"I ain't f***ing doing it" - Former WWE Champion on refusing to lose against John Cena
As a member of The Shield, Jon Moxley was once viewed as one of WWE's brightest stars. The group had an incredible run, but it could have been derailed if the trio accepted the initial plans for a pay-per-view match with John Cena.
The Shield was renowned for being different; it had a unique presence, and the group was one of WWE's top acts. For this reason, Moxley wanted to protect the trio's individuality.
In his new book, MOX, the former AEW World Champion described how The Shield was originally supposed to lose for the first time against John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus at Elimination Chamber 2013. Moxley (f.k.a. Dean Ambrose), Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins raised their concerns with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who agreed to change the finish.
“If [we] went out there with Cena and took the f***in’ schmootz and got pinned like everybody else, we would then become everybody else," wrote Moxley. "It would kill us. I remember...being in the car with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. ‘I ain’t f***ing doing it,’ I said. ‘Whether they fire us or we get Cena’d and killed off...we’re dead either way.'"
It’s their yard at #WWEBirmingham! @WWERollins @WWERomanReigns @TheDeanAmbrose #TheShield https://t.co/ZPavc7QQlO
Jon Moxley thought The Shield’s credibility would suffer if they became another group of young stars who lost to John Cena. Three years earlier, another villainous faction, The Nexus, never recovered after Cena's team beat it at SummerSlam 2010.
WWE writers wanted The Shield to lose against John Cena and other teams
We've been waiting a long time for this...
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#TheShield @WWERomanReigns @WWERollins @TheDeanAmbrose #RAW https://t.co/Ly7MldOUsL
The Shield didn't lose to John Cena, but a few months later, the group finally suffered its first defeat in a six-man tag team match. On the June 14, 2013 episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan, Kane and Randy Orton defeated the trio.
In the book, Jon Moxley noted the group often stood their ground in backstage meetings, and this defiance sometimes led to “awkward” conversations with writers.
“We would go on a long undefeated streak in six-man tags," Moxley continued. "The writers kept trying to beat us. We refused time after time, standing our ground together. It got downright awkward sometimes, but we had strength in solidarity. We knew the equity in what we had built and were not willing to give it away."
Moxley added that The Shield could have “gotten way more” out of their six-month undefeated run. But he stated that, in WWE, “writers gonna write,” and their winning streak had to end at some point.
AEW President Tony Khan announced this week that Jon Moxley is entering an inpatient alcohol program. Sportskeeda Wrestling wishes Moxley all the best at this time.