Jon Moxley reveals that he was scared he'd die in the ring before he entered an inpatient alcohol treatment program.
In October 2021, Moxley was scheduled to wrestle in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. Following the announcement that he would be entering the program, Moxley took some time away from the ring before he returned in January 2022.
Speaking with Matt Koesters for the Cincinnati Enquirer, Moxley reflected on this difficult chapter of his career. He stated that he was afraid of having a seizure and dying in the ring, and it was something he thought about every day. Moxley noted that, at the time, it felt like he had to choose his health and his family over his wrestling career.
“Over a year ago, I was afraid of dying of a seizure in the ring. I had that on my mind every day. It was all (messed) up, and going through an absolute personal hell for a long time that nobody else even knew about. When you’re scared for your actual life, to make the decision to go to rehab and (stuff) was basically – I had to basically assume I’m giving everything away. I was like, OK, I’m either going to live a long, happy life and raise my kid and be a person, or I can wrestle. But I can’t have both," Moxley said.
The AEW World Champion went on to describe how everyone was happy for him after his time in the program. He stated that AEW and the fans welcomed him back. Moxley again stated that if he didn't get help, dying in the ring could have been a potential outcome.
“But when I got out, it turned out that nobody was mad at me at all. Everybody was very happy. I was welcomed back by AEW and by the fans, and it was just like, go and get back to it. And when you’ve already lost everything, all you fear for is your life, literally and figuratively. If I had taken another step in the wrong direction, I could have been on the verge of losing my family if I had gone that way. If I had kept going in another direction, I could have died on live television. I could have literally lost everything. So to make that choice, I had to completely give away everything. I’ll never wrestle in this arena again, I’ll never get to wrestle in front of these fans again, I’ll never get to be on TV again, I’ll never win a championship again, I’ll never make any money again, I’ll go back and get my old job at the arena – I don’t know. I had to give it all away," he said.
Moxley then emphasized that he approaches everything differently now, as his time in the program changed his perspective.
“Now there’s kind of nothing to lose. What, am I gonna lose a match? Will I screw up a move? Like, what could possibly go wrong? Almost nothing. Big f’n deal. Am I alive? OK, I think it was a fine day, then," Moxley said.
Since Moxley's return, he has regained his status as one of AEW's top stars. He won the AEW Interim World Championship at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door and later defeated Bryan Danielson to win the AEW World Championship on AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam.
Jim Ross recently described how Moxley reminds him of Steve Austin. Check out his comments here.
In a recent interview, Moxley stated that Renee Paquette arriving in AEW felt like a formality. Click here to see what he had to say.
Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship against MJF at AEW Full Gear. Check out the card here.
