I would like to start this off by saying that I respect the opinions of everyone in regard to professional wrestling.  We all have our favorites, preferences and ideas for what makes for the best shows/matches.  Fellow Wrestlebuddy member Si just recently posted this article: https://wrestlebuddy.com/why-jon-moxley-is-overrated/

I’m not here to disown or villainize him.  He’s a great guy that I enjoy talking wrestling with and he put together a very well thought out piece that reflects his own perspective in a non-malicious way.  So much so that it has inspired me to counter his take with one of my own, as it just so happens to be one of the divisive topics amongst wrestling fans today.

Jon Moxley: Wrestler of the Year

This shouldn’t be a controversial statement but for some reason it is.  A professional wrestler that has had many matches with some of the best athletes around the world. Taking his battles across multiple promotions and doing so at an incredibly high level should make for a strong enough case for even the biggest of haters to at the very least entertain the idea of Mox getting that coveted top spot. But for some, it’s still not enough.

He has helped elevate talent and bring eyes to wrestlers that never would have been given that spotlight.  His name carries weight in this business and when he shows up to a show, people are going to know about it and whoever he wrestled gets more recognition because of that.  He performs in a sold-out arena on Wednesday and then a bingo hall on Saturday.  He’s bringing more eyes to more product than any other wrestler is doing right now.  He is currently the world champion in two companies and has wrestled for 4 so far on the year.  He is literally doing everything he can to make this business grow as a whole and not just for himself.  The amount of work he is putting in is simply amazing and what does he get for it?  Comments like:

“He blades too much.  His style sucks.  What he’s doing is a joke.“

Those are all “excuses” we have all seen on numerous occasions from people trying to downplay the fact that Jon Moxley has put together quite the resume to be in contention for wrestler of the year.  I personally think he is the front runner by a mile, but my opinion is just that… my opinion.

So now let us break down those 3 favorite excuses of the online wrestling community that is against Moxley and his rightful claim to the title.

He blades too much.

Blood is going to happen in combat and any other physical sport.  If you think otherwise, you’re fooling yourself.  I’ve been watching multiple sports my entire life; I know this to be true.  Boxing, UFC, football, etc.  It’s no different when it comes to the world of wrestling as it was something that was pretty common back in the day as well.  EC f’n W was all the craze!

Wrestling has evolved, I won’t deny that.  It’s actually something I push on all the old heads on a weekly basis.  That doesn’t mean everything should be left in the past though.  If it’s not for you, that’s fine.  I personally don’t like too much of it but that’s the beauty of wrestling.  With so much to enjoy, you don’t have to like this particular side of it.  But you also don’t get to just dismiss it altogether.  Moxley likes blood in his matches.  It helps give you that feeling that he just went to war.  How far he was willing to go.  What he is willing to do to his body to come out on top.  It’s part of his style and what makes him who he is.

His style “sucks”

This is the saddest excuse I see.  As we should all know by now, wrestling has very little boundaries.  Professional wrestling is a simulated fight.  In fighting, it’s not about style.  You win or you lose and that’s it.  You have highflyers like Rey Mysterio Jr.  You have technicians like Bryan Danielson.  You have well rounded masters of the art like Seth Rollins.  You have the flipping spot fest junkies like the Young Bucks.  And then you have brawlers like Jon Moxley.

Other brawlers from professional wrestling:  Stone Cold Steve Austin, Roddy Piper, Bruiser Brody, Terry Funk & Mick Foley. And guess what?  Those are all beloved wrestlers amongst the majority of us fans… they all bled too.

Brawling isn’t new.  But in today’s game, it seems to be less accepted due to how the business has evolved.  So again, back to the theme of what I’m trying to get across here.  You don’t have to like it, but you don’t get to dismiss it as wrestling.  He goes out there and busts his ass just as much as everyone else does, if not more so.  It’s flat-out disrespectful to dismiss him because it’s not today’s norm.

What he’s doing is a joke.

No, it’s not.  Plain and simple.  Trying to blow off anything a particular talent or promotion is doing as a joke makes you out to be a gatekeeper of professional wrestling.  You are not.  Here is a list of all things that are professional wrestling, and I’m sure you can add some examples as well:

• Professional wrestling is 6 star matches at the Tokyo Dome.
• Professional wrestling is cinematic matches like The Final Deletion.
• Professional wrestling is deathmatches and/or hardcore wrestling.
• Professional wrestling is spectacles of mayhem and fun between Sami Zayn and the Jackass crew.
• Professional wrestling is whatever it was that Ultimate Warrior was trying to do.

Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the point.  Do you have to like all styles of wrestling?  Absolutely not.  You don’t get to dismiss them though.  That is where a big problem amongst the wrestling fan community comes from, but that’s another story for another time.  I’m simply pointing out that when it comes to the world of professional wrestling, there are very few boundaries.  If a story is told and fans were entertained, the job was done.  Jon Moxley has done that more often and on a higher level than anybody else this year.

And above all else.  Jon Moxley is over everywhere he goes. When the first riff of Wild Thing plays, the fans go nuts. They know that are about to be in for some kind of chaotic treat.  Not many performers get to share that feeling these days and at the end of it all, being over is the best way to scale one’s success in this business. You can’t take that away from Jon and that’s a fact.

With all of that, I still didn’t think it was enough to really drive home my point.  As a person who isn’t necessarily a fan of Jon Moxley, I have not been able to view his entire catalog outside of his stuff from AEW this year.  So, I asked some questions online and within my circle of wrestling friends to list me some matches that they thought could help sell others on Moxley as wrestler of the year.  These are the matches I was given:

• vs Will Ospreay
• vs Bryan Danielson
• vs Wheeler Yuta
• vs Tom Lawlor
• vs Biff Busick
• vs Tony Deppen
• vs Tanahashi
• vs Effy
• vs Chris Jericho
• vs El Desperado
• vs Takeshita
• vs Daniel Garcia
• vs FTR w/Punk as his tag team partner
• vs Speedball Mike Bailey
• vs Kyle O’Reilly
• Anarchy in the Arena.

42 matches in total. 2 World Titles. Challenging for IWGP United States Heavyweight Title.  The man has gone on a tear.

Here is a list of other names that were given for potential candidates that people feel have a legitimate claim againat Mox. And whereas they have all had great years, the resumes don’t compare.

• Dax Harwood
• Jay White
• Roman Reigns
• Bobby Lashley
• Will Ospreay

The one name that I will say comes close though is Seth Rollins.  But after much though, when it comes right down to it, the body of work doesn’t touch what Mox has been able to accomplish.

If we were to compare stand out matches between the two, it doesn’t even come close.  The only place where Seth truly out does Mox is the feud/character work which is why I have him as the #2 guy this year.

So, there we have it.  I’ve used my own unbiased takes, the opinions of my peers and fellow wrestling fans across the web and resumes from the best of the best to make the strongest possible case I could.

Agree? Disagree?  Sound off in the comments.  Let us hear who you think is wrestler of the year!

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