Early Life And Wrestling Career
Jonathan Good was born on December 7, 1985, in Cincinatti, Ohio. He had a rough upbringing in Cincinatti’s East End, an economically deprived part of the city riddled with crime and drug use. As a youth, Good found an escape in professional wrestling. He began training to be a wrestler at the age of 18.
Good made his pro wrestling debut for HWA in 2004 under the ring name Jon Moxley. For the next five years, Moxley wrestled across the independent circuit. He found a knack for deathmatches and proved himself to be one of the toughest, scrappiest wrestlers on the scene. He caught the eyes of higher-ups in WWE, and after a few try-out matches signed a deal with the company in April 2011.
The Shield
Moxley first performed on the FCW brand, where he adopted the ring name Dean Ambrose. He spent a little more than the year in the WWE developmental sytem before being called up to the main roster.
Ambrose made his WWE main roster debut on November 18, 2012, alongside Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. The three of them called themselves The Shield; they fought as mercenaries who pursued their own image of justice.
The Shield quickly found success as a faction; Ambrose won the United States Championship at Extreme Rules 2013 while Reigns and Rollins won the WWE Tag Team Championship that same night.
WWE World Champion
On June 2, 2014, The Shield’s time as a trio came to a tragic end when Seth Rollins betrayed his brothers in favor of Triple H and The Authority. A feud immediately broke out between Ambrose and Rollins. Thanks to the continuous interference of Triple H and Kane, Rollins quickly gained the upper hand in their story. Seth Rollins became so successful as a singles star that he captured the WWE World Championship.
The momentum between Rollins and Ambrose shifted when Ambrose won the 2016 Money in the Bank ladder match. That same night, he cashed in his contract and defeated Rollins to win the WWE World Championship.
Ambrose continued to be a fan favorite for the rest of his WWE career, though his booking came in highs and extreme lows. Despite his popularity and early success, it became clear that WWE didn’t want him as their top star.
A Paradigm Shift
By 2019, Ambrose hated being in WWE. Vince McMahon’s writing and creative direction had made him miserable to the point he felt physically ill. He departed from the company when his contract expired on April 30, 2019.
At Double or Nothing 2019, Moxley shocked the wrestling world when he made his All Elite Wrestling debut. He referred to the moment as “a paradigm shift” in the wrestling business as WWE was no longer without competition.
Moxley spent his first few months in AEW as an antihero, but eventually became a babyface due to his popularity. At the first-ever Revolution PPV, Moxley defeated Chris Jericho to become AEW World Champion.
The Blackpool Combat Club
At Revolution 2022, William Regal made his debut. He forced Moxley to make amends with his former rival Bryan Danielson, and the three of them formed the Blackpool Combat Club. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta would later join the group as well.
As time went on, Moxley proved himself to be the most important signing AEW had ever made. He carried the company on his back through the COVID-19 pandemic, and again placed the company on his back through the turbulence of CM Punk’s injuries and suspension.
