AEW World Champion Jon Moxley looks back on his struggles before he entered an inpatient alcohol treatment program in 2021.
Moxley was one of AEW’s top stars at the time, but he stepped away in order to seek treatment. Speaking to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Moxley looked back on this difficult chapter of his career. He recalled how he had constantly worried that he’d die in the ring if he kept going down the same path.
“Over a year ago, I was afraid of dying of a seizure in the ring,” said Moxley. “I had that on my mind every day. It was all (messed) up, and going through an absolute personal hell for a long time that nobody else even knew about. When you’re scared for your actual life, to make the decision to go to rehab and (stuff) was basically – I had to basically assume I’m giving everything away. I was like, OK, I’m either going to live a long, happy life and raise my kid and be a person, or I can wrestle. But I can’t have both.”
Moxley also discussed his joy at having been welcomed back into the world of wrestling following his return in January 2022. The fan-favorite said that while he initially thought people would be mad at him for taking an extended break, that wasn’t the case at all. Plus, the whole experience shifted his perspective in a profound way.
“But when I got out, it turned out that nobody was mad at me at all,” Moxley said. “Everybody was very happy. I was welcomed back by AEW and by the fans, and it was just like, go and get back to it. And when you’ve already lost everything, all you fear for is your life, literally and figuratively. If I had taken another step in the wrong direction, I could have been on the verge of losing my family if I had gone that way. If I had kept going in another direction, I could have died on live television. I could have literally lost everything. So to make that choice, I had to completely give away everything. I’ll never wrestle in this arena again, I’ll never get to wrestle in front of these fans again, I’ll never get to be on TV again, I’ll never win a championship again, I’ll never make any money again, I’ll go back and get my old job at the arena – I don’t know. I had to give it all away.
“Now there’s kind of nothing to lose. What, am I gonna lose a match? Will I screw up a move? Like, what could possibly go wrong? Almost nothing. Big f’n deal. Am I alive? OK, I think it was a fine day, then.”
Moxley has had a remarkable year since he returned to the company. He won the AEW Interim World Championship by beating Hiroshi Tanahashi at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, and he later captured the World Championship by defeating Bryan Danielson on AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam. He will defend the gold against MJF at AEW Full Gear.
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