AEW's Jon Moxley Issues Unique Challenge To Shota Umino During NJPW Event

By Brie Coder
Jon Moxley and Shota Umino share a moment with the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Masashi Hara/Getty Images

A teacher displeased with his student reads the latest headline in wrestling, after a video of Jon Moxley surfaced with a firm warning toward Shota Umino yesterday at NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed in Lowell, Massachusetts. Following a successful tag team defense with Tomohiro Ishii against Bad Dude Tito and Zack Sabre Jr., a video interrupted their victory, showcasing a disgruntled Moxley cautioning Umino that his actions as of late have Moxlsey so concerned that he's sending an emissary to the Tokyo Dome to wake up his protégé and mold him into the champion he knows he can be. 

In the video, posted on X, Moxley stated, "Shota, my man, you have made a mistake, a grave mistake. You've traveled down a dark path, a dark way of thinking. I'm not mad; I'm just very disappointed. Let's go back to our first principles: We don't care what anybody thinks. We don't care what anybody says. What are you reading? What are you listening to? What's gotten inside your head? We're going to continue your education. I will send an emissary to the Tokyo Dome to fix this problem you're having. We will continue molding you into the champion that I know you can be." 

Afterward, Umino showed a refractory stance and mouthed the words "F*** you" towards the screen. Umino, nicknamed "Shooter," has been under Moxley's learning tree since their first encounter at Dominion in June 2019, where the Young Lion, at the time, unsuccessfully challenged "The Purveyor of Violence" for his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. Now, Umino has a tall task just days after the new year commences when he challenges Zack Sabre Jr. for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title on January 4, 2025, at Wrestle Kingdom 19. Currently, in his record-setting fourth AEW World Title reign, Moxley might have his work cut out for him when he faces Orange Cassidy at Full Gear later this month. 

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