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Jon Moxley knows a thing or two about factions. He was part of the most dominant group in the last decade with The Shield in WWE alongside Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. The renegade trio ran roughshod over the company from the moment they debuted on the main roster in 2012 until their eventual split two years later.
The stable no doubt helped launch the career of Moxley as he went on to have success as a solo star, winning the WWE Championship, Money In The Bank and Intercontinental Championship amongst many other accolades.
Now that 36-year-old is in AEW, he is hoping to recapture that magic once again with a new faction, the Blackpool Combat Club. It also consists of Bryan Danielson and newcomer Wheeler Yuta, alongside wrestling legend William Regal. They embody violence and the core tenets of professional wrestling.
With Moxley's brutality, Danielson's technical prowess, Regal's veteran instinct and Yuta's youthful energy, they have quickly become one of All Elite Wrestling's most popular acts.
But how will it measure up to The Shield's success in WWE? Here are 5 things Jon Moxley can do with the Blackpool Combat Club to distinguish it from The Shield.
#5. Jon Moxley could headline an AEW show live from Blackpool, England, with the Blackpool Combat Club
The Blackpool Combat Club is named after their manager William Regal's hometown of Blackpool, England. The former WWE star and current AEW personality revealed that it was Jon Moxley who suggested the name.
In an interview with The Gazzette, William Regal gave insight into the naming of the stable:
“I would love to claim it was my idea, but it wasn’t. It was Jox Moxley’s idea. I had just come into the company after being asked to come in by Bryan Danielson because it sounded like a lot of fun. I was initially planning to take a year off, I wasn’t going to do anything because I haven’t done anything other than wrestling for the last 39 years. All of a sudden, I heard Jon’s name was involved which piqued my interest even more and it’s ended up how it’s ended up." (H/T Fightful).
Regal was initially reluctant as he wanted the stable's name to focus on the talent in the group. However, Moxley was adamant:
Jon [Moxley] came up to me and said he’s got a great idea for a name, because he had come up with different Blackpool things. I told him it’s not about me, it’s about the two of them, I’m just a spare part here and riding on your coattails. But he insisted we called it this." (H/T Fightful).
There have been plans by AEW president Tony Khan to hold shows abroad in the near future, with the United Kingdom cited as one of the potential destinations. It would be really cool if Mox and the Blackpool Combat Club were to main event a Dynamite live or PPV from the eponymous town.
While The Shield has previously headlined a Raw, live from London, England back in 2013, Moxley has never performed in Blackpool before. Not only would they be treated as de facto heroes, but it would also be a fitting way to pay tribute to William Regal's contributions to the wrestling business.
#4. Jon Moxley can represent Blackpool Combat Club in NJPW
Since leaving WWE, Jon Moxley has not only conquered AEW, he has also made a huge impact wrestling in Japan for NJPW. He is a former NJPW United States Champion and has competed in their famous G1 Climax.
With Moxley now representing the BCC, he will be able to introduce his brand new faction to a legion of Japanese wrestling fans as well. On May 14, Jon Moxley unsuccessfully challenged for the IWGP United States Championship at the "Capital Collision" event in a fatal four-way match that also included Will Ospreay, Juice Robinson and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
He has not been the only Blackpool Combat Club member to journey east in recent weeks. Wheeler Yuta also travelled to Japan to represent the BCC and AEW in the annual "Best of the Super Juniors" tournament. The tour is Yuta's first major tournament in New Japan as he attempts to challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in the near future.
While The Shield was a dominant faction in WWE, they were the exclusive property of the company and never had the opportunity to test their mettle against opponents from other promotions. With the Forbidden Door pulled wide open in AEW, Mox has a chance to fly the Blackpool flag high beyond his home company.
Given Yuta's status as the ROH Pure Champion, it won't be outside the realm of possibility to see Moxley turn up in Ring of Honor as well. The opportunities are endless.
#3. Jox Moxley can win the AEW Trios Championship with Blackpool Combat Club
AEW has a talented roster teeming with factions and trios fighting supremacy. From the Undisputed Elite, Death Triangle, and House of Black to the Gunn Club, there are a number of candidates who could feasibily become the company's first Trios Champions. But the most credible team that should be the standard bearer for the new division is the Blackpool Combat Club.
With former world champions Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, plus a rising star in Wheeler Yuta, they would dominate as champions. Tony Khan has previously hinted at introducing a Trios Championship to the company in the near future:
"We could do a great tournament now and have a great trios division but I think he would make it that much stronger and I have so much respect for him and I think he was such a great world champion for us, and I think we could have, by far, the best trios division anybody could put together with how strong our roster is and how many trios are already together and I would love for Kenny Omega to be a part of it." (31:57-32:24)"
If the BCC's end game is to win championship titles, this would be the most obvious route they could take. WWE never had a trios division in the company before, so Moxley could not lay claim to that achievement with the Shield. This would immediately make his run with the current group unique.
#2. Jon Moxley could recruit a female member for the Blackpool Combat Club
One thing The Shield never had was a female member. While the dynamic between Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose was perfect as it is, it would have been interesting if they had recruited a female representative to help doll out their brand of justice.
The Blackpool Combat Club, however, feels like it could grow even bigger with time and having a female recruit would help expand their dominance. The best candidate would be Serena Deeb.
The 35-year-old is known as the Professor of Professional Wrestling and is an accomplished grappler in the ring. She would fit right in with the brutality of Moxley and Danielson's mat skills.
Deeb has shown that she can be violent in her feud with Hikaru Shida and is now gunning for Thunder Rosa's AEW Women's Championship. Having a potential women's champion in the BCC's ranks would certainly help bolster their profile.
#1. Jon Moxley can help mentor future stars with Blackpool Combat Club
The Blackpool Combat Club's main goal, it seems, is to eventually groom the next generation of wrestlers and mold them in their image. This explains the inclusion of Wheeler Yuta into the group and how the scrappy babyface has been a great fit so far. The group put the current ROH Pure champion through the wringer, but he ultimately impressed them.
In The Shield, the dynamic was different as Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose were youngsters themselves, hungry for an opportunity to prove themselves. Now that he is the veteran, Mox can use his experience to guide future stars.
And who knows? Another young wrestler may be waiting in the wings to become the fourth member of the Blackpool Combat Club. This will ensure that mentorship will continue to be an integral part of the stable's goals.
