Jon Moxley made his NJPW debut by capturing the IWGP United States Title from Juice Robinson. Juice Robinson then got his retribution from Jon Moxley by defeating him at this year’s G1 Climax Tournament. With Jon Moxley and Juice Robinson at one win apiece, it was rumored that a rubber match between the two will likely take place at next year’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 PPV Event.
NJPW recently interviewed current IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley on a number of topics including Kota Ibushi winning this year’s G1 Climax Tournament, what he thinks of one of NJPW’s Young Lions, Shota Umino, facing Juice Robinson and next year’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 Event.
Speaking of facing Juice Robinson, Jon Moxley said that he will only face Juice Robinson and put his IWGP United States Title on the line if the match would be a No DQ Match.
This is what Jon Moxley said:
“I told the world, and I told the media, if he wants a shot at the US Championship, he gets it, but only if it’s no disqualification.” “I don’t want a referee in the way to save him from his fate. If he can beat me in that environment, fine. Take the championship; you deserve it. But let’s put this thing to bed, no DQ, and no ref to step in between us.
“As United States Champion, I think I’ve gotta settle the score with Juice Robinson. Before I do anything else, that’s number one on the agenda. So let’s get an answer, sign the contract, get the plane tickets and get that out the way. After I put him in the ground, I plan on remaining US Champion. After that I’m sure there’ll be a lot of people gunning for that title. I’ll have my head on a swivel, there’ll be challengers coming from all directions.”
If the match was to be made and confirmed, the match would likely be taking place at next year’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 Event. According to Moxley, he is “one-hundred percent” planning to be at the Tokyo Dome.
This is what Jon Moxley said:
“One-hundred percent I plan to be at the Tokyo Dome.” “I don’t know who I’ll be facing, whether I’m still US Champion. But I’ve been in WrestleMania, in the G1, and this is the next step. Anyone who’s anyone in Japan has competed in the Tokyo Dome, so I absolutely plan on being there.”
Moxley then talked about Kota Ibushi winning this year’s G1 Climax Tournament and comparing Ibushi to any athlete in any sport as when you look at him, it is like you are looking at an Olympian.
This is what Jon Moxley said:
“When you look at an Olympian, you’re looking at the top of any sport.” “Look at Ibushi having won the G1, the things he can do in the ring, the preparation he had to go through, what he had to go through with his ankle injury. You can compare him to any athlete in any sport. Hell, you can compare him to a bodybuilder. Look at the traps on that kid! He even has great hair. I hate him. I hate Kota Ibushi. You know how much work I have to go through for my mediocre traps and bad haircut? He’s gifted. But nobody slacks off for those five weeks. Anybody that goes through that tournament is comparable to any other athlete in any other sport.”
Moxley then talked about what kind of athlete NJPW Young Lion Shota Umino (A.K.A. Shooter) is and how rigorous the training is for everyone in the NJPW dojo.
This is what Jon Moxley said:
“Shooter’s a great kid.” “It’s the family business for him obviously, and that gives him a leg up on the competition, but that puts more pressure on him too because his dad being a famous referee and being born into the business isn’t always a good thing. There’s extra pressure on you because people think you’re being handed a spot and aren’t working as hard as they are. That isn’t the case with Shooter. He’s in the Dojo every day, doing all the work.
“One thing that really impressed me during the tour was the Young Lions. They work out before every event, and it makes me cringe watching them taking falls, taking suplexes, hitting the ropes, beating each other up, doing squats, bridges, crunches, running the stadium steps every night, even if they have a match that night. They’re in the Dojo busting their asses. The militaristic discipline was really impressive and Umino is right in there working his ass off.
“I expect that hard work to pay off, and I think he’ll be a big star one day. He’ll be a champion in New Japan, and when I’m old and broken down and he’s a big star maybe he can throw some Yen in the mail! If I can be any part of someone’s journey on their way, that’s great. I was given a lot of opportunities in this business, so if I can sprinkle a little dust on anybody, that’s all good.”
Jon Moxley is currently out of in-ring action due to a serious case of MRSA (Staph Infection) in his elbow, but he is scheduled to make an appearance on AEW’s debut show on TNT and he is also scheduled to face Kenny Omega at AEW’s Full Gear PPV Event on November 9th in Baltimore, Maryland.
