A World Champion who takes what he wants and defends his turf by any means necessary. That’s Jon Moxley.
That’s the fear that should reverberate throughout AEW when his name is uttered. A respect that must be obtained by decimation of all who stand against him.
That destruction cannot be limited. Top stars must step up to Mox and eventually be dispatched to strengthen his grip as the King of These Lands. The ideal opponents will have some combination of credibility, sympathy, and the ability to pose a strong threat to this championship reign.
Here are the opponents to make the most of Moxley’s reign…
Orange Cassidy
Positioning tells you everything you need to know about how Orange Cassidy fits into this story.
First of all, OC is the constant, foundational babyface AEW has always been able to rely on and that’s evident by his records, which include most matches and most wins in company history. That’s why it made total sense for both Jerry Lynn and Chuck Taylor to tell OC it’s his time to step up and be the guy AEW needs right now.
The visual positioning of Orange was also on display at the end of WrestleDream. The final shot of him and Darby Allin looking despondent following the destruction of Bryan Danielson told you all you needed to know about where this story was heading.
OC has always been an ally to all babyfaces, but now he needs to be more. Seeing Taylor, an OG Best Friend, get destroyed should be what pushes Cassidy to truly step to Moxley. If that wasn’t enough, AEW released exclusive footage of a post-Dynamite heated discussion and shoving between OC and Daniel Garcia.
The lax, whatever attitude of OC has always been good for a laugh, although everyone knows when he wants to turn it up, he’s one of the best in the world. Can Cassidy get violent? We’re about to find out.
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Adam Cole
Despite terrible injury luck since coming to AEW, Adam Cole remains a massively-over babyface. As I wrote about last week, his return at WrestleDream properly reset the face/heel between him and MJF, which will obviously be his primary focus for the time being.
That’s fine. I don’t see that feud needing that much more time to wrap up and both men need to move on to other things. Cole has really yet to have a signature feud in AEW and he still has a lot of intriguing rivalries yet to be explored.
Amazingly, Cole and Moxley have never met in AEW. In fact, the only time they’ve ever been in the same match in their careers was on opposite sides of a tag team match back in 2009 in WXW. Two of the biggest stars in all of professional wrestling with virtually no history seems like the perfect clean slate to position Cole as the uber babyface who knows he can be the only who can and should take down Mox. And Cole’s injury history would give Moxley plenty of fodder for promos to cut out more of the weakness of AEW. This is the type of feud that Cole desperately needs and the super babyface who will only help Moxley delve deeper into eliciting massive heat from the fans.
Mark Briscoe
If you find someone who doesn’t love Mark Briscoe, you have my permission to never talk to them again. Whether it’s the fans, commentators, or fellow wrestlers, there’s a different level of genuine enjoyment expressed when Briscoe is mentioned. And that’s exactly why Moxley would want to take him out.
Much like Orange Cassidy, Briscoe has always been a universal friend of the babyfaces. A man who can unite the locker room with his unmatched positivity and enthusiasm. If Moxley wants to cut the heart out of AEW, Briscoe would be a depressing blow.
Of course, Briscoe is a formidable opponent for Moxley to brawl with and if things get violent, and they will, you know Briscoe is more than up to the task. (Sidenote: A Best of Briscoe Brawls would be a great playlist to post on the AEW YouTube channel to promote this match)
The two had just one singles match, a Moxley win in last year’s Continental Classic, in addition to a six-man tag at last year’s Final Battle. That provides AEW another chance to do a fresh matchup with plenty of built-in stories to tell. Briscoe is so beloved that putting him down would really enhance Moxley’s stature as the ultimate villain.
Adam Copeland
Tomorrow will mark five months since Adam Copeland broke his leg at Double or Nothing and other than a recent pre-taped appearance to promote hurricane relief efforts (more info on how you can help here), we haven’t heard or seen Copeland on AEW programming. That means we don’t know what he thinks of Moxley’s actions.
The obvious angle to play is Copeland’s belief in the present and future of AEW. Because he is an inspiration and mentor to so many others, Moxley can call upon Copeland’s responsibility for the culture he helped create within the AEW locker room. Copeland would be the first Moxley opponent since Danielson who had a true advantage in both experience and accomplishments.
And speaking of Danielson, the way he went out at the hands of Moxley is the emotional attachment I would tap into for Copeland. Like Danielson, Copeland had his career taken from him before he was ready to say goodbye and while both men have added multiple chapters in their respective hall-of-fame careers, Danielson’s second farewell was marred by the actions of Moxley. Copeland should attempt to avenge Danielson by promising Moxley won’t be penning the end of anyone else’s story, especially not his. Moxley should equate Copeland to a stubborn, old dog who needs to be put down.
Within this potentially deeply-seeded angle is yet another first-time matchup. Copeland and Moxley never had a serious chance to cross paths until Copeland came to AEW. And in that time, they have remained apart. Plus, Copeland has also never faced Wheeler Yuta, Pac, or Claudio Castignoli, if you want to play up Copeland battling through the group before getting to Moxley.
Whether this could turn into a additional true retirement match is all about timing of the feud and how much longer Copeland, who can still go at a high level, wants to remain active. Regardless of the consequences of his eventual loss, Copeland involvement in the overall story of Moxley’s title reign wouldn’t be over…
Darby Allin
We have arrived at the hero of this story. The man with whom this all began. A true pillar of AEW. An individual whose life has been shrouded in constant darkness yet he continues to battle for the overall good even at the cost of his own body. It is time for Darby Allin to end the king’s bloody reign over these lands.
Copeland’s failure should bring him together with Allin. A realization that he was not the man who was destined to dethrone Moxley. No, that is Darby’s purpose. It was always Darby. The others had to fail, but their efforts exposed Moxley along the way. Now, Darby has the backing of Copeland and knowledge of what is necessary to earn that elusive victory.
Could this be a bit like the journey of how Sting needed to be the man to take down Hollywood Hogan at Starrcade ‘97? It should and that can be referenced. In fact, Sting should do it himself. We know of the special bond he has with Darby, but let us in on the guidance he can share since he was in the same position nearly 30 years ago. It would even be worth mentioning that Allin can’t make the same mistake Sting did. He can’t leave any doubt.
Allin needs to be presented as the last savior. The one capable of taking down Moxley because he was the first target and knows what makes Moxley tick. The support for Allin must be united throughout AEW. This is bigger than animosity towards each other. This is about who will take AEW into the future. Who will shape the philosophy of where the company goes next? Moxley’s iron fist or freedom from it all thanks to Allin’s crucial efforts?
I’ll be back next week to talk about wrestling even more…
You can watch and listen to Matt every weekday at 1pm Eastern at thewrestlingmattshow.com. Matt is also one of the hosts of Busted Open Radio on Sirius/XM. He is regularly featured as a streamer for Bleacher Report’s pro wrestling content.