Watry Reviews the Jon Moxley – Chris Jericho Talk is Jericho Podcast

Backstory

Like I did with the ridiculous CM Punk/Colt Cabana, I decided to review the big Jon Moxley/Chris Jericho podcast. Despite now being on the 411 Foresight Wrestling Podcast, I actually do not listen to podcasts on a regular basis. Eric Bischoff, Jim Ross, Stone Cold, Bruce Pritchard, sports, music, whatever – it is not my thing. However, when there is something worth listening to (Moxley breaking his silence), I will obviously check it out. With that being said, let’s do it.

Talk Is Jericho: The Emancipation Of Jon Moxley

“Nothing but gratitude towards WWE” – Four minutes in and a whole bunch of Chris Jericho babbling, Jon Moxley gave thanks to where it belonged. Regardless of what was said after this, Dean Ambrose is a former WWE Champion who had battles with The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Triple H, AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, and many other top stars in the industry. Not to mention being the first Smackdown Live pick in the 2016 WWE Draft, multiple title wins and countless victories over big names. Don’t tell me the company ‘wasted’ him or any of that other BS.

“I met my wife in WWE” – As noted in the podcast, if he gets nothing else from his WWE run, that is all that matters. As long as he has Renee Young, life is gold. I love it. Very touching moment there. Cool stuff.

“I pretty much knew I was gone in July of 2018…” – When word leaked in January 2019 he was leaving the company, I had already got the whisper in the wind the weekend prior. Again folks, follow @JustinWatry for that. It was never a work. There was no debating or back and forth going on with Moxley and WWE. Nope. He was 100% gone. I am kinda/sorta happy to know that he knew his next move but wanted to finish out the contract. That is called being a professional. That is called respect. Bonus points to Jon Moxley. Not to name names, but there are some right now that are unhappy in WWE who are taking the complete opposite approach. Sorry, you signed the deal. You are an adult and (I guess) read all the little clauses and details. I wrote a few weeks ago that I don’t care one bit if he wanted to leave WWE. He is a man and can do as he pleases. All the best to him but if you are going to make a career change, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Jon Moxley stayed quiet, did all the right things, and can now do as he pleases. Pretty simple.

“All this stuff, I can’t say it.” – Jon Moxley tells a story about during his time on Smackdown Live as the top face. You know, top face as WWE Champion. Yeah. Anyways, he talks about telling a writer that the promo written for him is ludicrous and he needs it changed. The stuff written was so bad he refused. It took a few changes and a back and forth with Vince McMahon before getting to the conclusion. It makes me question all the reports about how scripts get changed last minute and right up to show time. I tend to think it is slightly over blown but whatever. Here is a top star (at the time) requesting two or three times to have his stuff changed before a taping. How many times do you think he did this? Probably a bunch. Now how many times do you think OTHERS do this throughout the day? This is where I feel WWE Creative and Vince get all the blame…but the talents don’t. What if this is a constant occurrence every single taping? Imagine being on the writing staff. Seriously. It has to be a mess backstage. I am NOT saying that talent should just accept whatever garbage is sent their way, but it does open up the discussion a bit. Blame Vince who is doing a million other things, the writers who are doing the best they can but get constantly told to change it, or the talent looking out for their best interests as well? It’s a lot to take in no matter what side you’re on.

“What creative license do I have?” – Yes, because Mitch The Plant was amazing! This is what led to Stone Cold Steve Austin walking out in 2002. When the writers were giving him platinum albums to perform, he didn’t have a lot of complaints about being handed a script. The second it turned to gold albums though, there was a big thing about not having a creative license. Jon Moxley didn’t seem to mind him being scripted as an undefeated trip with The Shield for a year or winning the WWE Championship. That was fine but when it is about calling fans smelly, he wants out? I know that was an isolated incident and build up over time. Still, the guy needs to make that his own. Damien Sandow was Damien Mizdow, an obvious joke of a character. I mean even The New Day made putting unicorns on your head a popular thing. Yet, he made it his own and ‘got over’ in a major way. Tweak it. Make it your own. Put a little Moxley twist to it. You live by the scripted sword; you die by the sword.

