Jon Moxley has revealed that AEW wasn't in his plans when he decided to leave WWE.

The resurgent star moved on after allowing his contract to run down, leaving the company at the end of April on the back of a run that began in 2011, when he signed a developmental deal.

Fans were shocked to learn that the man who went by the name Dean Ambrose back then was going to leave the promotion and there were many who felt that it was a work given the nature of the announcement. By the end of April, though, it became clear that his time with WWE was up and on May 1, the Moxley character resurfaced in a short video that would go viral.

The 33-year-old spoke to Bleacher Report in a recent exclusive and claimed that he actually planned to work on the indie scene and in Japan before AEW happened.

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Mox says a New Year's Day hike with his wife Renee Young, an activity he decided to undertake in order to clear his mind, helped him realize he needed a change of direction.

"It was one of those clear-your-mind days, and I was like, 'Well, I'm leaving [WWE] in a few months.' My plan was to go to the indies and Japan, to take myself off-Broadway, so to speak, completely disappear from the national consciousness and revamp my style, look, find a new character, just disappear for a year to wherever," he explained.

"And then the AEW thing happened and Double or Nothing happened and [New Japan's] G1 [tournament], and I was almost like, 'F--k, I need to go away for a long time and come back later,' but timing is everything."

The wrestler opened up a can of worms during an appearance on Chris Jericho's podcast in which he had a few things to say about his former paymasters. However, Mox says news outlets were simply keen on making something out of every word that came out of his mouth.

"I could have a conversation on a radio show about, 'What's your favorite sandwich?'" he said. "And I'll be like, 'Oh, I love peanut butter sandwiches,' and then the headlines will be, 'Jon Moxley shoots on peanut butter sandwiches.' I just tell it like it is. I don't have any need for any drama."

We Believe Him

It's clear Mox didn't just head to AEW after WWE. He's since won NJPW's IWGP US Heavyweight Championship and participated in the G1 Climax tournament, as well as for other promotions in the US.

His post-WWE career has been hampered by injury and we haven't been able to get that match against Kenny Omega from him yet. But it's finally set to happen, with Full Gear to air this weekend.

Source: Bleacher Report

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