Upset, unstable and unpredictable, Dean Ambrose made a big impact on WWE between 2012 and 2019, first as a member of one of the company’s most dominant factions in recent decades, The Shield, and then as a solo competitor.
Jonathan David Good, his real name, was born on December 7, 1985 in Cincinnati, Ohio, grew up in the troubled East End neighborhood and used pro wrestling as an escape. A fan of Bret Hart , he made his in-ring debut for the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) in 2004 under the ring name Jon Moxley, which he currently uses in All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Seven years on the independent circuit followed, and he became famous for bloody hardcore matches with promoters such as Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW).
In April 2011, he signed a developmental contract with WWE, having started with the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) platform under the ring name Dean Ambrose before making his main roster debut at Survivor Series 2012 as a member of The Shield, along with Seth Rollins . and Roman Reigns. That night, the trio attacked Ryback during a triple threat match for the WWE Championship, allowing CM Punk to land the victorious settlement on John Cena .
Although they attacked CM Punk ‘s opponents during their first appearances, The Shield denied working for the Straight Edge Superstar and asserted that what moved them was to fight injustice.
Although he held the United States Championship as a member of The Shield, he definitely focused on his solo career after the group’s disbandment in June 2014. In the years that followed, he won the WWE Championship (once), the Intercontinental Championship. (three) and the Raw Tag Team Championship (two, both alongside Seth Rollins ), having also won the Money in the Bank Ladder match in 2016 .
On April 30, 2019, Dean Ambrose ended his contract with WWE, having made his AEW debut less than a month later on May 25. In parallel, he has also competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and independent promoters such as Northeast Wrestling (NEW), Future Stars of Wrestling (FSW), Over the Top Wrestling (OTT) and Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). ).
That’s why it’s worth remembering Dean Ambrose’s ten best matches in WWE, in chronological order.
Monday Night Raw (August 18, 2014)
Falls Count Anywhere match:
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
On the June 2, 2014 episode of Raw , Seth Rollins turned on the remaining elements of The Shield, attacking both Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns , to ally himself with The Authority. In the weeks that followed, Rollins and Ambrose attacked each other and interfered in each other’s combat. The rivalry intensified when Kane helped Rollins win the Money in the Bank Ladder match at the Money in the Bank pay -per-view.
Rollins and Ambrose had a match scheduled for Battleground , but Rollins won by forfeit after Ambrose was kicked out of the arena by Triple H for attacking Rollins before the match.
On the August 4 edition of Raw , Triple H announced that Ambrose and Rollins would face off at SummerSlam and also that Ambrose and Rollins would face Alberto Del Rio and Rob Van Dam, respectively, in a Beat the Clock challenge , with the winner being chosen . the stipulation of the match at SummerSlam . Ambrose beat Del Rio in 15 minutes and 42 seconds, while RVD was traded at the last minute for Heath Slater, who went on to defeat Rollins , which gave Ambrose the right to pick the stipulation. And Ambrose chose to face Rollins in a Lumberjack match.
At the pay-per-view , Seth Rollins beat Ambrose by hitting him with the Money in the Bank suitcase, after Kane had interfered several times in Rollins’ favor . On Raw the following night, Rollins was the victim of a surprising Ice Bucket Challenge and an attack by Dean Ambrose during an interview. Triple H then set up a rematch between the two, with the WWE Universe getting to choose the stipulation. And the fans chose a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Hell in a Cell 2014
Hell in a Cell match : Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
After losing in the Falls Count Anywehere match on the August 18 episode of Raw , Dean Ambrose took a month off WWE programming, having returned on Night of Champions to attack Seth Rollins . On the September 29 edition of Raw , John Cena and Ambrose defeated Kane and Randy Orton by disqualification after Rollins attacked Ambrose.
A week later, Cena beat Rollins , Orton and Kane in a handicap match. That same night, Triple H announced that Cena would face Ambrose, with the winner getting the right to fight Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view . The match, a No Holds Barred Contract on a Pole match, was eventually won by Ambrose on the October 13 episode of Raw.
Elimination Chamber 2015
WWE World Heavyweight Championship :
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
On the April 27 episode of Raw , it was announced that, as a result of a vote on the WWE App,Seth Rollins would have to defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Roman Reigns in a triple threat match at Payback 2015 . However, a week later Dean Ambrose beat Rollins in a non- title match and, in accordance with the stipulation established before that match, was added to the title match on pay-per-view , which thus became a fatal four-way .
At Payback, Rollins retained the title after a Pedigree at Orton, after interference in his favor from Kane, Jamie Noble, and Joey Mercury .
The day after the PPV , Ambrose challenged Seth Rollins to a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship , but the champion declined. That same night, Ambrose attacked Rollins until The Authority granted a title shot to the Lunatic Fringe at Elimination Chamber .
