Jon Moxley rose to prominence during his ‘Dean Ambrose‘ days with WWE. However, his later creative differences with the company led him to bid adieu and embrace ‘Jon Moxley’ in AEW.

It has been a year and a half since Moxley debuted on Dailey’s Place. With time, the difference between WWE and AEW became prevalent to him. After his recent AEW Full Gear victory over Eddie Kingston, Moxley spoke to Sporting News about the difference.

“I think the aberration now when you look at all of the worlds of pro wrestling as a whole, the one who’s different and the outlier, and does everything differently in its own way and treats the fans in its own way and has their own buzzwords — they’re not the “fans,” they’re the “universe.” It’s not a “belt,” it’s a “championship.” It’s not a “shot,” it’s an “opportunity.” They kind of live in their own little world.”

Before WWE, Moxley worked in the Independent Circuits all over the world. When he talks about the differences between promotions, he knows what he is talking about.

“I think AEW is indicative of the way wrestling is all over the world on the indies, in Japan, fans of all different styles of wrestling and wrestling companies. The business is totally different now than it was like 50 years ago when we were keeping everything secretive, babyfaces and heels can’t ride together.”

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Jon Moxley prefers AEW over WWE

At the end of the day, the former IWGP United States Champion puts the art of wrestling above the shiny world of sports entertainment.

“And now people know, they understand and appreciate, whether you want to call it a sport or an art form whatever — that’s all debatable. For me, it’s wrestling.”

Like many Superstars before him, Moxley puts the fans above everything. In the world of wrestling, the fans matter the most, “Wrestling fans, to me, are the most passionate, educated, some of the smartest fans in the world.”

The fans appreciate not only the effort, they appreciate the passion of the wrestlers for their craft, they appreciate the effort, they appreciate how we’re putting our bodies on the line,” Moxley added.

The AEW World Champion defended his title against old-friend Eddie Kingston in a grueling “I Quit” match. The match was critically acclaimed as well as a fan favorite.