Jon Moxley Explains His Motivations For Recent Actions in AEW With Death Riders

In an interview with Renee Paquette for Up Close (via Fightful), Jon Moxley gave some explaination for his actions in AEW in recent months, noting he wants to create ‘a thousand Jon Moxleys’. Moxley turned heel last year and created the Death Riders faction, running wild in the main event scene. He is the current AEW World Champion.

He said: “Everyone has questions. They are not prepared for the answers. We are one mistake away. One. One bad decision away from setting this business back 20 years. Who is going to take responsibility for that? I bear all the consequences around here. I take all the bullets around here. I will bear the responsibility for everything my generation, Claudio’s generation, PAC’s generation, our generation all across the world in professional wrestling. We inherited a nuclear wasteland and we built it up year after year after year into the business you see today. We are one mistake away from going back to ground zero. Who is going to take responsibility for that? Who is going to point fingers at who on that day? I’ll take responsibility for it.

“My vision is not one Jon Moxley. My vision is a thousand Jon Moxleys. I want to backfill this place. I want it to last for 20 years, long after I’m dead. Long after I’m gone. That is something worth doing. That is what I was sold on. That is why I came here. This was supposed to be for wrestlers, by wrestlers. This was about the beauty, the art, the craft of professional wrestling. What we’ve done here every single day with Blackpool Combat Club and beyond, what we’ve been about since day one, and every town we’ve ridden to and every rinky dink arena and every dilapidated ring we’ve wrestled in over the last 20 years, that’s what we’re about. That’s what this place was supposed to be about.

“About doing things the way they are supposed to be done. Giving this job, this profession, the respect it deserves. It’s not a fucking party. This is not what I was sold on. We’re going to build something new. That’s what we’re doing. We’re watering the seed. We’re growing something with strong roots and a strong base that is going to stand firm and strong against any storm. Anybody can be on my team. Anybody can be on our team, but you better show up every single day, ready to give everything you have. You better be at 100% and drop your fucking ego at the door. If you can’t do that, pack your shit and get out.”