10 Matches You Forgot Jon Moxley Competed In

After debuting in 2004 and making a name for himself on the indie deathmatch scene, Jon Moxley, signed to WWE in 2011, becoming a Shield member Dean Ambrose and a WWE Champion during a eight-year run with the company. After departing the company in 2019, Mox departed the company, wrestling on the independent scene and for New Japan Pro-Wrestling before finding a new home in All Elite Wrestling.

Over the course of the 16 years (and counting) since Moxley’s career started, he’s had a number of matches that fans may have forgotten about. So let’s take a look at these under-the-radar bouts, including work from his pre-WWE days and even some from his WWE days.

10 Dean Ambrose vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE Raw, 10/21/2013)

One of the big matches happening at AEW’s 2022 Revolution pay-per-view pits former WWE stars Moxley and Bryan Danielson in a match to determine whether or not they will start a family of younger wrestlers to teach violence to. But the duo also wrestled a few times in singles competition in WWE, including this October 2013 bout, which was their last televised outing together, back when Ambrose was still a heel in The Shield. After 16 minutes, Bryan would get the win.

9 KAMIKAZE USA vs. WORLD-1 (DGUSA Freedom Fight, 10/30/2010)

KAMIKAZE USA in Dragon Gate USA, featuring Jon Moxley, Akira Tozawa, and YAMATO

The American branch of Japan’s Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling run by Gabe Sapolsky of ROH and EVOLVE, Dragon Gate USA often featured North American indie wrestlers clashing with Japanese stars. In DGUSA, Moxley was part of the stable KAMIKAZE USA alongside Shingo Takagi and YAMATO, and in this match teamed with future WWE star Akira Tozawa against WORLD-1’s Homicide and BxB Hulk. The result was a fun bout where WORLD-1 came out on top, working in service to the rivalry between Moxley and Homicide.

8 Jon Moxley vs. Toru Yano (NJPW G1 Climax - Day 12, 8/1/2019)

Once Jon Moxley debuted in New Japan, he not only captured the IWGP US Title, but also took part in the prestigious G1 Climax tournament. Mox had quite an undefeated streak going in his first outing, running through Taichi, Jeff Cobb, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, and even Tetsuya Naito, racking up 10 points in the process. However, that all ended when he came up against the Sublime Master Thief, Toru Yano

G1 is Toru Yano’s playground — he never wins, but he is great at scoring surprise victories over some of the biggest stars in the company and reducing their chances of winning the tournament. And Yano did just that with Moxley, using wrist tape to keep Mox out of the ring, ensuring a countout victory.

7 Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena (WWE Raw, 3/30/2015)

After beating Rusev for the United States Title at WrestleMania 31, John Cena began his series of open challenges the following night on Raw. Highlights from this include the main roster debuts of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, so it’s easy to forget that the first guy who came out to challenge Cena was Dean Ambrose. The result was a competitive 14 minute affair and ultimately a great moment for Dean Ambrose, who seemed like he was going to be the least important Shield member after the breakup.

6 Jon Moxley vs. Ricochet (IWA Mid-South Battle Of The Future Stars 2, 7/10/2009)

IWA Mid-South is likely best known to wrestling fans for giving the first wide exposure to CM Punk and Chris Hero, and in 2009 ran a tournament to put a spotlight on various up and comers. The finals of this tournament came down to Jon Moxley, who was still a couple of years from signing to WWE, and Ricochet, who was already regularly wrestling for IWA, CHIKARA, and CZW. Ricochet would end up winning the tournament thanks to a reversal into a successful three-count fall.

5 The Shield vs. Adrian Neville, Corey Graves, and Xavier Woods (NXT, 7/11/2013)

Despite being labeled as being from NXT during The Shield’s very first appearance, Dean Ambrose never himself wrestled as a developmental talent on the black and yellow brand. In fact, his only televised appearances in NXT were as part of The Shield. Besides helping interfere on Seth Rollins’ behalf during Rollins’ title match with Big E, Ambrose also took part in one of two Shield six-man matches to happen on the black and yellow brand, defeating the babyface team of Xavier Woods and NXT Tag Team Champions Adrian Neville and Corey Graves.

4 Jon Moxley & Dick Rick vs. The Big Show (WWE Heat, 5/5/2006)

Every time WWE needs to convey a monster heel’s abilities, they book a handicap match against him featuring some unsigned local indie guys. Recent examples like Braun Strowman and Ryback are great examples of this, and in 2006 The Big Show did the same on an episode of Heat.

Show’s opponents for this squash included not only Jon Moxley, but Dick Rick, better known to modern fans as NXT’s L.A. Knight. Moxley actually has a bit of a history with Knight, as both trained with Cody Hawk in Heartland Wrestling Association and were even roommates at one point.

3 Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE Raw, 3/25/2019)

Dean Ambrose’s final WWE match would be a Shield six-man against Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre in a house show bout that was aired on the WWE Network. However, his final television match prior to that would be a singles bout with McIntyre, a Last Man Standing Match on the main event of a late March Raw. The bout would last 10 minutes, with McIntyre winning after putting Ambrose away with a Claymore.

2 Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin (WWE WrestleMania 33 Kickoff, 4/2/2017)

Remember that time Dean Ambrose was relegated to a WrestleMania pre-show? Alongside Neville defending the Cruiserweight Belt against Austin Aries and the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Ambrose successfully defended the Intercontinental Championship against Baron Corbin on the pre-show of WrestleMania 33. It’s not a spectacular match or anything, and the only notable thing about it is that Dean was on the pre-show with Corbin while his Shield buddies were on the main ‘Mania card, fighting Triple H and The Undertaker.

1 Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson (NJPW Best Of The Super Junior 26 - Day 15)

After a series of mysterious vignettes revealed Jon Moxley as NJPW’s newest star, Mox had his first match in the company, and it was a big one: battling Juice Robinson for the IWGP United States Championship. The bout had a lot riding on it, as it was Mox’s first match since leaving WWE, and he more than lived up to expectations as the ensuing brawl incorporated weapons and hardcore spots, with Mox coming out as the new champion.