Jon Moxley chats it up with NJPW in part one of his exclusive interview with the site.
In just one month, Jon Moxley became the talk of the wrestling world and that kicked off with him making an appearance at All Elite Wrestling's Double Or Nothing show along with the announcement that he signed a multi-year deal with the company. Following that, Moxley was revealed to be the "Death Rider" that was coming to New Japan Pro-Wrestling to take on Juice Robinson which led to Moxley defeating Juice Robinson for the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship. The former WWE Champion was recently announced for the 2019 G1 Climax tournament and will also be in action next week at AEW's Fyter Fest show.
Moxley has had an eventful Summer thus far and he sat down with NJPW1972.com to recap it all. In part one of the interview, Jon Moxley talked about wrestling in Japan with WWE, specifically in Sumo Hall where he captured the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Title. He stated that he always looked forward to wrestling in Japan while he was in WWE and that excitement was on a grander scale than his excitement for a TV taping or WrestleMania.
"It was very different. I’d performed there six or seven times for WWE, but that was for WWE fans in Japan, or fans sampling that product. I didn’t know how the NJPW fans would react to me, or even know who I was. I thought I would have to show them who I was through what I did in the ring and the violence I put out there on my opponent." He said. "I didn’t know how it was going to go, but it was great. I can’t thank them enough for the energy they have, and the respect. The respect the Japanese fans have is tremendous. When I was in WWE, I looked forward to coming to Japan the most, more than TV, or WrestleMania, because they have such respect for this sport, and it makes you want to work harder."
Coming out of his match against Juice Robinson, many were also surprised by Moxley's new attire as he sported the traditional trunks with wrestling shoes and that look has gone with him back to the United States. He was asked about the attire change and told the story of how he decided on the wrestling shoes and said that wrestling in jeans was not something he was too keen on.
"I wanted to change my look, for sure. When I was in WWE, I always wrestled in jeans, and there was a reason for that; everybody else had fancy tights and I wanted to be the opposite. More grungy, a street fighter type. But wrestling in jeans, honestly, it sucks." Moxley shared. "They’re hot, sweaty, hard to move in. I’m done with wrestling in jeans. It’s so much easier to wrestle in tights. My boots situation was a nightmare before I wrestled. I had a pair I bought that I was trying to break in, but they didn’t fit right. I tried another pair, they didn’t fit either. They were too clunky. So I just went with regular wrestling shoes. When I looked in the mirror before I went out, I felt naked because I was so used to wrestling in jeans. So I knew then that it would cause a reaction, and be a bit of a shock."
New Japan is in the midst of their Kizuna Road tour which wraps up next week and to check out recent results from the tour, click here.
