Jon Moxley Sets Sights On SANADA, IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
AEW star Jon Moxley is looking to make history in the near future. Following his NJPW STRONG Independence Day victory in a Final Death match, Moxley spoke to Tokyo Sports, revealing he has his eye on the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship currently held by SANADA. If he were to win the title, Moxley would accomplish something that no one else has been able to do.
"I've become both the WWE World Heavyweight Champion (now the WWE Championship) and the AEW World Champion, but I haven't become the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion yet," Moxley said. "I don't think there's anyone out there who's wrapped [that] up. If I'm going to fight SANADA, I have an image of myself as the IWGP World Champion, so it might be interesting."
Moxley is coming off recent singles wins against El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii, and Kenny Omega in a steel cage match back in May. The former AEW World Champion is in the midst of an ongoing feud between the Blackpool Combat Club and The Elite, but has found time in his busy schedule to mix it up in Japan as well.
Moxley's Former Protege Makes His G1 Debut
Moxley clearly has SANADA and the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on his radar, but the former WWE star also took some time to discuss the debut of his former protege, Shota Umino, in this year's G1 Climax tournament.
"Youth should be a weapon," Moxley continued. "When I was in [the] G1, I hurt my neck in the first match and dragged it to the end. But if he's young, he'll be able to recover faster. I want them to ... focus 100% on the game in front of them without thinking about the semi-finals or finals."
The G1 Climax begins on July 15 and ends on August 13, with this year's tournament being the largest iteration in G1 history. Umino isn't the only person associated with Moxley to be involved in this year's G1, as recent NJPW Strong Openweight Championship winner Eddie Kingston will also be competing for the first time.
Moxley's next NJPW appearance has yet to be announced, but it's clear that the "Death Rider" is far from finished with the promotion. If Mox has his way, a match between himself and SANADA could be coming in the near future.