Jon Moxley bares his soul in AEW return

Jon Moxley returned to AEW Dynamite after a nearly three-month absence. In early November, Tony Khan announced that the former AEW World Champion would be entering an “inpatient alcohol treatment program.”

The show kicked off with X’s version of “Wild Thing” blaring while Mox, dressed in all black, strutted his way to the ring while the crowd went nuts. He hasn’t missed a beat. Chants of “Moxley! Moxley!” and “Welcome back!” rained down as he climbed into the ring.

After getting out a few words, some jerk shouted loudly enough for Mox to hear. I will not put his words in print because he doesn’t deserve the satisfaction. Moxley replied, “Hey, go [expletive] yourself. Get that guy out of here.”  Under his breath, he called him a “piece of [expletive].” The man’s been back thirty seconds and already having to deal with nonsense. Don’t be that guy.

Jon Moxley shares his story

Without missing a beat, the Death Rider picked up where he was to explain his absence in his own words. He tells the fans about a dream that he had about a black cloud hanging over him. He says it “was a demon, the kind of the demon that follows you around your whole life.” “…these demons come in all shapes and sizes for everybody.” Mox continues that the black cloud taunted him and tried to make him believe that good things aren’t supposed to happen to him.

In a moment that reached so many people, Mox tells the crowd that “no one gets out unscathed. We all carry scars. I have more scars on my body than the average person, but that’s not important. The important ones are the scars we carry on the inside. They’re harder to see. And sometimes we try and cover up these scars. We try to pretend the scars aren’t there. Those are the scars that we should be proud of. Those are the scars that tell our story. Those are the scars that give us strength, those are the scars that make us the people we are.”

“Now, nobody’s perfect, alright? If everyone was perfect, the world would be a very boring place. Nobody, nobody, no matter who you are, should be afraid to stand up in front of the whole world and bare it all. Everything that makes you the person you are, scars and all, and say ‘hey, (middle finger gesture) this is me!”

To all of his doubters, Mox declared “I don’t run from demons, I just beat the [expletive] out them!” Mox also said now, he is truly free. He ended his promo by saying he only drinks blood now.

This was an incredibly honest promo. Being the badass he is, Jon Moxley stood in front of the world and bared it all. He didn’t sugarcoat it. The moment and those words were something so many people around the world needed to hear. It was important for AEW to allow him to tell everyone about his own experience in the way only Jon Moxley can tell it on live TV. It will be a moment that helps someone get through the night, to get through their struggles, to accept their scars, and for some people, to seek the help they need.

Eddie Kingston said it best, “outlawz don’t need to change who they are, they just change what is needed to survive.”

Moxley will wrestle Ethan Page this Friday night on AEW Rampage before defending his GCW World Title against Homicide at Hammerstein Ballroom live this Sunday.

Welcome home, Jon Moxley. Thank you for being brave enough to be yourself in front of the world.