“I hate that.” – This was the infamous WWE RAW in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that I attended last year. I enjoyed the show live but also didn’t have the perspective of watching it on television. When you go to the arena, it is much more fun. The ‘I hate that’ message was a text he sent to a writer about getting vaccination shots for his promo that night. He nearly walked out of the company that day. I thought it was ridiculous at the time, but I applaud him for NOT walking out that day. That is a CM Punk move. Luckily, Jon Moxley told Vinny Mac he would give it his absolute best effort and pull it off like always. See, THAT is what I just mentioned. Make chicken salad out of chicken crap., right? If Vince wants that on his own, Moxley is the man for the job. Unfortunately, the skit stunk and was poorly received. Maybe if we had more unscripted gems like the embarrassing Stone Cold Podcast appearance or getting stomped verbally by John Cena on Talking Smack…

“They never had any plans for me as a baby face, never. I got over on my own.” – I would point out his impressive resume at the top of the card as a good guy and dispute that. He could never return to WWE again and be more than deserving of a Hall of Fame spot down the line. Even if it was not necessarily planned, the fact is WWE definitely got behind him. I’d wager 90% of the roster would have LOVED to be in his position week in and week out. How much of that was his own doing and the company putting their machine behind him is a discussion for a different day. You could argue that with every single star. How much of the 80’s was Hulk Hogan and how much of it was Vince McMahon choosing him? How much of the 90’s was Stone Cold by himself and how much was the Attitude Era styled crash TV writing? How much of the 00’s was John Cena showing ruthless aggression and how much was WWE having him win the title and keep it for long stretches? It’s a debate for sure.

“They ruin everything.” – Eh, this is beginning to turn into a bitter ex-WWE star ripping the company. Hope it stops soon. This is what sours me on podcasts. The CM Punk/Colt Cabana one was the worst and as predicted, it led to a defamation lawsuit. 

“Whether AEW exists or not, I’m leaving WWE.” – Yeah, I believe it and said as such four months ago. Ultimately, it makes the most sense for Moxley to land in All Elite Wrestling. Him ditching WWE though was a long time coming and officially confirmed Royal Rumble weekend. He even told the story of him telling a WWE writer of his intentions that weekend…days later, it was reported online. Again, all lines up with my timeline from January. I will give him props for keeping things quiet not to mess with any Seth Rollins plans or wanting to place any bad mojo out there. Cool. I liked the story about him finally letting Vince know of his frustrations and leaving WWE. It takes guts and courage to speak your mind sometimes. The major difference between him and Punk is that he stuck around to finish his contract. Punk let his frustrations to Vince and walked out the door.

“I didn’t look at it.” – Yes sir. Didn’t even look at his new WWE contract offer. Again folks, he was gone. Nice big ‘work’ by everyone, huh?

“We have a chance to change things.” – That is a quote from Chris Jericho towards the end of the podcast. Ultimately, Jon Moxley (as Dean Ambrose) returning to WWE would have been cool, but it would not have meant much. The Fox-Smackdown LIVE $1 billion deal will be there with or without him. The RAW-USA Network $1 billion deal will be there with or without him. The WWE Network subscribers will make the company money with or without him. The television product will be the same, minus his 10-15 minute segment and match. However, him (and Jericho) going elsewhere creates excitement. Some kind of added buzz. Something All Elite Wrestling could bottle up and use, moreso than WWE re-adding yet another roster member that has been there since 2012. Both have something to prove in All Elite Wrestling, and I wish them well. As a prominent independent wrestler told me when AEW signed with TNT, a shift is coming… 

SUMMARY: Much better than the CM Punk/Colt Cabana podcast. The guy spoke from the heart and yeah, he ripped WWE pretty good. I expected that. It didn’t get TOO personal, which was nice. In the end though, Jon Moxley feels like he has a new leash on life and is happy. That is what’s most important. He is happy. I saw him at a live event in March before leaving the company, losing to Drew McIntyre. When he exited the arena, the crowd chanted “Thank You Ambrose.” It was well deserved, and that is where we will end things. Thank you Ambrose. Go kill it in AEW Jon.