Jon Moxley made a subtle reference to Pat Patterson before he went to the ring to defend the AEW Title this week on Dynamite.
It often feels as if the wrestling world is forced to deal with loss more than most other industries. It might be because that is indeed the case, or perhaps it's because pro wrestling is no niche yet worldwide at the same time that it feels like a global community. Either way, this week it was hit with a loss that has hurt a lot of people more than most.
On Wednesday morning, news broke revealing that WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson had passed away. Not only the first-ever Intercontinental Champion and the creator of the Royal Rumble match but someone who seems to have had an impact on almost every WWE Superstar's career, past and present. That is evident by the tributes that have been pouring out and the video WWE aired to kick off this week's NXT.
Even though Patterson spent the majority of his career working with WWE, AEW made mention of his passing multiple times on Dynamite this week. Jim Ross was the first to bring him up, someone who would have worked closely with the HOFer for a long time. Jon Moxley also honored Patterson in a way that might have been missed by a lot of fans.
Right before his World Title match against Kenny Omega, a clip played featuring Moxley cutting a promo directly to the camera. The now-former champion ended the promo by saying "it’s time to make them go absolutely banana". No, Moxley did not misspeak, nor is that a typo. It's famously what Patterson would say to wrestlers when he wanted them to get a big reaction from the crowd.
Moxley might not have won the match, but it definitely made the crowd go banana. Not just because of the match itself, but also the angle that followed. Impact Wrestling EVP Don Callis helped Omega win the match and then escaped Daily's Place along with The Cleaner and his newly won title. Omega will appear with the championship on Tuesday night's Impact Wrestling.