperado is a free spirit in the way he works and presents himself,” says Moxley, who wrestled Desperado for the first time last July at NJPW’s Music City Mayhem show. “When you watch his matches in Mexico, he has a proclivity to think freely. I don't want to label him a ‘deathmatch’ guy. But when you’re in a room with him, you know it.
“We share an unspoken bond. We didn’t have a ton of expectations for our first encounter last year. But it showed us what we're capable of doing together. If we are to meet again, which I’m sure we will, and the physical stakes are higher and there are more extreme environments, then we haven't even scratched the surface of what we can do together.”
🗽#njpwSTRONG INDEPENDENCE DAY Night2🗽
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) July 5, 2023
メインイベントは"FINAL DEATH"‼️
最後まで立っているのは…
🆚 @ElDesperado5 × @JonMoxley
📲 #njpwworld で配信中📡
PPV購入はこちら ⇒https://t.co/qNartM1fHv…
※7/5(水)との2日間セットのみ、単日での販売はございません#NJPW #STARDOM #AEW… pic.twitter.com/C3NAEyjtwx
The tag bout ended with Moxley covered in his own blood, foreshadowing his deathmatch against Desperado the next day. But unlike the tag (a defeat), Moxley was victorious in the singles bout. And, naturally, covered in his own blood.
“I have a whole dissertation on my theory about blood in modern wrestling,” says Moxley. “Do we have time for that?”
A resounding affirmative was the response to that inquiry. Moxley then proceeded to offer his reasoning on why blood belongs in pro wrestling.
Considering there is always logic embedded in Moxley's storytelling, it is no surprise that a hallmark of his philosophy is sound reasoning.
“This is a combat sport,” says Moxley. “College wrestling is a combat sport, too. They have blood timeouts to patch it up. The lowest prelim bout of a UFC card or a boxing card, somebody might have a little blood on their eyebrow or blood coming out of their nose. But they’re not selling a blood sport. It’s not, ‘Tune in for the blood! Tune in for the gore!’ It’s part of the aesthetic. It adds realism.”
A much shorter answer, Moxley explained, is that he has so much scar tissue on his eyebrows and head that he cuts very easily.
“Sometimes when I don’t even want it to,” says Moxley. “But I only know one speed. That’s with my foot to the gas pedal. If we’re going to do something, let's f---ing do it. That can be detrimental when it comes to negative things, like drugs or alcohol. But that’s my mindset. If I’m doing it, I’m doing it.
“When it comes to blood, it’s just going to happen sometimes. Like I said, it’s foot to the gas pedal. Some people say, ‘This is just a random match. Why is there blood?’ I heard that last week vs. Tomohiro Ishii. He’s one of the greatest of all time. I’m not going to let that moment slip by. I’m going foot-to-the-f---ing-gas-pedal. How can I not? Then I hear that I can’t have a good match without blood. O.K., then, you made my argument for me. I’ll do it every time.”
NEW JAPAN STRONG後楽園終了
— 葛西純 (@crazymonkey0909) July 4, 2023
新日本の後楽園メインで
大歓声のなか
トリで葛西純が入場し
葛西純がマイクで大会を締める
愉快痛快！！
ホミサイドとの再会
モクスとの初遭遇
デスペとの初タッグ
全て超刺激的だった
さて
デスペとのタッグ、コレで終わりは寂しいな
みんなはどう思う？ pic.twitter.com/x1jnjvKOQV
Moxley’s thesis is that blood will be shed. He backs it up with solid arguments and a willingness to question whether WWE’s approach to blood is the correct method.
“The point of the dissertation is that this is a combat sport,” says Moxley. “But we’re not allowed to have blood in a match unless it’s a personal grudge? We’re only allowed to have blood after a five-month grudge after someone slept with somebody’s wife or somebody ran over someone with a car? And then—and only then—are we allowed to have this dramatic crimson mask that looks the exact same every single time? For me, realism-wise, since this is a combat sport, that means there is the potential for blood in every match. Everything in wrestling is preposterous to some degree, but this helps with the suspension of disbelief.
“I’m actually for less blood but more often. If every single match on the card had a busted eyebrow or bloody nose, it would just be part of the sport. But some gory spectacle with blood shooting like a hose is pretty unnecessary. We’re elbowing each other in the face every single match. We’re kicking each other in the face every single match. What are these people made of if they’re not bleeding?