On the last Raw before the pay-per-view , The Authority attempted to avoid the match, removing Ambrose from the arena in a police van before the official signing of the match contract. However, Ambrose took the van back to the pavilion and signed the papers.
Money in the Bank 2015
Ladder match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship :
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
At Elimination Chamber, Dean Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins by disqualification, so Rollins champion, even though it was Ambrose who walked out of the ring with the belt .
On Rawthe following night’s , Roman Reigns spoke on behalf of Ambrose and challenged Rollins to a ladder match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank . And Rollins accepted.
Royal Rumble 2016
Last Man Standing match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship :
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Kevin Owens
On the November 26 edition of SmackDown , Dean Ambrose defeated Tyler Breeze and Dolph Ziggler in a triple threat match to challenge Kevin Owens for the intercontinental title at TLC 2015 . In the PPV, Ambrose won the belt by countering a Pop Up Powerbomb with a Hurricanrana and subsequently delivering a winning roll-up .
The following night, Owens interfered in a match between Ambrose and Ziggler and attacked both, which led to a triple threat title match on the December 22 SuperSmackDown, which Ambrose eventually won. A title match between Ambrose and Owens followed on the January 7 SmackDown , which ended in a double count-out . The following week, Ambrose challenged Owens to a Last Man Standing match for the title at Royal Rumble and received a positive response.
Fastlane 2016
Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar
At the 2016 Royal Rumble, Triple H won the Royal Rumble match and captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by eliminating Dean Ambrose in last place .
The following night on Raw , Stephanie McMahon scored a triple threat match between Ambrose, former champion Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for Fastlane , with the winner earning the right to face Triple H for the title at WrestleMania 32 .
Roadblock 2016
WWE World Heavyweight Championship :
Triple H (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Despite being Roman Reigns the winner at Fastlane , Dean Ambrose challenged champion Triple H to a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match during the February 29 episode of Raw .
That same night, The Game interfered in a Lunatic Fringe duel against Alberto Del Rio, causing a disqualification. In retaliation, Ambrose attacked Triple H , though Triple H stopped that attack with a Pedigree , then announced that he had accepted Ambrose’s challenge before attacking him again. The title match has been announced for Roadblock.
Backlash 2016
WWE World Championship :
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles
At SummerSlam, Dean Ambrose retained the title against Dolph Ziggler, while AJ Styles beat John Cena . On the following episode of SmackDown , Styles proclaimed himself the top contender for the WWE World Championship at Backlash , which motivated Ziggler to demand another title shot. All of this led to a match between Styles and Ziggler in which, if Ziggler won, it would turn the title match into a triple threat match . However, Styles won.
The following week, Styles interfered in a match between Ambrose and Baron Corbin, attacking the champion. A week later, Ambrose and Styles clashed, with the Phenomenal One hitting Ambrose with a low blow.
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2016
Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the WWE World Championship :
AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
A champion since Backlash in September, AJ Styles retained the WWE World Championship by beating Dean Ambrose and John Cena at the No Mercy pay-per-view .
However, Ambrose continued to chase the title. On the October 25 episode of SmackDown , he would become the leading contender if he won the champion, but was disqualified after James Ellsworth attacked Styles . The following week, Ambrose managed to defeat Styles and thus earned the right to fight for the title at TLC , prompting commissioner Shane McMahon to turn the duel into a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.
However, there was still more than a month to go before the title fight. At Survivor Series, Ambrose and Styles were part of Team SmackDown and Ambrose took advantage of it to attack Styles, but was then eliminated by Braun Strowman. Still in that elimination match against Team Raw, Ambrose returned to the ring to attack Styles again and help his partners from The Shield, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, to apply a Triple Powerbomb to Styles at one of the commentator tables, which allowed the Rollins eliminates the WWE Champion moments later .
On the following episode of SmackDown , Dean Ambrose, who was supposed to be off duty and had been repeatedly kicked out of the arena, helped James Ellsworth win a match against AJ Styles .
Later, on the November 29 episode of SmackDown , Ambrose invited Ellsworth to his talk show , Ambrose Asylum, but Styles interrupted them and attacked them both. As a result, Ellsworth had to be stretchered out of the area adjacent to the ring. And later that night , Ambrose attacked Styles backstage.
SmackDown Live (January 31, 2017)
AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose
Two days after losing the WWE Championship , AJ Styles angrily watched the footage of the loss during the opening moments of SmackDown and told Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon to start thinking about the rematch against the new champion, John Cena , but in a match of one-on-one and not in an Elimination Chamber match , as the next pay-per-view would be the Elimination Chamber.
Shane McMahon announced the next time the WWE Championship would be on the line at the Elimination Chamber match , in which John Cena , AJ Styles , Bray Wyatt, Baron Corbin, The Miz and Dean Ambrose would participate. After the announcement, Ambrose stepped in, had a verbal confrontation with Styles , and challenged him to a match that night. Styles didn’t accept, but Shane liked the idea and scheduled the duel.