GCW owner Brett Lauderdale comments on Jon Moxley's AEW contract extension and his future with GCW.
Moxley competed at three Bloodsport events before he won the GCW World Championship at The Art of War Games in 2021. He then become a somewhat regular member of the GCW roster throughout his reign with the title. The day before he defended the gold against Nick Gage at GCW Fight Club, AEW announced that Moxley signed a contract extension. The announcement stated that Moxley would exclusively wrestle for AEW and its international partners, casting doubt on his future with GCW. Gage subsequently beat Moxley to win the title at GCW Fight Club.
Speaking on The Business of the Business podcast, Lauderdale was asked whether he knew about Moxley's AEW contract extension. In response, he stated that he had "no idea." He was then asked whether the terms of the deal would prevent Moxley from returning to GCW. Lauderdale stated that he thinks Moxley won't be seen in GCW as much, but he believes the AEW World Champion will come back if there's someone he wants to face.
“I’ve had very little interaction with AEW itself over the years. Booking Moxley, I never spoke to AEW, it always was just Mox, talking to him and him handling I guess whatever needed to be handled with AEW. But I’m sure things are gonna change now. I don’t think we’ll see him as frequently. But I do think we’ll see him again. I think if there comes a time where there’s somebody he wants to wrestle or a show he wants to be a part of, I think he’ll be there. I think he’ll let me know in much the same way he’s let me know over the last, whatever it was, 399 days. He’ll shoot me a text and say, ‘What do you got coming up in this month?’ Or ‘When are you gonna be in this place?’ That’s how it would often come together. So I wouldn’t be surprised if I hear from him again in a few months or six months or whatever, sometime in the next year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back again and stops in for another event. But again, he does have priorities, and I don’t expect it. I don’t know what the word is. I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ll continue to look at it as a bonus any time he comes around," Lauderdale said.
Lauerdale then emphasized that Moxley wasn't doing GCW shows for the money. Instead, it's clear that he still loves independent wrestling. He then repeated that he believes Moxley will be able to call some of his own shots regarding potential independent dates, even with his new AEW contract.
“Again, he’s not doing it for the money. This guy does not need money from indie wrestling companies, and I can’t pay him anything close to what he probably gets paid on a weekly basis from AEW, nor would he ever expect that or ask for that. He’s just here because there’s a side of him that still loves indie wrestling. That’s where he came from and it’s part of his personality. I think that there’s a reason why he has done so many shows for us and was cool with being our champion for over a year. I think that’s because he respects us and what we do and what we stand for. So again, Mox is a guy who, even with this new contract, I still think he has the ability to call a lot of his own shots, and if he were to ever ask for a favor or ask for permission for something, I can’t see Tony Khan saying no forever. I think there’s always a time and a place or a reason that could make sense. So we’ll see," he said.
When asked about GCW's relationship with AEW, Lauderdale stated that he doesn't know what their relationship is. He addressed the rumor that AEW talent isn't allowed to compete at GCW shows and noted that he thinks he would know if that was the case.
“I don’t know, I’ll be honest. The real honest answer is I don’t know what our relationship is with AEW, and I don’t mean that in a bad way or a good way. Again, I have very little direct interaction with AEW. So I don’t know. In terms of there being AEW people being banned or barred from wrestling for GCW, I’m not sure that such an edict exists. I would think that if that was a rule, I would think I would know. But again, they don’t send me a weekly email or an update. So I’m not sure. Everything’s just on a case-by-case basis. So we’ll see. I think that we’re very fortunate and I’m very grateful for all the times that they have been gracious to allow their talent to come and work for us. Even if it is the end, even if we’re not gonna be seeing their people around anymore, it’s been good while it lasted, and it’s helped our company a lot and I’m thankful for grateful for that," Lauderdale said.
Lauderdale recently commented on the rumored relationship between GCW and WWE. More information is available here.
In a recent interview, Moxley discussed his AEW contract extension. Check out his comments here.
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