Jon Moxley finished out his run in New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament with 10 points, falling short of making it to the final round and competing for a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. However, even as he returns to the United States to start up his run with All Elite Wrestling, the former WWE Champion isn’t done with the Japanese promotion just yet.
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According to Sports Illustrated, Moxley’s deal with the company will run through the Wrestle Kingdom 14 event on January 4. The annual Tokyo Dome event is New Japan’s equivalent of WrestleMania, and typically features some of the company’s best matches of the year. SI’s Justin Barrasso speculated that Moxley might defend his IWGP United States Championship against Juice Robinson, as the two have a 1-1 record against each other.
Moxley hinted that he intended staying with New Japan in some capacity in a recent interview with Nikkan Sports.
“Fortunately, there is no problem in fighting in New Japan while belonging to an American organization (AEW). In the future, I can always show up in Japan and play games,” Moxley said.
As for AEW, Moxley will take on Kenny Omega at the All Out pay-per-view event on Aug. 31. He’ll be working under a multi-year exclusive deal (at least in the U.S.), and his first match is slotted to take place on Oct. 9 when he takes on Shawn Spears.
In a recent interview on the Store Horsemen podcast, Moxley said he can’t imagine ever going back to WWE the way it is now.
“I mean, you have to say, ‘never say never.’ And that’s the answer everybody gives, you know? ‘Never say never,’ but it’s like I cannot imagine the scenario right now,” Moxley said. “But also like 15 years from now, 10 years from now, the whole thing could be different. Who know? The WWE that I left, I could never go back to. I would rather work at a grocery store. “
