'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On the latest episode of AEW: Dark Elevation, former AEW Champion Jon Moxley made his presence felt. Wrestling and defeating Bill Collier in a competitive yet short bout, Moxley brought the much-needed star presence to Dark Elevation this week.
As such, Tony Khan was visibly overjoyed on Twitter as he shared his happiness over Moxley's showing on today's episode. Further revealing that the former AEW Champion is gunning to be on the Dynamite card this week, he announced Cezar Bononi as Moxley's opponent.
The most intriguing aspect of this tweet was Tony Khan referring to Cezar Bononi as a top prospect. It bodes well for the former NXT Superstar, who has been used as an enhancement talent in AEW for most of his time in the company.
An impressive outing against Jon Moxley level might elevate Bononi to the top of the card. Though not many are expecting an upset win for him, JD Drake and Ryan Nemeth's presence at ringside might lead to Bononi getting an unfair advantage.
Eddie Kingston, with whom Moxley has seemingly formed a tag team, might even show up to even the odds.
Cezar Bononi had a five-year stint with NXT before joining AEW
Before making his way to AEW, Cezar Bononi had a long yet largely forgettable run with NXT from 2015 to 2020. The Brazilian superstar was considered to be a "hot prospect" for the black and gold brand upon his signing.
So much so, he even had a televised win over former NXT Champion Andrade in 2017. In the same year, Bononi won the "Future Star of NXT" award at the NXT Year-End Awards.
However, NXT management's belief in him never translated into anything concrete. After languishing for three more years in NXT, Bononi was released from the company in April 2020 as a part of cost-cutting measures adopted by WWE due to the pandemic.
Since June 2020, Bononi has made several appearances for AEW, despite not being a full-time contracted performer.
What do you think about Cezar Bononi's run in AEW so far? Do you think he can cause a massive upset on this week's Dynamite? Sound off the comments section below.
