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WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose has earned his veteran stripes by competing for over fourteen years in the business he loves.
Tall, but not massively built, Ambrose mixes the technical acumen of Ric Flair with the hardcore toughness of Mick Foley, with Steve Austin's rebellious streak thrown in for good measure. The result is a wrestler who manages to be loved by all of the fans, from the children to the women and the coveted 18-36 year old male demographic.
But Dean Ambrose did not spring fully formed from the head of Zeus. Instead, he worked his way from the very bottom of the sport to ascend to the lofty heights of WWE champion. Here are ten moments from his journey.
#10 Humble beginnings
As a young man of 16, Dean Ambrose--then known by his birth name of Jonathon Good--became involved in Les Thatcher's Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA.) Became involved with, but did not wrestle, because Thatcher refused to have Good take any bumps until he turned eighteen.
In order to pay for his training, the lower-class Good sold popcorn at the arenas and helped set up the ring, as well as carrying jackets and robes back to the locker room for the veteran talent. In the parlance of pro wrestling, this is known as 'paying your dues,' and Ambrose paid his early and often.
When he turned eighteen, Thatcher began his training, and John Good would become something else altogether...
#9 The birth of John Moxley
Dean's hard work and aptitude for wrestling impressed Thatcher, who put him on cards less than a year into his career.
Jonathon Good had no intention of being the hero, so he chose to become John Moxley, a savage and sadistic persona who had no qualms about hurting people.
#8 HWA Tag and world champion
After only a year in the business, Ambrose tasted gold for the first time. He and partner Jimmy Turner formed Necessary Roughness and successfully challenged for the HWA tag titles.
It wasn't long after that Moxley was pushed to the main event in HWA and challenged--and won--that promotion's big belt. Ambrose was clearly destined for greatness.
#7 IPW world champion
It is said that great men don't seek power; They have it thrust upon them. If that's true, then Dean Ambrose must be a great man, indeed.
Just a year into his tenure with IPW, Dean was wearing their big belt and engaged in high profile feuds with indie circuit legend Jimmy Jacobs.
#6 Defeated a hardcore legend in Dragon Gate USA
As Jon Moxley, Dean Ambrose never shied away from the hardcore action, but when he came up against the legendary Tommy Dreamer, he was considered an underdog.
The two men took each other to the limit at the Mercury Rising PPV in the Dragon Gate USA promotion, with Moxley coming out the victor.
#5 CZW world champion
After Vince McMahon bought out ECW, there was a vacuum left in the pro wrestling industry. Combat Zone Wrestling eagerly sought to fill that void, putting on violent, bloody hardcore matches to appease legions of rabid fans.
As a tough kid from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dean was no stranger to pain and quickly ascended the ranks until he gained CZW's big belt.
#4 The big break: Florida Championship Wrestling
After nearly a decade in the business, Dean finally got his big break when he was offered a developmental deal with WWE.
He was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling, the precursor to NXT, and was also assigned a gimmick change. No longer would Ambrose come to the ring in tattered jeans and a t-shirt, but rather a traditional pair of wrestling tights.
Ambrose's technical side was stressed, but his growling, aggressive interviews soon resulted in a more dangerous persona, which he fully developed during his run with FCW
#3 The Hounds of Justice
Ambrose received his call-up to the main roster along with Seth Rollins and Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero). The three were going to form a stable that would aid the heel CM Punk.
However, Vince McMahon decided Ohno had gotten too out of shape for the job, and replaced him with Roman Reigns. The newly-dubbed Shield began as heels who would come down from the crowd and punish babyface wrestlers with a three on one attack.
The three were intended to be equals, with no discernible leader, but due to Ambrose's charisma and excellent promo skills, he was often thought of as the 'leader' of the faction.
The Shield proved to be too popular to remain the bad guys and were transitioned into a face group, with Dean as the singles star and Seth/Roman as the tag wrestlers.
Of course, then Seth Rollins turned on his allies and the Shield split up (temporarily, as it would turn out) leaving Dean on his own.
#2 Intercontinental champion on SmackDown
When the Shield first split, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins were pushed to the main event, while Dean was relegated to the lower mid-card.
In fact, Dean went months after the split without gaining one single win on PPV events. He started to be seen as that guy who always tries really hard but never quite makes it.
The fans, however, took a shine to the Lunatic Fringe, cheering for him much more loudly than his fellow Shield alums. In wrestling, the fans are the true bosses, and the WWE responded by giving Dean a run with the prestigious Intercontinental championship.
#1 WWE World Champion
In 2015, the WWE management noticed something anomalous; Despite not having the 'main event' talent present, house shows featuring Dean Ambrose in the main event kept selling more tickets than those with higher tier wrestlers such as Roman Reigns.
Cash is king, and the WWE decided that Dean Ambrose, the man they had de-pushed into near-obscurity, was worthy of wearing the 'big belt.'
Dean won the Money in the Bank ladder match, then cashed in the same night to defeat his frenemy Seth Rollins, earning the richest prize in all of Sports Entertainment today.
During his victory speech, Dean was quick to point out that hard work eventually pays off, and no one works harder than Dean Ambrose.
Ten career highlights of the man known as Dean Ambrose. Thanks for the memories, Dean!
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