Jon Moxley Looking Forward To Return To Japan, Hasn’t Watched Match With Hiroshi Tanahashi

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Jon Moxley spoke about his excitement to return to Japan, which he’ll do next month for NJPW Dominion. Moxley has not wrestled in Japan since 2020, but has made appearances for NJPW in the United States. Here are highlights:

On returning to Japan: “I’m really stoked about going back to Japan. Now I don’t have to worry about going back and forth between New Japan and AEW. The working relationship is really good, and that makes it easy for me. I still work for New Japan Strong in the U.S., but it’s not the same as being over there in Japan. It’s been so long. I need it. There are still a lot of big matchups. I’m really excited about it.”

On his match with Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door: “I’ve never watched it, and I never will. It’s one of those things that was so perfect in the moment. I was supposed to wrestle Tanahashi many times, and it kept getting f—ed up for one reason or another. The relationship [between NJPW and AEW] wasn’t necessarily the best before, and I was in the middle of that. Then a couple years later, we’re doing a pay-per-view together, I’m in the main event, and it’s against Tanahashi, which was the last big dream I wanted. There were a lot of people who did a lot to bring that together, but I feel like I was the goddamn linchpin of the whole f—ing thing. It was magical. The match was so f—ing perfect. It was exactly how I envisioned it. I was in such a f—ing zone. Every single second of it was exactly how I played it out in my head. If I ever watch it back, I’ll pick apart little things because I’m my own worst critic. So that’s why I won’t. It was f—ing perfect.”

On who he wants to wrestle in Japan: “Okada, Ishii, I’m here to wrestle the best guys. I’m here to push myself. And I want to help the young guys, pushing them to be the best. Getting back to Japan and mixing it up over there, it makes me better.”