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.
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
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.
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.
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