AEW star Jon Moxley recently reflected on the impact and legacy of The Shield in both WWE and AEW. The Shield, consisting of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Jon Moxley, burst onto the scene in 2012 at the Survivor Series. Their debut marked the beginning of a dominant era, as they ran through everyone and took over the WWE.
Their split in 2014 marked the beginning of individual journeys, with Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose each finding success as singles competitors. Fans were also treated to a reunion from 2017 to 2019.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Jon Moxley discussed The Shield’s legacy and how the trio has impacted the wrestling world. He stated, “What they’ve done, it’s a really cool thing. We were nobodies. We came in with attitudes, and we pretty much said, ‘We’re coming in, f*ck you, and we’re taking this sh*t over. The more time that passes, the more it becomes evident that we did exactly what we said we were going to do.”
In 2019, Jon Moxley left WWE and transitioned to AEW, where he quickly became a cornerstone of the promotion. Since then, he has embodied the heart and soul of All Elite Wrestling.
Jon Moxley sets the record straight on WWE WrestleMania 40 expectations
At WWE WrestleMania 40, The Rock stood in the ring during the match between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. After executing a Rock Bottom on John Cena, The Great One was interrupted by The Shield’s theme. Fans in attendance were surprised to hear The Shield’s theme, as they expected Seth Rollins to come out. However, many fans were also anticipating that Jon Moxley would make an appearance.
Speaking in the same interview, Moxley stated that he was asleep during the WrestleMania 40 main event. He mentioned that he was in Japan at that time. He stated, “I was asleep in Japan when that was going on. When I woke up, I had these messages saying, ‘I thought you were coming out!’ And I was like, ‘Coming out where?’ It’s cool that people thought it was me. But I was asleep.”
While in Japan, Moxley was committed to dates for NJPW. During this time, he won the IWGP World Heavyweight Title and successfully defended it on AEW Dynamite against Will Hobbs.
