Tear Jerker / Jon Moxley

• His reaction to Seth Rollins's betrayal essentially qualified it as such. This fan-art◊ would certainly bring this up to eleven, especially considering how easy it is to believe Ambrose would've done this at least once in private that week. Considering his subsequent blinding rage against Rollins since then, Ambrose may well be getting set up to become the non-supernatural wrestling equivalent of a Tragic Monster.
• October 22, 2018. The night Dean Ambrose finally made his long-awaited Face–Heel Turn. Everyone knew the day would come where he would finally break from everything he's endured throughout his entire career. They just didn't expect it would be like this.
  • The night starts off with his best friend Roman Reigns's leukemia announcement. When he and Rollins go out after it was over to join Reigns for one last group hug and fist bump, you could immediately tell that something was wrong. Whereas Rollins was blatantly bawling, Ambrose had no expression on his face whatsoever, other than a Thousand-Yard Stare that clearly conveyed his shock. Later on, when Rollins and he have an interview, they are clearly just barely keeping it together; both their voices are audibly choked up, and Ambrose can't even find it in himself to make eye contact with anyone.
  • That night's main event was a title match for the RAW Tag Team Championships, with Ambrose and Rollins challenging Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. That night, the two dedicated the match to Reigns, promising to win, and everyone in the crowd was pulling for them so this terrible night could have something of a happy ending. Well, they succeed. They win the match, the titles, and the crowd is cheering. Rollins is celebrating their win, while Ambrose watches on. And then Ambrose snaps. He cuts the celebration short, attacking Rollins and hitting him with a Dirty Deeds, silencing the crowd. Immediately afterwards, he begins to break down, the internal conflict within reaching its zenith. Rollins all but drags himself to Ambrose, telling him it was "okay" and that he didn't blame him for his actions — but that's all Ambrose needs to commit fully to his actions. He attacks Rollins again, beating him within an inch of his life while everyone in the arena, from fans to commentators to other personnel, watch on in shocked horror. After it's all said and done, Ambrose finishes Rollins off with another Dirty Deeds to the exposed concrete, before ripping off his Shield vest and leaving through the crowd.
• In light of "The Emancipation of Jon Moxley", Ambrose implying on November 19 that Reigns's leukemia was him answering to God for his sins as part of The Shield becomes this in hindsight. He was so wrapped up in trying to get a ridiculous poop joke removed from the scripts of that night that by the time he finally noticed this line and went to Vince about it, he lacked the willpower to fend off Vince's "Jedi mind trick" and get it changed, and it made him sick to his stomach as soon as it came out of his mouth. And then the following week, Vince came directly to him and asked him to do it again, but this time with a much worse and potentially much more costly line. Thankfully, he refused, but the whole idea that he was in every wrestler's dream job, in a spot that most in the business would probably kill to have, only for his boss to try to railroad him into increasingly disrespecting his real-life friend who let him experience a stable family Christmas dinner for possibly the first time in his entire life, all the while said friend, who's supposed to be the face of the company, is dealing with a life-altering illness… Jonathan Good needed a hug in the second half of November 2018 big time.
• The promo Mox cut about Darby Allin before their Championship match on the 5th of August 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite. Mox is mesmerising as he talks about how he fought against his own demons in the ring when he was younger, ignoring the well-meaning advice of people who cared about him, and he sees the same self-destructiveness and disregard for his own welfare in Darby, a kid he really likes. And he doesn't want to hurt Darby, but he has to do what he has to do to retain his championship. During the match, the two men predictably destroy each other, with Darby almost winning after interference from MJF (who has a Championship title shot coming up but would prefer to face Darby than Mox), but Mox comes back and chokes Darby out before hitting him with a Gotch Piledriver- and still the kid kicks out, more on pure instinct than anything else. On the verge of a breakdown, Mox reluctantly lifts his practically lifeless opponent up and finishes him with a Paradigm Shift, then holds his unconscious body and whispers consolations to him as he's announced as the winner, blood trickling down both of their faces.
• The feud between Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley shows shades of this. With them being considered longtime friends but nevertheless going head to head for the company's top championship.
  • To go into more detail, Eddie Kingston's motivation behind wanting to win the AEW World Championship. He's fought to become a name on the independent wrestling scene for years and finally has the chance to make all his struggles mean something. Not just to himself but to the person he cares about most, his mother.
    Kingston: I'm gonna take that championship, I'm gonna hand it to my mother, and I'm gonna tell her 'ma, the reason why you don't have a grandchild is cause of this, the reason why I didn't give you a daughter-in-law is cause of this!' Cause this is all that matters in this sport. No other championship means this much!

  • His growing resentment and hatred towards Moxley as well. Seeing him as a sell-out who forgot all his friends after going on to bigger things. Constantly accusing him of leaving everyone else behind.
  Kingston: I just wanna beat his ass a little bit for forgetting people like me. Some of us aren't here no more some of us has passed away cause either because of drugs, alcohol or because of pro wrestling Mox forgot those people.
  • Moxley's reaction to Kingston's hatred for him is upsetting as well. Doing everything he can to try and set things right with him and still being rebuffed.
  Kingston: It's too late for me Jon, you ain't savin' nobody.
  Moxley: There is no greater pain that you feel down deep twisting in your guts, no greater pain than losing a friend.
  • This all comes to a head at Full Gear in a hardcore 'I Quit' match. Neither is willing to give in battering each other bloody. Mox gains the upper hand standing over Kingston with a coil of barbed wire reluctant to do what it takes to win. Old friend of Eddie's and referee for the match Bryce Remsburg's pained pleading for Kingston doesn't help.
  Moxley: There's no other way out Eddie! Don't make me...
  Bryce: He's done!
  • This results in Eddie being locked in a barbed wire wrapped Bulldog Choke submission with nowhere to go. There's nothing left to do but quit and you can see him realize that he's going to lose and can't do anything about it. He has tears in his eyes and is blubbering as he realizes he has to break his promise to his mother. He's not going to win the Championship, he's not going to make all his years of struggling worth it, he's not going to succeed and prove everyone wrong.
  Bryce: Eddie! EDDIE!
  Moxley: Quit man, JUST DO IT!
  Kingston weakly: no, no.
  Moxley: That's it Eddie!
  Bryce: You're done.
  Moxley: It's done Eddie!
  Bryce: You're done...
  Kingston: I quit, I quit.
  • All of their reactions immediately afterward. Eddie laying still on the mat in tears. Remsburg kneeling next to him sadly and Moxley sitting there beside Kingston's prone body exhausted by what he's done.
  • Also, when both combatants have recovered enough, Moxley tries to help Kingston up and Eddie shoves him away despondent, showing their friendship is still beyond repair.