AEW Champ Jon Moxley Explains Why Deathmatch Wrestling Will 'Always' Be In His DNA

AEW World Champion Jon Moxley may have caused some viewers to turn away over the course of his career due to the grisly, gory spots he's been involved in, but the AEW star has no intention of changing his wrestling style anytime soon.

Moxley, whose recent spiked bat spot sparked intense discussion within the wrestling community, has opened up about why deathmatch wrestling remains an inseparable part of his DNA.

"It'll [death match] always be a part of my DNA, a part of my makeup. Everywhere you go — and I think this goes for everything, not just wrestling — I mean, you should always be open to learning, to new experiences, and new ways to look at things — especially in wrestling, because it's such an expansive thing and is constantly evolving, constantly changing, and if you're not constantly learning, then you get left behind. The more tools you can put in your toolbox, the more, skills you can acquire, and the experience you can gain — then, you know, that all is just experience you can draw on and tools you can use later," said Moxley on "The Knockturnal." "Everywhere that I've been, I've always taken something from it — especially in your early experiences. That kind of shapes who you are, and you sort of boil off what you don't need and refine the things that really work for you."

Moxley cited fellow AEW star Chris Jericho as a prime example of someone who has acquired knowledge from the various places he has wrestled in throughout his Hall of Fame career. Moxley gained a reputation as a deathmatch wrestler on the indie scene before his run with WWE, and he still occasionally competes in deathmatches despite being a top star in AEW. His wife, AEW interviewer Renee Paquette, attributes his desire to wrestle at such events to his love for indie wrestling and his pride in the matches he has there.