Lee Moriarty Explains His Recent AEW TV Absence

Lee Moriarty officially aligned with Stokely Hathaway and The Firm at AEW All Out in September. Before joining the group, Moriarty received a mysterious business card from Hathaway on the July 29 episode of "AEW Rampage." After that, Moriarty disappeared for over a month. 

While appearing on a recent episode of "Talk Is Jericho," Moriarty explained why he was absent. "No, it was just taking time off because we didn't know the direction it was going to go in at the time," Moriarty said. "And then when I took the card from Stokely, the idea was to disappear for a while so no one knew it was coming. So when I returned at All Out, no one expected it, no one could prepare for it."

Moriarty revealed that he knew he would be off television following his match against Matt Sydal, however, he did not know when he would return. "So, before my match with Sydal, which was my last one, Stokely told me, 'Hey, you might be gone for a couple of weeks, but don't take it personally like you did anything wrong.' I didn't know how long it was going to be," Moriarty revealed. "I didn't know we were coming back at All Out or anything until maybe the week of."

Moriarty even took time off from working the independents and using social media so that his return was more surprising. After several weeks of waiting, Moriarty received a text which told him to be at All Out with dyed hair and also to bring a black mask, gloves, and pants with him. He knew that people in AEW had his best interest at heart, so he was willing to wait for the unknown.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Talk is Jericho" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.