Courtesy of Alan J. Wojcik and http://alanwojcik.com
In May 2003 IPW Hardcore promoters created the JEFF PETERSON MEMORIAL CUP in tribute to the fallen cruiserweight star who passed in 2001 after a long battle with cancer. Since then the event has garnered a list of international stars who supported the event and honored Jeff’s memory by putting on five star caliber bouts. The previous winners were “Reckless Youth” Tom Carter, Justice, Chris Sabin, Milano Collection AT, Chris Hero & Erick Stevens. On November 20-21 sixteen men will come to Brooksville & Crystal River, Florida to try and join those names. Could this year’s winner be:
“Street Dog” Jon Moxley
Height: 6 Ft 3 In
Weight: 225 Lbs
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Pro Debut: June 2004
Website/Myspace/Facebook:
Tournament history: HWA’s 2009 Attack of the Trios (w/Dean Jablonski & Dick Rick), 2009 CZW Tournament of Death (lost in 2nd round)
Where you have seen him: Combat Zone Wrestling (member of Switchblade Conspiracy w/ Sami Callilhan), Heartland Wrestling Association, IWA Puerto Rico, Insanity Pro Wrestling, CHIKARA, WAR, Northern Wrestling Federation
Championships held: Current HWA Tag Team champion (w/”King Vu” Richard Phillips), HWA Tag Team (w/Jimmy Turner), 2x HWA Heavyweight champion, IWA-PR Tag Team (w/Hade Vansen), IPW Mid-American, IPW World Heavyweight.
Alan Wojcik: What was your initial reaction to being named part of Team CZW for the 2009 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup?
Jon Moxley: I was pretty stoked. Fresh, tough competition is always healthy for you, it’s something I constantly crave and there’s plenty of it in this thing. Actually, stoked isn’t the word, I’d say instantly pissed off, in a hungry positive energy kind of way.A lot of guys I’m sure are just glad to be able to say they’re in it. I’d say that well over half of the guys in the tournament have already blown their load telling all their buddies and chicks at the bar how they’re invited to this prestigious tournament, so all those guys are satisfied to just be there and as good as beaten mentally. That’s another thing I love about these types of events, it’s gonna be the kinda thing where everyone is behaving like it’s a tennis tournament or something, shaking hands and sportsmanship and posing for pictures and telling each other how good they are and the like. That kind of stuff irritates me. It’s like…isn’t anybody pissed off? Wheres the aggression? Why are we all friends? Where’s the yelling and screaming? Doesn’t anybody just wanna *%#@ somebody up? Personally, I’m not interested in doing tricks for the audience and trying to impress anyone with fancy b.s….I just wanna come in and wreck everything.
Alan Wojcik: You were trained by Cody Hawk, talk about the training and working for Heartland Wrestling Association.
Jon Moxley: When I was 16 I went to the HWA school for the first time, this was when Les Thatcher still owned and ran things. I went into his office and he more or less told me to get out. He told me I couldn’t train till I was 18. I was pretty pissed so I just kept coming up and hanging around, being a nusance. I started working security and setting up the ring and when he wasn’t around I was able to get in the ring and work out with guys. Cody eventually took over the company and let me start training full time and I can’t say enough about how great it was, I’m extremely grateful for being taught and brought up the way I was, especially now looking back. It was hard, no joke, 3 or 4 days a week for 3 hours at a time, endless conditioning, endless drills. There was lsot of people training there at the time, so you’d get to learn from being in the ring with a variety of good wrestlers. I had nothing else positive in my life at the time, so I couldn’t get enough of it. In over a year I never missed a practice. Once I started wrestling I got to wrestle matches twice a week on top of training, and the talent level at HWA was unbelievable, Nigel McGuinness (currently Desmond Wolfe in TNA), Matt Stryker, Chad Collyer, Irish Airborne, BJ whitmer etc…so the experience I got at such a young age was invaluable. Cody Hawk is a guy who never really was a star or a world champion or anything like that, but he was an incredible worker, and a great teacher, he doesn’t get nearly enough credit for all the talent he trained. That school was probably the last of it’s kind.
Alan Wojcik: IWA Puerto Rico came up on the background information. Is it as unique a promotion as I have read about?
