"The stakes were so high and so real" - Jon Moxley on his favorite WWE match with The Shield

Alongside Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, Jon Moxley had plenty of remarkable matches as a member of The Shield. But he recently stated that the trio's debut match at WWE TLC 2012 was his favorite about throughout its entire run.

From facing Evolution to competing at WrestleMania, Moxley competed in many buzzworthy bouts with Rollins and Reigns. It'd be easy to see why one of these contests would be his favorite one. But Moxley placed the TLC Match against Daniel Bryan, Kane and Ryback at the top of his list.

In his new book, MOX, he described how the "rawness" and the "purity" of the bout made it a special night. In hindsight, he noted how his feelings about getting his first pay-per-view check are another reason why this match remains so special to him.

“This match is still my favorite match we ever had," wrote Jon Moxley. "There’s a rawness to it, a purity. The stakes were so high and so real. None of us had ever seen a PPV check in our lives....We had been given the chance to put our money where our mouths were. We would step up to the plate without fear and knock it out of the park."

The finish to the match saw Ryback throw Rollins off a ladder and through two tables near the stage area. With Ryback distracted, Reigns pinned Bryan after he worked with Moxley, then known as Dean Ambrose, to powerbomb the former champion through a table.

---

Jon Moxley looks back on The Shield’s “magical” in-ring debut

The Shield made its debut on WWE television at Survivor Series 2012 when they attacked Ryback in the main event. A month later, their six-month undefeated run in six-man tag team matches began with this victory at TLC 2012.

Jon Moxley added that The Shield’s opponents that day were “f***ing tremendous,” and everything the two teams did seemed to work.

“We never slowed down," Moxley continued. "...Kane, Bryan and Ryback were all f***ing tremendous. The six of us were magically and thankfully all on the exact same wavelength the entire match. Everything hit right on the money."

The Shield became one of the most popular WWE groups of their generation during their initial run together between November 2012 and June 2014. They reformed three times between 2017 and 2019 before Jon Moxley’s departure from WWE.

---

AEW President Tony Khan announced this week that Jon Moxley is entering an inpatient alcohol program. Sportskeeda Wrestling wishes Moxley all the best at this time.