Jon Moxley is still AEW's top star

During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Rick Ucchino, Claudio Castagnoli admitted that the Black Pool Combat club angle had grown stale. He noted how the stable was "going through the motions."

"I feel he needed that time off to kind of reconnect with himself and find his purpose, so to speak, or regain his purpose," Castagnoli said. "I can’t speak for Jon, but I felt like the last couple months before he came back — you know we always have the ‘Be Real’ on our shirts, I didn’t really feel real. It felt like, okay, we’re just kind of going through the motions. Something was missing. And with Jon, I can definitely tell that since he came back, he found that fire again."

Since returning, Moxley has cut an intense figure. His attack on Bryan Danielson surprised the fanbase and set up one final feud for the outgoing star. Moxley has also hinted that someone higher up controls his actions, outlining a potential long-term storyline. 

Despite a quiet spell before his break, Moxley is still the top name on the AEW roster. He's known by diehard fans and casuals alike. He's a cornerstone of the company's programming, having arrived in AEW at Double or Nothing in 2019, shortly after the promotion's inception.

Earlier this year, in an article in The Players Tribune, MJF credited Moxley with being the catalyst behind AEW's growth. 

"Moxley — the thing you have to understand with Mox is that he chose AEW. Maybe that sounds obvious, but it’s not," MJF wrote. "I just think there’s a segment of fans who would always assume, no matter what, that WWE was Plan A. But Jon took a f------g sledgehammer to that assumption. He was part of WWE’s Plan A. He headlined there for half a decade. Was their world champ, was in their biggest stable, drew money, drew ratings, moved assloads of merch. And in the absolute prime of his career he said, Thanks for the memories, thanks for the gigantic offer. But I’mma try this other thing over here."

There's a reason Moxley has been entrusted with Danielson's final storyline. Even after five years with the company, he's still its biggest star. He's still a headline act. And he's still a major draw withing the wider wrestling world. 

Having a character or story arc grow stale is part of wrestling. Everything has its time and place. However, there was never a doubt about Moxley's status within the company. Now that he's back, he's ready to help drag AEW into a new era and, hopefully, to new heights. He's still the franchise player, and that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon.