3 wrestling stars who betrayed Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley suffered a shocking betrayal at AEW Full Gear when his long-time mentor William Regal turned on the former AEW World Champion to help MJF finally win 'the big one.'
Regal's shocking defection immediately threw the spotlight on the future of the Blackpool Combat Club and what became of the previously indestructible faction.
However, this is not the first time that Jon Moxley has been stabbed in the back in his pro wrestling career. Dating back to his time in WWE, Mox has been the victim of a number of shocking turns, some more infamous than others. Here are 3 stars who betrayed Jon Moxley in his career.
#3. William Regal's betrayal to help MJF win the AEW World Championship at Full Gear 2022
Let's start with the most recent betrayal. William Regal and Jon Moxley share a storied history that goes back more than a decade. As the former Dean Ambrose, Mox would first encounter the Englishman at FCW, WWE's former developmental territory, as a rookie.
The former NXT General Manager was at the tail end of his career at that point and was one of the veterans helping to usher in the next generation of WWE Superstars. Despite their age difference, the brash, young Moxley would enter into a bitter feud with Regal that captivated the FCW audience.
The rivalry helped put Ambrose on the map while reaffirming Regal's status as a legend in the business. It would make sense for the duo to reconnect more than a decade later in AEW and rekindle their kinship.
Jon Moxley even named the faction Blackpool Combat Club after his mentor's hometown, such was their close bond. It was all the more heartbreaking then that William Regal would choose to betray Moxley at Full Gear and align himself with the dastardly MJF.
During the main event of the AEW World Title Match between the two competitors, William Regal ordered Moxley to check on the fallen referee before sliding in his brass knuckles towards the Salt of the Earth. MJF would strike Moxley with the knuckles to pick up the win and capture his first-ever world championship.
On the following Dynamite, Jon Moxley confronted the former NXT Commissioner but decided not to attack his long-time mentor. Instead, he asked him to run away and never return. Regal obliged, leaving the arena afterwards.
This will surely spell the end of the Blackpool Combat Club as we know it. But will Jon Moxley choose to feud with his former mentor and friend? Stay tuned.
#2. James Ellsworth's betrayal to ensure AJ Styles retained the WWE Championship at TLC 2016
Dec 4: On this day in 2016 WWE hosted TLC, with AJ Styles retaining his WWE World Title against Dean Ambrose after James Ellsworth turned on his mate Dean. https://t.co/8ZGMfTyQBy
Back in 2016, there was a phenomenon in WWE known as James Ellsworth. The perennial jobber was catapulted to mainstream wrestling consciousness when he started appearing on SmackDown Live as an unlikely ally of Dean Ambrose, who was WWE World Champion at the time.
His goofy appearance and loveable loser gimmick made him a fan favorite among the WWE Universe. Ellsworth would frequently appear alongside Dean Ambrose in his battles against AJ Styles over the WWE Championship during the autumn and winter months of that year.
However, there wasn't to be a happy ending to this story. Ellsworth would betray his friend Dean Ambrose to ensure AJ Styles retained the WWE World Championship at TLC 2016.
His appearance came at a time when AJ Styles had the match won, after hitting a stunning Springboard 450 Splash onto Ambrose through a table.
It was therefore a bit daft for him to show his face at all if that was the result he wanted, because the champion was already set to retain his title. A furious Styles set him up for a Styles Clash on the steel steps, only for Ambrose to save his friend and nail AJ with Dirty Deeds.
Dean started to climb to glory, only for Ellsworth to reveal his true colors and tip him off a ladder before crashing through a table at ringside, costing Ambrose the WWE Championship. Jon Moxley would gain a measure of revenge on James Ellsworth, beating him senseless to send him packing from SmackDown.
#1. Seth Rollins turns on Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, destroys The Shield in the process
.@WWERollins Turned on The Shield 7 years ago I still can't believe it has been that long it feels like yesterday it's one of the most shocking turns in recent memory 🤯🤯🤯🤯 #WWE #RAW #TheShield #TheAuthority https://t.co/jiNrGdXw5r
The most infamous betrayal involving Jon Moxley was, of course, the implosion of The Shield, the most popular WWE faction of the 2010s.
The Shield - consisting of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose - made an immediate impact at the 2012 Survivor Series during the main event, attacking the two opponents of then-WWE Champion CM Punk and allowing him to retain the title.
The Shield not only held championships - Dean with the United States title, Roman and Seth as tag team champs - they also headlined major main event shows throughout their initial run.
Eventually, The Shield became so popular, they inevitably turned babyface. They even defeated Evolution (Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton) in a brutal No Holds Barred elimination match to gain the ultimate rub.
On the next episode of Monday Night RAW, Triple H would execute a Plan B, however, which turned out to be Seth Rollins attacking Ambrose and Reigns from behind, betraying his brothers and siding with The Authority. This instantly moved Rollins into the position of the top heel in the company, while also allowing Ambrose and Reigns a chance to establish singles careers of their own.
Fast forward to today, Roman has had multiple reigns with both the WWE and Universal Championships, Seth Rollins on the other hand has had similar success and has not only held multiple world titles but has also shown an ability to reinvent himself. Dean Ambrose also held the Grand Slam in WWE, but is creating even more of a legacy now as Jon Moxley, the three-time AEW World Champion. But it all started with a shocking betrayal.