Jon Moxley vs. Roman Reigns? Here's how close WWE got to the ultimate dream match last year!

Roman Reigns and Jon Moxley are yet to have a heated feud
Roman Reigns and Jon Moxley are yet to have a heated feud

Roman Reigns and Jon Moxley (formerly known as WWE star Dean Ambrose) are two of the biggest names in the world of pro wrestling. They have collided in the WWE ring in the past, but not with their current monikers and capacity. Reigns has been the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion for over 900 days while Moxley has won the AEW World Championship a record three times in his career.

CM Punk recently made some controversial statements on a situation that dates back to the August 24, 2022 episode of Dynamite. That day, Moxley defeated Punk in minutes to become the undisputed AEW World Champion. Punk blamed Jon and Tony Khan for pushing him for a return despite his injury, but Mox clarified the matter during a conversation with his wife, Renee Paquette, on the Sessions Podcast.

The Purveyor of Violence disclosed that he wasn't contracted to All Elite Wrestling in mid-2022. Due to his status as a free agent, Jon Moxley could have fought in WWE and was even present during SummerSlam 2022 weekend. As an example of his status, he revealed that he could have walked into Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee with the AEW World title on his shoulder if he'd wanted to.

The situation would have been ripe for WWE to exploit. Moxley had the opportunity to make an emphatic return to the Stamford-based promotion and potentially even reveal himself as Roman Reigns' next challenger after the latter's Last Man Standing Match against Brock Lesnar. The pop from the crowd would have blown the roof off the building.

Jon Moxley and Roman Reigns never really had a heated feud. The Lunatic Fringe was mostly involved with Seth Rollins following the latter's betrayal of The Shield. Since leaving WWE, Moxley has rekindled his reputation as a hardcore wrestler, so a potential feud with Reigns might have involved some extreme moments.


Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns took a jibe at Jon Moxley

After The Shield imploded in 2014, Jon Moxley played a side character to Reigns and Rollins for several years – that is, until he won the Money in the Bank contract and cashed in successfully. His world title reign didn't last long, however, as he got dethroned by AJ Styles in a controversial finish.

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During an interview with Ariel Helwani, Roman Reigns congratulated Moxley on his success in AEW before resuming his character play and taking a swipe at The Purveyor of Violence.

"Dean (Ambrose), obviously, is doing what Dean is doing. I think he's happy over there at AEW. If he could have been the man here (in WWE), he would have been the man here, but he couldn't be the man because I'm the man." (H/T Fightful)

Roman Reigns is scheduled to defend his Undisputed title against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 this weekend. Meanwhile, Moxley has turned heel for the first time in All Elite Wrestling after The Blackpool Combat Club attacked Hangman Adam Page and The Dark Order this month.

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