5 Things Jon Moxley wrote about Vince McMahon in his book

Jon Moxley’s new book MOX was released on Tuesday, November 2. The book features lots of stories about the AEW star’s eight years in WWE, including his thoughts on Vince McMahon.

After leaving WWE in 2019, Moxley spoke openly about some of the issues he had with the WWE Chairman’s ideas for his character. The former Shield member was particularly critical of McMahon’s instructions that he must read promos word-for-word after his 2018 heel turn.

Throughout the book, Jon Moxley recalled interesting conversations he had with McMahon at different stages of his career. He also gave his opinion on the potential contenders to replace the 76-year-old as WWE’s top decision-maker one day.

In this article, let’s take a look at five things Moxley wrote about McMahon in his book.

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#5 Vince McMahon told Jon Moxley to “tone it down”

Vince McMahon watched on from backstage as Jon Moxley lost an untelevised match against Ted DiBiase Jr. before an episode of RAW in December 2011.

Moxley, who joined WWE’s main roster 11 months later, thought the match went well. However, McMahon thought he needed to tone down his enthusiastic wrestling style.

“I was always getting told to tone it down, whatever that means. Tone it down. Once, I did a dark match against Ted DiBiase Jr. in Philly. Our match went great and I cut a kicka** little promo beforehand. The response from the crowd to all of it was great. I had been hitting on all cylinders that evening. The note I got from Vince: ‘Tone it down,’” Moxley wrote.

The following day, Moxley lost another match against Ted DiBiase Jr. before a SmackDown taping. He said he felt strangely self-conscious about his performance, as though the words “tone it down” were ever-present in his mind.

Triple H approached Moxley backstage and told him that Vince McMahon thought he did a “great job” after taking his advice on board.

#4 Vince McMahon “freaked out” after Jon Moxley’s WrestleMania 31 bump

Jon Moxley competed in a seven-man Intercontinental Championship ladder match at WrestleMania 31 in 2015. One of the most memorable moments came when Brodie Lee (f.k.a. Luke Harper) powerbombed Moxley over the ropes and through a ladder at ringside.

The former WWE Champion wrote that Vince McMahon “freaked the f*** out” backstage after watching him crash onto the ladder.

“A couple of staples in my head, but I walked away unscathed thanks to my friend’s guiding hands. Vince freaked the f*** out in Gorilla. He thought I was dead. It was a gnarly bump and we made the highlight reel,” he wrote.

Jon Moxley added that Brodie Lee was the only person on the planet who could be trusted to safely powerbomb him onto the ladder. The moment prompted a loud “This is awesome!” chant from WWE fans, who went on to witness Daniel Bryan win the match.

Despite Vince McMahon’s concerns, Moxley’s injury was not as bad as initially feared. The next night, he faced John Cena in a losing effort for the United States Championship on RAW.

#3 Vince McMahon scripted some of Jon Moxley’s matches

Jon Moxley has been outspoken about Vince McMahon scripting his promos toward the end of his time in WWE. However, did you know that the WWE Chairman also scripted some of his matches?

Moxley wrote that McMahon was “very hands-on” with his character after he turned heel on Seth Rollins in October 2018. From that moment on, the AEW star was given specific instructions from McMahon about promos and certain things he should do during his matches.

“The last couple months since I’d turned heel … a change I once hoped would be my salvation … had been the lowest, most disappointing, infuriating, frustrating, agonizing period of my career. Vince was very hands-on with my new heel persona, whatever the f*** that was supposed to be, writing scripts I was to follow verbatim. They all sucked. He even went so far as to script my matches. They all sucked,” Moxley wrote.

Jon Moxley said Vince McMahon attended a WWE live event at Madison Square Garden on December 26, 2018. The show featured a steel cage match between Moxley and Seth Rollins, which McMahon apparently disliked.

The 76-year-old told the former Shield members to “change the entire match” for the rest of the live event loop. Although they agreed to his request, Jon Moxley thought the new version of their match was “less exciting” and “far sh***ier” than their MSG encounter.

#2 Vince McMahon’s reaction to Jon Moxley and The Shield’s riot shields

Jon Moxley, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins were originally set to debut at Survivor Series 2012 armed with plastic riot shields. Moxley was “actually pretty into them for a minute,” and thought he could “f*** somebody up” with the weapon.

Vince McMahon saw the trio before the event and asked why they needed shields for protection.

“Luckily when Vince saw them, from 40 feet away, he yelled something like, ‘If you guys are so bada**, do you need those?’ ‘F***, no, we don’t!’ I screamed and we all agreed. The shields were never spoken of again. Thank God, cuz if we had come out with those goofy-a** things you might not be reading this book,” Moxley wrote.

On reflection, Jon Moxley is glad Vince McMahon nixed the idea for The Shield to use actual shields. He thinks someone in the group, probably himself, would have tripped over while carrying one of the shields into the ring.

Without the weapons by their side, The Shield used a “pack of dogs” three-on-one tactic to set themselves apart from other superstars. In their first main-roster appearance, they attacked Ryback in the main event of Survivor Series 2012 to help CM Punk retain the WWE Championship.

#1 Jon Moxley thinks Vince McMahon has lost his magic

While many people believe Vince McMahon is a genius, Jon Moxley thinks the most creative days of the WWE Chairman’s life are behind him.

In a brutally honest chapter about McMahon’s booking, Moxley wrote that his former boss has “lost the magic” he used to have.

“I finally decided he’d just lost the plot and was so insulated in his own world, so disconnected from reality, he would never recover creatively. He’s lost his magic, I decided, that Walt Disney magic that only Vince has, and when he dies, it’ll be gone forever,” he wrote.

Jon Moxley added that Shane McMahon and Triple H “ain’t got the magic” to replace Vince McMahon as WWE’s next creative mastermind. He does, however, think WWE will continue to thrive for years to come due to its loyal fan base.

Regarding a possible return to WWE one day, Moxley said he will probably never perform at WrestleMania again. If he does, the former WWE Champion wants to receive “astronomical” money and creative control of his character.

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