10 Things You Didn't Know About AEW's Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley has come a long way in not just his wrestling career, but also his life. To see the real-life Jonathan Good standing tall at the end of the 2016 WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, FINALLY holding the WWE Championship aloft - not to mention the successes he has enjoyed in All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling since parting ways with Vince McMahon et al back at the start of 2019 - was to see more than a decade's worth of dedication and toil pay off for a man who had to scratch and claw for everything he ever earned.

Though Moxley is famously averse to social media, choosing not to put his entire life on display for the world, we've learned a few fascinating things about the steely-eyed roughhouse, from his background to the particulars of his wrestling career.

This list is all about the once psychotic third of the Shield trio-turned AEW World Champion. What a journey he has been on over the past 34-and-a-half years!

Jon Moxley has come a long way in not just his wrestling career, but also his life. To see the real-life Jonathan Good standing tall at the end of the 2016 WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, FINALLY holding the WWE Championship aloft - not to mention the successes he has enjoyed in All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling since parting ways with Vince McMahon et al back at the start of 2019 - was to see more than a decade's worth of dedication and toil pay off for a man who had to scratch and claw for everything he ever earned.

Though Moxley is famously averse to social media, choosing not to put his entire life on display for the world, we've learned a few fascinating things about the steely-eyed roughhouse, from his background to the particulars of his wrestling career.

This list is all about the once psychotic third of the Shield trio-turned AEW World Champion. What a journey he has been on over the past 34-and-a-half years!

10. The Struggle To Survive

Many success stories in the fields of sports and entertainment have been written about individuals that came from tattered and humble beginnings, and Moxley is far from an exception. Growing up in a very rough section of Cincinnati's east side, Jon and his sister had to learn self-reliance, with a father largely out of the picture, and a mother that had to work long late-night shifts in order to provide for the family.

By Mox's own admission, his environment was a very negative one. He claims that there times when he had to resort to selling drugs on behalf of others, just so he wouldn't catch a beating. Other times, he would be bullied by the other dwellers of the neighbourhood. Moxley says he had to fight back in order to earn respect, not that it meant anything to him long term. He wanted out of the hellish living conditions and vowed to escape into a better life.

9. Inspiring Performances

Moxley found refuge in professional wrestling, instantly becoming hooked on it upon discovery. He would come to collect many wrestling videotapes, some of which he rented, and others he admits to outright stealing. But Moxley wouldn't be deterred by piddling matters like the law - he had a hobby, one that gave him hope. Mox's love of wrestling wasn't centred on one particular wrestler or promotion, though he admits that one wrestler stood out to him, becoming his idol.

In a 2010 interview with SLAM! Sports, Jon admits to looking up to Bret "The Hitman" Hart, admiring the way in which Hart persevered in spite of any and all odds that he faced. Though he didn't make the connection at the time, Moxley would realize the connection he felt with Hart was because of his own struggles to overcome difficulties, though his hindrances were not musclebound opponents between the ropes - they were the struggles of his surroundings. Hart, among others, would only magnetize Moxley deeper into the realm of wrestling.

8. The Waiting Game

At age 16, Moxley would find his opening at a Heartland Wrestling Association card, printed in an event program. The program advertised promoter/trainer Les Thatcher's wrestling school, which prompted Moxley to reach out to Thatcher to express his interest. Eventually, the school-aged Moxley showed up during a training session, claiming to be 18 years old. Eventually, his real age was discovered, and he was told he couldn't train until he turned 18.

Moxley was enraged by Thatcher's then-refusal to train him, but he would soon fall under the tutelage of local wrestler/trainer Cody Hawk, who allowed Moxley to observe the classes for hours at a time, while paying his dues by selling concessions, sweeping floors, and setting up the ring. Eventually, Mox would begin his formal training with Hawk, albeit at age 17. Moxley would train several days a week under Hawk, before making his in-ring debut in 2004 at the age of 18.

7. Near-Early Entry

Shortly after WrestleMania 27 in 2011, it was confirmed that Moxley had signed with WWE, after less than seven years as a working professional wrestler. In the preceding few years, Moxley had built up a strong cult following in places like CZW, Full Impact Pro, Dragon Gate USA, and EVOLVE, making his signing not all too surprising. What may be surprising is that Moxley was nearly hired by WWE four years earlier.

He'd worked some dark matches and jobber bouts in the mid-2000s, and had a contact in WWE in the form of Mike Bucci, the former Simon Dean, who was now working for John Laurinaitis in talent relations. Moxley revealed in a shoot interview that Bucci was making the big push to sign him in the summer of 2007, and was apparently on the verge of bringing him into the fold, but bad luck reared its head. Bucci was fired at the end of August 2007, after his name was linked to the very-public Signature Pharmacy scandal. Without Bucci to advocate for his hiring, Moxley's indy career continued.

6. Name With A Cause

Like many inbound wrestlers of the time, Jon Moxley couldn't just be Jon Moxley in WWE, and a name change was coming. The man who would become Dean Ambrose was hesitant about parting with that name, since he'd always simply been "Jon" throughout his life, but he submitted to the renaming process, even coming up with some ideas of his own. But ultimately, his new moniker would come from the mind of a true wrestling legend.

