AEW’s Jon Moxley has added another massive accomplishment to his legendary career by becoming the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
In the main event of NJPW Windy City Riot, Moxley dethroned Tetsuya Naito for the gold. Naito had held the title since Wrestle Kingdom 18 in January 2024, where he had dethroned Sanada.
Not only did Moxley win the gold, but he has also made history in the process. With this victory, the AEW star has become the first person to win the richest prize in New Japan, All Elite Wrestling, and WWE.
After the match, Jon Moxley said he would not be decking any challengers and specifically singled out the Young Lions. He did, however, want to issue his first challenge and name his first title defense but fate had other plans.
Jon Moxley would call out Shota Umino, his personal young boy, and offer him his final exam in a match for the championship. Before Umino could answer the challenge, Ren Narita laid out MOX with a reinforced push-up bar.
Shota would eventually come out to save MOX and they both agreed that they would have a match for the championship once MOX exacted revenge on Narita. MOX promised Narita that he was a dead man walking.
No official date for Jon Moxley’s first championship defense has been set.
Moxley had two important allies by his side for his latest World Championship victory, most importantly his wife Renee Paquette.
AEW President Tony Khan was also spotted at the event and congratulated Mox on winning New Japan’s top prize in the same building where he first won the AEW World Championship.
NJPW Windy City Riot (4/12) Results
* Buy In: Matt Vandagriff def. Zane Jay
* Buy In: Alex Windsor & Trish Adora def. Mina Shirakawa & Viva Van
* Ren Narita def. Minoru Suzuki
– Narita hit Suzuki with a foreign object before pinning him.
* NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) def. AZM
– Alex Windsor challenges Vaquer for NJPW Resurgence
* NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) def. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c), The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs), Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor
– West Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson) attacked Rosser & Lawlor and cut Lawlor’s hair.
* Shota Umino def. Jack Perry
– Jack Perry played into the heat with CM Punk through the match, coming out with a Riot Squad. Ultimately, he shook Shota’s hand after the match.
* Mustafa Ali def. Hiromu Takashi
* Riot Rules Match: Gabe Kidd, KENTA, Clark Connors, & David Finlay def. Eddie Kingston, Homicide, TJP, & Jeff Cobb
– Afterward, Kingston declared that he would defend the NJPW STRONG Championship against Kidd in a No-Rope Last Man Standing Fight at NJPW Resurgence.
* NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Matt Riddle (c)
– Jeff Cobb wants a future title shot and has a brief confrontation with the new champion.
* Nic Nemeth def. Tomohiro Ishii
* IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley def. Tetsuya Naito (c)
– After, Jon Moxley cut a promo about wanting to be a fighting champion and not ducking the Young Lions. He challenges Shota Umino to be his first challenger but instead, he is attacked by Ren Narita who uses the same reinforced push-up bar that he hit Suzuki with earlier in the night on the new champion. Umino comes out to make the save but Moxley says Narita is a dead man.
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