Top AEW Star Wins Gold Medal At NAGA Grappling Championship
One of the biggest names in AEW stepped out of the wrestling ring and picked up a gold medal in a tournament.
Jon Moxley is the only three-time AEW World Champion in the four-year history of the company and is unquestionably one of the biggest names in All Elite Wrestling.
Most of Moxley’s run in the company has seen him in a babyface role, but earlier this year he became more of a heel as one of the members of the Blackpool Combat Club with Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta.
When he’s not competing inside of a wrestling ring for AEW or one of the other companies where he has wrestled in recent years, Moxley is also interested in grappling competitions.
On Saturday, July 15th, Jon Moxley competed in the North American Grappling Association’s (NAGA) Cincinnati Grappling Championship and won the gold medal in the competition that he was in.
According to Fightful, Moxley competed in the Men No-Gi / Beginner / 225 – 249.9 (Superheavyweight) / Master (30+) division, representing Powell MMA and Fitness. Moxley defeated Chris Sailor, winning on points. Marc Raimondi of ESPN tweeted that it was a jiu-jitsu tournament.
NAGA hosts submission grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments all around North America and Europe. NAGA is the largest submission grappling association and has attracted over 700,000 participants. Moxley is from Cincinnati and lives in the area to this day.
Jon Moxley’s wife Renee Paquette, who also works for AEW as a host/interviewer, posted a photo on Instagram of her proud husband along with their daughter Nora and the medal that Moxley won for winning the tournament.
As for what’s next for Jon Moxley in AEW, he will be in the Blood & Guts Match this Wednesday on Dynamite from Boston. Moxley will team up with the Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta along with Konosuke Takeshita & Pac against The Golden Elite’s Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Kota Ibushi. It’s safe to assume there will be blood.