'%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)
And it happened! Jon Moxley aka Dean Ambrose has picked All Elite Wrestling after leaving WWE in April. The former member of The Shield did not renew his contract at WWE and was a free agent from May 1st.
Reports suggested that Jon Moxley had 3 offers on his table: First from WWE to return after 6 months, 2nd from AEW and a 3rd one from Impact Wrestling! There were a lot of speculations on who he would pick and in the end, it's turned out to be AEW.
There were a lot of theories after he released the video on Twitter marking the return on Jon Moxley and a lot of them suggested it was AEW. And all that has come true now!
Without further ado, here are 5 reasons why Moxley was right in pocking AEW over WWE:
#5 Creative control
One thing all wrestlers love is having creative control. Kenny Omega revealed that this was the main reason why he had rejected WWE to stay at NJPW and also to pick AEW when he was a free agent.
At WWE, the creative team and Vince McMahon have a lot influence on the character. No matter how good the pitch is, the final word is always with the chairman and that has left a lot of stars frustrated.
Even Cody Rhodes left the company for the reason. He revealed that he had pitched several ideas, including a split-personality gimmick, but it was turned down. He was asked to continue with the StarDust character and that was the final straw for him.
Similarly, Jon Moxley would have had some good ideas in his mind but WWE was just not the place for it. With AEW giving creative control to the stars, it was the ideal one!
#4 Fewer dates to work
WWE superstars are on the road for over 200 days a year. Apart from the weekly TV shows and Pay-Per-Views, the stars are on the road in several Live Events every week.
For example, WWE were on a European tour this month. In those 14-odd days, there was a live event at least every other day for the stars, and for some, every single day.
One thing mentioned explicitly in the rumors that linked Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) with All Elite Wrestling was that he would have fewer days to work. And when a person has fewer dates to work with the same or better pay, is there any doubt on who he/she would pick?
WWE are a huge company, and they need to have these Live Events to keep the fans entertained and make sure they get to attend a live show at least as ticket costs for TV Shows and PPVs are significantly higher.
However, this takes a toll on the superstars, and many are on pain killers more often than not.
#3 Part of the history
Dean Ambrose will one day be in the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of The Shield. The faction is easily one of the best in the company's history and every single fan loved them at one point or the other.
However, when you compare Dean with Rollins and Reigns individually, you do not see him making the Hall of Fame on his own while the other two are sure to make it one day.
This has nothing to do with Dean's performances in the ring but mainly because of the way he was booked. The creative team was just circling around the 'Lunatic Fringe' gimmick and there was a limit to how much Ambrosecould do with it.
Now with AEW, Jon Moxley is a part of history already. 50 years from now, AEW may or may not exist. But when people look back at the first ever event in the company's history, they would remember the pop Moxley got when he made his way to the ring at the end of the show.
#2 Jon Moxley is Hardcore
One thing All Elite Wrestling made clear at AEW Double or Nothing was that the company is ready to have Hardcore matches as well. The blood in Cody Rhodes' match against his brother, Dustin Rhodes was enough to prove that AEW is TV14.
Moxley is known for his Hardcore matches before joining the WWE, and it looks like he could be back at it in All Elite Wrestling. The former Shield member was not able to have those matches he loved in the WWE as the amount of bloodshed was limited and the hardcore matches were also taken away because they are in the PG era.
The closest Moxley came to having a 'hardcore' match in the WWE was the Asylum match when he challenged Chris Jericho in 2016. But there is an excellent chance that AEW would allow him to have more such matches in the company.
#1 More money
All those who know Dean Ambrose aka Jon Moxley in real life always mention that he is not someone who lives a lavish lifestyle. He's not someone who is in the business for the money and he himself confirmed that he was someone Vince couldn't buy.
But in life, at one point or the other, everyone does need money. Moxley might have picked this as the moment in his life to earn the big bucks and retire earlier than he was planning to.
Tony Khan has confirmed that Moxley has signed a multi-year deal at All Elite Wrestling and rumours suggested that he is set to earn over $6 million per year. The amount is reportedly significantly more than what WWE were offering him and with less dates to work as well, it might have just been very easy for him to make the decision in the end.
