AEW has been in the wrestling headlines for all the wrong reasons lately due to CM Punk’s post All Out meltdown and fight with The Elite. Amidst the chaos one man stands in the center as the mature and dependable star who has taken the company on his back and helped to right the ship. That man is Jon Moxley. He’s AEW’s MVP, and as a three time world champion, its biggest attraction.
While he is also the fan’s favorite, Moxley has been coasting as of late on his acclaim. It’s painful to say, but at times he’s even boring. The quick fix to this would be to turn Moxley heel, but he’s too valuable as a face to give up on. Still, something needs to change.
Jon Moxley Is The Face Of AEW
As Dean Ambrose in WWE, Jon Moxley was a big star as part of The Shield and on his own. He was great as a face or a heel, but he was too cool to ever be booed when he joined AEW in 2019. His badass antihero gimmick connects with the fans, reminding many of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The music, the entrance through the crowd, and Moxley’s raw intensity has made him AEW’s biggest and most dependable wrestler. The attention he receives from the fans and Tony Khan, however, has also caused Moxley to play it safe.
We all know the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This has applied to Jon Moxley for a long time. His persona is the reason why he’s so often in the main event and has had so many classic bouts. It’s also the reason why in the last few months Moxley has gotten stale.
Part of this may be the result of the backstage chaos of late. AEW needs consistency. The simplest way to do that is to keep repeating what works. Jon Moxley works. Recently, that has started to change. His matches have become the same brawl we’ve seen so many times before. It’s become a joke to see how long it’ll take Moxley to bleed, for his face seemingly turns into a crimson mask during every match, diminishing its effect. Every shoulder swinging, back and forth pacing promo sounds the same. You could spend Moxley’s TV time looking down at your phone, but still be able to know exactly what happened.
A Heel Turn Is The Easy Way Out To Fix Jon Moxley
None of this is meant to say that Jon Moxley is no longer an entertaining wrestler or that his character is awful, but the signs are there that a change is needed. You can hear it many weeks with the fans. Moxley gets an initial pop when his music hits, but the volume has decreased in many cities when he speaks and wrestles.
A lot of that may be due to the emergence of MJF. His shocking rise to being a cheered face who plays to the crowd has made him the new fan favorite. Moxley is being pushed back to the second most loved star in the company. Everything feels new and exciting with MJF, the exact opposite of what is currently seen in Moxley. With the pair set to square off this month for the AEW Championship, all signs point to MJF taking the title. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario in which Moxley somehow retains and is then promptly booed.
Wrestling 101 says that the easiest solution would be to turn Jon Moxley heel. It would work. He’s a great heel. A turn on MJF would elevate MJF and breathe some life into Moxley. It would also open him up to different feuds against current babyfaces he hasn’t battled yet. It would also be too predictable. It’s what always happens when the fan favorite overstays his babyface welcome. Just have them turn heel. It’s exactly what happened to Seth Rollins in WWE a few years ago. Moxley is too great to just do a lazy heel turn. His character now would pretty much be exactly the same as a heel as well. The trick is for Moxley to evolve into something new.
Jon Moxley Can Still Stay A Face While Changing Up His Character
Most wrestlers have to evolve their characters at some point. The longer you stay the same, the more you risk turning off the fans. Moxley’s former Shield brethren are the perfect examples of this. When Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns were the top babyfaces of WWE, fans turned on their predictable characters. It forced them to switch things up. Sure, they both did so by turning heel, but look at them now. Even though they work as heels, their updated characters are so cool that the fans still cheer them.
The same can be done for Moxley without him turning bad. While Moxley will never be like Seth Rollins, ditching his t-shirt and jeans for flashy suits, there are other ways for him to evolve through his attitude, wrestling style, and gear. Whatever it is can’t be too much though. We all know that the real life Jon Moxley is similar to what we see on TV. Put him in a suit and have him smile and no one will believe it or accept it.
Still, there are subtle ways. Stopping the constant bleeding would be one easy change. Adopting new moves or a new tone might be another. It can be a challenge, because if you change him too much then Moxley will accidentally become a heel, but if AEW keeps giving us the same Jon Moxley every week, then he’s already going to become a heel naturally. Impatient fans will make sure of that.