"I realized something was wrong" - Jon Moxley on Roman Reigns' 30-day WWE suspension
In his new book MOX, Jon Moxley wrote that he suspected something was wrong with Roman Reigns before the latter received his WWE suspension in 2016.
On June 21, 2016, Reigns was suspended for 30 days after violating WWE’s Wellness Program. Due to the suspension, Reigns was scripted to lose the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank 2016. Rollins subsequently lost the title to Moxley moments later.
Moxley, who performed as Dean Ambrose at the time, recalled how Reigns mentioned he was due to have a meeting with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon:
“Somewhere around San Bernadino, I realized something was wrong. I could read it in Roman’s face. He vaguely alluded to something, some s*** was going down with Vince tomorrow, but I didn’t have any clue and I didn’t pry further,” he wrote.
I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.
WWE’s Wellness Program prohibits superstars from abusing drugs, including prescription drugs and performance-enhancing drugs. The exact details of Roman Reigns’ suspension were not made public by WWE.
Roman Reigns told Jon Moxley and Seth Rollins about the title changes
Basking in chants of "YOU DESERVE IT!"
#RAW @TheDeanAmbrose https://t.co/9pz6VFXm6w
Jon Moxley won the 2016 Money in the Bank ladder match to earn a guaranteed World Heavyweight Championship opportunity at a time of his choosing. He successfully cashed in his contract after Seth Rollins’ win, ensuring all three Shield members held the World Heavyweight Championship on the same night.
Earlier in the day, Roman Reigns told Moxley and Rollins that Vince McMahon had instructed him to lose the title that night.
“Roman, fresh from Vince’s office, finds Seth and me in the locker room. Nobody else is around. He has news. We stand in a triangle. ‘You up tonight,’ he said to Seth, ‘Dean cashes in.’ Roman went on to explain that he’d be serving a 30-day suspension for a discrepancy with the wellness policy. I don’t remember saying anything,” Moxley wrote.
Moxley added that the story of all three Shield members holding the title was “beautiful,” even though it was not planned.
AEW President Tony Khan announced on Tuesday that Jon Moxley is entering an inpatient alcohol program. Sportskeeda Wrestling wishes Moxley all the best at this time.