“People ask why there is blood in the ring every time I leave it. It feels unnatural to go out of my way to make sure no one is bleeding. That feels like I’m taking my foot off the gas pedal. That doesn’t interest me.”
🗽NJPW STRONG INDEPENDENCE DAY Night1🗽
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) July 4, 2023
🇺🇸#njpwSTRONG がついに日本上陸🚢
メインは予測不可能…！ 「Exciting Encounter～刺激的な遭遇～Doomsday NO DQマッチ」🩸
AEW @JonMoxley が大歓声の客席から登場‼️
📲 #njpwworld で配信中📡
PPV購入はこちら ⇒https://t.co/3z2rHkCwR2…… pic.twitter.com/kMPyyoh5z8
The blood also serves as a mask, and not just of the crimson variety. Yet, when looking closely underneath Moxley’s bloody visage, there is no longer a scowl. Instead, somewhat hidden among the sanguine fluid is a smile.
Jonathan Good has found happiness. Not only in the ring as Jon Moxley, a pioneer of AEW, but also as a husband and father.
“You always think your life would be perfect if you had one more thing,” says Moxley. “Doesn’t everyone do that? But every day, I’m reminding myself of how good things are right now.
“I’m in my ideal situation. I have a beautiful family. I’m healthy. I’m not afraid of dying of cardiac arrest in the ring. My substance abuse issues are in the past. S--- happens, but I’m healthy. I get to wrestle in AEW on Dynamite, and nobody’s up my ass.
“I can experiment and create a new piece of work. It’s part of the collective history of pro wrestling every single week. This is my ideal life. Beautiful wife, beautiful daughter. I’m healthy and I get to do what I love.”
An integral part of his happiness is seeing those around him flourish. That happened at the Independence Day show on July 5, where Moxley watched decades-long friend Eddie Kingston defeat Kenta at Korakuen Hall to win the Strong openweight championship.
“I generally don’t pay much, if any, attention to what’s happening on the show prior to me going out,” says Moxley. “Traditionally, I catch up on the show the next day when I’m not focused on my match. But this was different. It was very evident what being here and competing at Korakuen Hall and winning a title meant to Eddie. Just to see him here taking in this experience, it felt like you were watching Eddie at church. It was a deeply moving experience. I hope that comes across to the people watching.”
Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston have been friends for years but is that friendship going to last?
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 6, 2023
Watch #AEWDynamite Live on @TBSNetwork!@JonMoxley | #EddieKingston pic.twitter.com/MjD0eO3u7u
Moxley was overcome with the power of pro wrestling in Japan. As he quickly approaches 20 years in the industry, this trip reminded him of all the reasons he first became enamored with the craft.
“These last two days have been f---ing awesome,” says Moxley. “Being in Tokyo with these fans, it’s meant a great deal to me. I love what wrestling becomes when it’s here. It’s pure. It makes you want to work harder.
“Wrestling in Korakuen, it’s something I wish every wrestler had the chance to experience. It’s baptism by fire because it’s like a steam room, and that’s part of the allure. The fans are amazing. This was a little different because it was New Japan Strong, but people knew who everyone was. This was a different spin on a New Japan show, but people were wild and crazy all night. I heard them chanting stuff I’ve never heard. The space-time continuum is different in Japan. It’s almost like it’s a different sport. That’s part of what I love about doing this under the New Japan banner. Jun Kasai and Hiroshi Tanahashi were on commentary [for the Desperado match], and I was lucky enough to be in the ring for that. It’s two of the most amazing nights of my career.”
Only 37, Moxley is old enough to know that careers do not last forever. This makes him even more grateful to soak up moments like this, and for the work he is doing with the Blackpool Combat Club, which is building to a Blood & Guts match against The Elite in two weeks on Dynamite.
“At some point, some match will be my last,” says Moxley. “This existence in my athletic career is finite. I feel like I didn’t use a few of my peak years to my full potential. A lot of which is no fault of my own. Some of it is. So I’m very in the moment.
“I want to wring the sponge of every ounce of potential. I want to find out exactly what I can become. Regret is one of the worst things in life. There’s some really good quote about it—regret lasts forever, or some s---. You know what I’m saying. I want a career without regret.”
As the time extended well beyond two in the morning, this American-based reporter apologized for taking up so much of Moxley’s night. Nonchalantly, and in trademark fashion, Moxley offered a logical response before attempting to get some sleep.
“I don’t go out after shows any more,” says Moxley. “So I end up bored as f---. It worked out perfectly.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
