All Elite Wrestling World Champion Jon Moxley makes his first title defense tonight on AEW Dynamite. For the first time in his career, Moxley will stand opposite “Hangman” Adam Page as the two do battle in Mox’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Hangman earned this title shot at AEW Rampage: Grand Slam when he won a battle royal to become No. 1 Contender to Mox’s newly won title. The two men met face to face last week on AEW Dynamite where they showed respect to one another but emphasized that they would each do whatever it took to emerge from their upcoming clash victorious.
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Speaking to Cincy: 360, Moxley emphasized his admiration for Hangman.
“I don’t think anyone hates Hangman Adam Page,” Moxley said. “He’s a good dude, and he’s been a great champion. He’s an incredible athlete. I have a lot of respect for him.”
That said, Moxley doubled down on how he transforms himself once a wrestling match begins.
“But like I’ve said many times, when the bell rings I don’t really have respect for anybody,” Moxley continued. “I am going to win by any means necessary. With that being said, I do have a lot of respect for my opponent.”
Moxley finds himself in a role reversal of where he was at AEW All Out. At that event, the purveyor of violence entered Chicago’s Now Arena as champion but found himself in enemy territory as he battled hometown boy CM Punk. Punk would leave that pay-per-view with the AEW Title, but a triceps injury forced him to vacate it just days later. This injury combined with his uncensored tirade at the AEW All Out press conference have cast doubt on when, if ever, Punk will return to AEW.
While he didn’t make reference to Punk’s name, Moxley revealed that he enjoyed fighting that uphill battle in Chi-Town.
“In a Chicago situation like that, I actually love that. I had an absolute ball in Chicago being public enemy No. 1,” Moxley said. “I feel like Hangman Page might be in a similar situation [tonight]. Hopefully for him, he thrives in that situation as much.”
Beyond Moxley’s title defense, tonight’s Dynamite features three more championship matches. Interim AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm defends against Hikaru Shida, the Ring of Honor World Title is on the line between champion Chris Jericho and challenger Dalton Castle, and AEW World Trios Champions Death Triangle run it back with Best Friends and Orange Cassidy.
AEW Dynamite airs tonight on TBS at 8 PM ET.
