Jon Moxley spoke with SI.com on his decision to sign a new five-year deal with AEW and how the backstage altercation at All Out ended his planned vacation.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso, Moxley outlined his plans for a six-week vacation following his match with CM Punk at All Out and how that went up in smoke after that night’s backstage incident:
Going into All Out, I was thinking, ‘After I get through this match, that’s it for a while.’ I wrestled the match, and we kicked each other’s ass. I was happy, Chicago was happy, everybody was happy. I went outside to smoke a cigarette with Eddie [Kingston] in celebration. That vacation lasted about 30 minutes. By the time I went to bed that night, I was pretty sure we were going to pretend that vacation was never going to happen. But it’s all good; you just roll with the punches.
With CM Punk, Ace Steel, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks involved in a backstage incident, all parties have yet to appear on television since All Out as the investigation into the matter continues. Moxley was added to that week’s edition of Dynamite in Buffalo and won the Tournament of Champions to win the AEW title for a third time at Grand Slam last month.
Last Friday, it was announced that Moxley signed a new five-year deal with the promotion after a brief free agency period, which was kept quiet. Moxley explained how his headspace has changed over the past year after seeking rehab one year ago:
I hated traveling. I was living in Vegas, felt like I was always in an airport, flying coast to coast, and I was sick of leaving my family. I thought about freelancing when my deal was up. Not that I would leave AEW, but I didn’t want to be there every week. I was in a bad place.
Then I went to rehab and all that, and now I’m in a totally different headspace. We’re living in Cincinnati, too, which is great. I look forward to going to TV every week. I get to see my friends in the Blackpool Combat Club. I’m not f—ed up. I have a clean headspace. My life is completely different than it was a year ago, and all for the better.
Moxley will defend the AEW title against Hangman Page next Tuesday on Dynamite from Cincinnati, Ohio.
The full interview can be read at SI.com.