It was Dusty Rhodes, by now demonstrating his creative skills for WWE's developmental program, who was first to speak the name. According to Moxley on an episode of Talk is Jericho, "The American Dream" breathed the words, "Dean Ambrose. Dean. James Dean," drawing a comparison between young Moxley and the 1950s screen icon who that rebellious hearts ablaze with his cool calm and mysterious charm. Rhodes thought the name was strong, but Mox was initially disgusted, thinking that "Dean" made him sound too much like a frat boy. But hey, you can't say that the name hindered his momentum in the slightest, can you?

5. The Lost Feud

The-then Ambrose's unbridled actions and unfiltered thoughts spilled out with something of a refined eloquence, almost as though he were born decades too late for A Clockwork Orange. He would draw comparisons to the likes of Brian Pillman and Raven for his well-honed madness and villainy and would've been just the type to fit in seamlessly with the prismatic crazies in ECW. In fact, WWE had even intended to pit Ambrose against a certain hardcore legend in 2012, before later debuting him in The Shield.

At WrestleMania 28's Fan AXXESS, Ambrose confronted then-47-year-old Mick Foley, who had last taken part in a match at the 2012 Royal Rumble. Ambrose called Foley out, holding him accountable for inspiring the wrestlers after him to destroy themselves. This was supposed to lead to a match between the two at the 2012 SummerSlam, giving Ambrose a major angle right off the bat. However, Foley was unable to gain medical clearance, and would opt to formally retire from wrestling, seemingly for good. It was a lost opportunity, but at least Ambrose's *actual* debut match was a great one, as he and his Shield-mates won a hellacious match at the TLC pay-per-view.

4. Modern Conveniences

To many observers, Jon Moxley and wife Renee Young look like an odd couple - she's as bubbly and enthusiastic as he is low-key and understated. She's a cheerful journalist, he's an unshaven brawler. While the two certainly have more in common than meets the kayfabe eye, and are presumably quite happy together, they do seem like a bit of an odd couple. Turns out that their wedding was even odder.

Instead of a lavish, stately wedding, the two were married spur of the moment in the early morning hours of a random Sunday. Shortly after Moxley gave a formal-enough proposal (right before the couple were intending to go bed), the two used Yelp to contact a 24-hour pastor, who didn't live far from their residence. After contacting another friend (who had to be woken up) to act as a witness, Mox and Young were officially married in their backyard at one in the morning. Scoff if you will, but at least nobody involved was attacked with a cobra, or piledriven by an irate Kane.

3. Made In America

In 2013, Dean Ambrose became the first Shield member to win singles gold on the main WWE roster, defeating Kofi Kingston to win the United States Championship at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Ambrose would go on to hold the championship for 351 days, losing it to Sheamus in a 20-man battle royal on an episode of Raw in May 2014.

While the reign is somewhat notable for Ambrose's infrequent title defenses, the length does earn him a place in history. At 351 days, Ambrose has the longest US title reign under the WWE banner, narrowly topping MVP's 343-day reign that stretched from May 2007 to April 2008. In the 43-plus year history of the US title as a whole, Ambrose has the third-longest reign, behind Rick Rude's 378-day run that began in November 1991, and Lex Luger's mammoth 523-day reign that began in May 1989. Ambrose, along with MVP, are the only two men to break 300 days under the WWE header, as Shelton Benjamin's 240-day reign from a decade ago sits at a distant third.

2. Combat Veteran

Much has been made of Moxley's past, particularly his coming of age in Combat Zone Wrestling. For a one-year stretch from February 2010 to February 2011, sans a one-week stretch in August 2010, Moxley was CZW World Champion, with many fans predicting future greatness for "Mox". Would they have guessed that he'd be WWE Champion six years later? Well, you'd have to ask them.

As of his big win at the 2016 Money in the Bank, Dean Ambrose became the only man to have held both the WWE and CZW World Championships, a fact that many CZW-affiliated talents and staffers noted on the night the Lunatic Fringe cashed-in against Rollins. It seemed unlikely that a man who once competed in the annual spectacle known as the Tournament of Death would ever be WWE's top dog, but Ambrose has defied pretty much all conventions on his way up. Other former CZW Champions that have a presence on WWE programming include the recently departed Drew Gulak, Kassius Ohno and Lio Rush, as well as Oney Lorcan and current NXT official Drake Wuertz, though none have quite reached Mox's level of success. Which reminds us: Dean Ambrose vs. Nick Gage at WrestleMania 37 would be awesome.

1. Mox Is Money

So as noted, Moxley won the WWE Championship by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Seth Rollins the very night that he won the contract, fulfilling a two-year promise (in roundabout fashion) to keep Rollins from holding the WWE Championship. Yes, Rollins did reign the previous year, but it still counts, trust us.

The match made Mox one of only two babyfaces to cash in their briefcase at the end of a pay-per-view, and remain a babyface, even after winning. The other was Rob Van Dam 10 years earlier, who called his shot in advance before Frog-Splashing John Cena in the main event of One Night Stand 2006. Both CM Punk's 2009 and Randy Orton's 2013 cash-ins saw the two men veer onto the heel side of the fence, since each cashed in on a beloved babyface. This also makes Moxley the only babyface to cash in on an official heel (Cena doesn't count, damn it) at the end of a pay-per-view to win a World title. That's *almost* as cool as competing in the Tournament of Death.