When Jon Moxley defeated Bryan Danielson at “WrestleDream” for the AEW world championship, he chose to lock the championship belt inside a steel briefcase. And that’s where the belt has remained since late October, oftentimes handcuffed to the wrist of Marina Shafir or Claudio Castagnoli.
Moxley’s explanation for his actions was cursory, with him positing that the championship belt isn’t a prize worth flaunting, but the summation of a wrestler’s journey.
In his own words, “I am the AEW world championship. I am the living definition of that championship. You want to see it? It’s right here. Take a look at it.”
However, Moxley’s explanation hasn’t absolved the decision from criticism. In fact, it’s been universally panned by fans and pundits alike. For nearly seven months now, the most illustrious prize in All Elite Wrestling has been absent from the company’s programming.
Very few counterarguments have been made in Moxley’s favor. The general sentiment is that, on its surface, the end result will warrant the decision. Eventually, The Death Riders’ reign of terror will end. And when Moxley is finally defeated, the moment when his successor unlocks the briefcase to retrieve the AEW world championship belt will be immensely cathartic.
Now that seven months has passed, though, what ramifications has Moxley’s decision to hide the belt had on AEW?
First, we have to understand the significance of a championship belts.
Championship belts emerged in boxing during the 19th century. The first prize belt was awarded to bare-knuckle Tom Cribb in 1810 by King George III, after he defeated Tom Molineaux.
In the 1880s, sportswriter Richard K. Fox crowned boxer Jake Kilrain the world’s heavyweight champion and presented him with a lavish title — clad in 200 ounces of steel and adorned with diamonds and gold ornaments.
Subsequently, championship belts became common in boxing, before eventually migrating to the world of professional wrestling.
Quite simply, a championship belt is a symbolic emblem of the champion’s title; just like a championship ring in football, basketball, or hockey.
Moxley’s decision to hide the AEW world championship belt is equally as symbolic.
Moxley is universally recognized as the AEW world champion, having defended his title six times against seven different opponents. However, without the title belt, Moxley is unable to differentiate himself from his competitors. Therein lies a degree of visual dissonance.
From afar, it’s almost as if there isn’t an AEW world champion and the title is vacant. After all, no one is holding the strap.
In its absence, the landscape of the men’s division has drastically shifted.
Earlier this year, there was a growing concern that AEW was becoming too dependent on their older stars. Chris Jericho was the ROH world champion, while Jeff Jarrett, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage were actively pursuing the AEW world championship. The main event picture needed to be reinvented. So, a renewed focus was placed on younger talent.
Early on in Moxley’s reign, Darby Allin seemed like the champion’s heir apparent. However, the daredevil’s championship aspirations seemed to be put on the backburner, when he decided to try to climb Mount Everest. In his stead, “Switchblade” Jay White, Powerhouse Hobbs, Swerve Strickland and “Hangman” Adam Page have all stepped forward to challenge Moxley, albeit to no avail.
MJF has also expressed his interest in recapturing the world championship, albeit in a less direct manner.
Amongst those young contenders, an ecosystem has developed. MJF, “Hangman” Adam Page, Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, “Switchblade” Jay White, and Darby Allin have all interacted with one another, in some way, shape or form. Whether they’re friends, adversaries or mortal enemies, they all have interpersonal dynamics and a common goal: capturing the AEW world championship.
This week on the special “Beach Break” edition of “Dynamite,” Moxley will stage his seventh defense against former world champion Samoa Joe in an unforgiving steel cage match. Should he defeat Joe, his next challenger will be determined later this month at “Double or Nothing,” where “Hangman” Adam Page and Will Ospreay face off in the finale of the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
The winner will face Moxley in the main event of this year’s “All In,” at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
While you can never say “never” in professional wrestling, all signs point to Moxley’s reign continuing until “All In,” where he’ll either face Page or Ospreay.
Whether his reign ends there or not, doesn’t necessarily matter. What does matter, is that once the “One, True King” is finally slain and a new champion is crowned, the return of the AEW world championship will usher in a new era for All Elite Wrestling.
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