Jon Moxley: Yeah it could get pretty nuts. Puerto Ricans are the most violent, raucous fans you could ever see, I’m sure it’s not as bad now as it was in like the 70’s, but there were some shows where the crowd would be so heated that it is indescribable. Talking WHITE heat. Puerto Ricans have a complex about being the stepchild of the U.S., they’re completely dependant on the U.S. but they don’t like to admit it, so it’s easy for them to hate brash Americans. I’d constantly have ice, batteries, cups, and pennies thrown at me, they would try to pour cups of urine on you as you came out of the tunnel. It was defiinitely a trial by fire. To me though, that is beautiful. I totally loved it.I would give anything for that kind of stuff in the U.S.
Alan Wojcik: You have worked a few time for Ring of Honor in dark matches. Talk about the ROH experience and how do their fans differ from the regulars who attend Combat Zone Wrestling matches?
Jon Moxley: I’ve always performed really well and had a great time in the little bit of stuff I’ve done for ROH, but still it’s like I’ve just kind of always flown under their radar. I have fun wrestling for ROH crowds but in my opinion, ROH at the (former ECW) Arena pales in comparison to the atmosphere of CZW at the Arena, the intensity hangs in the air much thicker. CZW’s regular audience is generally drunk angry Philly types and they are way more cutthroat then the more educated ROH audience. ROH is stacked with talent, they always have great matches, and I’m dying to get into the ring with alot of those guys, but in my opinion for what it’s worth ROH just seems to be lacking something. I don’t know if it’s because they’re on TV now or what. CZW to me is a more exciting, edgier product all around. ROH seems to have lost their balls.
Alan Wojcik: You hold a victory over CZW teammate Drake Younger actually winning the finals of the “Drake Younger Invitiational.” Talk about that event and scout him for fans who have never seen him wrestle.
Jon Moxley: Me and Drake are kind of like the Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes of Indy wrestling. We’re constantly just beating the %#* out of each other across the country. We are born to be rivals. I’m sure I’ll be attacking him in airports when were in our 60’s. There are alot of parallels between us, we’ve traveled similar paths to where we are today, and our styles match up in the ring exactly. If we wrestled 100 matches, he’d win 50 and I’d win 50. That particular night was just another night that could have gone either way but swung in my favor. We push each other more than any other opponents, because It’s not so much about “who’s better?, It’s about “who’s gonna get better faster”? So we have to both be constantly improving to keep up with each other. I think he will impress alot of people at the JPC, especially those that see him as “just a hardcore wrestler”. Drake Younger is much more than that. He’s a hybrid wrestler. I expect him to open up alot of eyes.
Alan Wojcik: In CZW you have formed alliance with Sami Callilhan called the Switchblade Conspiracy. Tell us how this happened and how does he compare to other tag team partners you have won gold with?
Jon Moxley: I knew Sami from years earlier when he came to train at HWA. He kind of hooked himself to me back then and adapted alot of my style and traits, later there was a long period of time when I was out of commision and he went out on his own, took what he learned and adapted it to his own style and personality. When I came back and we eventually found ourselves in the same place, It was a natural fit, we have similar goals, and were cut from the same mold. As a tag team, we complement each other perfectly. For the most part we wrestle in the same relentless, vicious way, but were different enough that it’s hard to prepare for both of us. I’d say me and sami are as good together as any tag team in the world. In fact I am saying that.
Alan Wojcik: Your tournament history includes the annual CZW Tournament of Death. You won a “Dining Room Deathmatch” over Brain Damage but lost to Nick Gage in a “Fans Bring Weapons” match where Scotty Vortekz also lost. How does one mentally and physically prepare for that event and what the hell is a “Dining Room Deathmatch??”
Jon Moxley: Forks and plates and tables, ….don’t ask me man deathmatch wrestling is weird. I honestly wouldn’t have ever thought I’d find myself competing in something like Tournament of Death, but I found that it fit me like a glove. There really is no mental preparation for something like that, all the guys pacing, and doing breathing exercises and praying or meditating, they’re kidding themselves. I think either you get off on the fact that you’re taking a big risk and are going to be in alot of danger or you dont. For me it was easy, no mental preparation at all. I’m ready to go 24/7. I love adrenaline. I like senseless violence. I drive fast, I sort of like to get hit, I wanna live every second of life to the fullest, and there’s no more feeling alive than having to dodge sharp weapons and get somebody before they get you. Fight or Flight.
Alan Wojcik: Of the 15 other competitors in the event do you have one you would like to face and is there a potential roadblock in your mind?
Jon Moxley: I want Davey Richards. End of story.
For full event info, VIP ticket packages and profiles of other competitors log onto www.JPC2009.com