Jon Moxley has become the first two-time AEW World Champion, albeit temporarily, after besting Hiroshi Tanahashi for the interim title at Forbidden Door.
The headline attraction for AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door saw Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi collide over the interim AEW World Championship, with the winner moving forward as the face of AEW in the absence of CM Punk. Ultimately, a Death Rider would crown Jon Moxley as the champion.
Moxley pinned ‘The Ace’ while bleeding heavily. It’s unknown when, exactly, ‘Mox’ suffered the cut, but he had adorned a complete crimson mask by the end of his monumental fight with Tanahashi.
#DeathRider by @JonMoxley! What an absolute battle here in the main event. Order the #ForbiddenDoor PPV right now! #AEWxNJPWpic.twitter.com/8iTyEMNJgH
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 27, 2022
Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi was signed following the actual AEW World Champion, CM Punk, suffering an injury. They defeated Kyle O’Reilly and Hirooki Goto, respectively, to advance to Forbidden Door to fight over the interim championship. CM Punk remains the official champion in the meantime, and will await Jon Moxley further down the line.
Signing with AEW following his WWE release in early 2019, Jon Moxley has remained the top babyface of the promotion ever since. He served as the second AEW World Champion after dethroning Chris Jericho at the 2020 Revolution pay-per-view, carrying the Tony Khan-helmed promotion throughout the empty arena era.
He’s now scheduled to enter the second Blood & Guts match on Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite, where he’ll team with Ortiz, Santana, and Blackpool Combat Club comrades Eddie Kingston, Wheeler YUTA, and new member Claudio Castagnoli to battle The Jericho Appreciation Society.