On November 18, 2012, Dean Ambrose debuted on the main roster as part of the enigmatic group, Shield. He was shown as the unpredictable leader of the group. But, in mid-2013 characters of all the members of the Shield started undergoing a metamorphosis and Ambrose became more arrogant.
Ambrose taunting Reigns and Rollins for being the only Champion in the group sowed the seeds of dissension and made people believe that he would be the first one to break out of the group. But, the WWE tricked everybody when Rollins when he turned on his Shield brothers just a night after Payback 2014.
This gave birth to “The Lunatic Fringe”, a more capricious Ambrose, a character in the Stone Cold mold. It doesn't’t matter if he is a heel or a face; his character combined with his in-ring abilities will provide the fans some memorable feuds. Here is a list of his top 5 five feuds:
Honorary Mention – William Regal
Any list of the feuds of Dean Ambrose is incomplete without a mention of his feud with William Regal. Though it took place in the developmental territory back then, it brought together two guys who could match each other’s skill in telling stories in the ring and on the mic. On one hand, you had a veteran and a master technician in form Regal (The man once refused to job to Goldberg during his stint in WCW) and on the other hand, you had Ambrose a future superstar.
Since Ambrose’s debut on FCW Regal had been a vocal supporter of Ambrose’s talent. But, Regal was attacked by Ambrose when regal was tending to the FCW GM Maxine during an FCW angle. This made Maxine book Ambrose in a match with Regal. The first match of the rivalry was won cleanly by Regal who was at his offensive best during the match.
Ambrose got his rematch after a month, most of which he utilized to win matches using Regal’s finishers. In match #2 of this rivalry, Regal displayed his craft by working on Ambrose’s left arm, which gave Regal the upper hand in match. However, Ambrose found an opening and smashed Regal’s head into an exposed turnbuckle which made him bleed from the ear. The match ended in a no contest as Regal was no longer fit to compete.
After the match, however, William Regal allowed Ambrose to hit him with the “knee trembler” as a sign of appreciation. The match left most of the viewers wondering if Regal would ever compete again. It was one of Ambrose’s last feuds before he debuted as part of Shield and the fans got the flavor of all the key ingredients of wrestling during the feud – an intriguing storyline, great promos and exciting action in the ring.
5. Triple H
Though this rivalry lasted only one match, it opened up a host of exciting propositions for a fan. Just when Hunter was harping about how he put Roman out of action and how he uses fear to keep his place, out of nowhere comes the leader of the Ambrose Asylum. He limps to the ring after the beating he took from Lesnar in the parking lot and challenges Triple H for the Title at Roadblock. The audacity of Ambrose showed by coming out and challenging The Game is a great example of why fans cheer him more than Reigns.
People knew this was only a filler feud as Reigns needed time off to look after a legitimate injury he was carrying. But, just the thought of Ambrose winning and the multitude of possibilities it came along with had the WWE Universe salivating over the clash. Though the Creative had just two weeks to build a feud, they did an appreciable job in keeping it even stevens in the weeks prior to their clash.
The match, despite a predictable outcome, presented the fans with some delectable action. Be it the atypical attack of Ambrose on Triple H’s left leg or the moment when Ambrose hits the Dirty Deeds and thought he had won, only to be told by the referee that he had his feet under the rope or the quick roll by Hunter to steal the match or the suicide dive of Ambrose, all of these spots compelled the audience to chant “This is Awesome”.
Although Ambrose lost the match eventually, but, it helped establish that he can compete with Lesnar at “Grandest stage of them all” if he can give a veteran like Triple H a run for his money.
4. Bray Wyatt
Take two talented and crazy superstars and pit them against each other and voila!! You get a feud where insanity in the new normal. The feud of Ambrose and Wyatt germinated from the idea of having two deranged superstars going against each other. It all started at Hell in a Cell 2014 when a returning Wyatt cost Ambrose a match against his arch-rival Seth Rollins.
Wyatt mentioning about Ambrose’s alcoholic father who was in jail and Ambrose breaking Sister Abigail’s rocking chair made the rivalry between these two gifted individuals more intense. Their match at TLC will be remembered for the Ambrose losing the match when a monitor exploded right in his face (A perfect example of Dean Ambrose’s lunacy costing him a match).
They met again in a Boot Camp match where Ambrose prevailed and again in a street fight where they used all Christmassy weapons to push each other to the limit. The feud finally culminated with an Ambulance match on Monday Night Raw where Ambrose lost to Wyatt cleanly. During the feud Ambrose lost more matches than he won, but, this feud helped him to establish himself as a hardcore superstar.
3. Brock Lesnar
Well this feud proved that Ambrose is a cockroach. Not any cockroach, mind you, “A T-1000 liquid metal terminator cockroach” going by his own words that lives on even after being stepped on and sprayed with poison. Nobody infuriates “The Beast” on purpose and it takes a lot of guts to book a ride to Suplex City yourself.
It was a triple threat match between Reigns, Ambrose and Lesnar to determine the #1 contender for Triple H’s title at Fastlane, where Ambrose hit Lesnar with a steel chair. Lesnar wanting retribution from Ambrose for costing him a shot at the title ambushed him in the parking lot and slammed Ambrose through a Limo’s windscreen.
Ambrose then constantly challenged Lesnar for a match despite being beaten and bruised, he kept smiling and asked for more till the time Lesnar accepted his challenge. Their match at Wrestlemania was a very physical match-up, Dean trying to use a chain saw and hitting Lesnar with a fire extinguisher just showed Ambrose’s will to go any extent to win against “The Beast”.
In the end, Ambrose was subjected a F-5 on a bed of steel chairs from which he couldn’t get up. It was a feud where Dean was the underdog and the fight that he put up against the brutal Lesnar was commendable.
2. Kevin Owens
On one side you have “The Prize fighter” and on the other hand you have the “Leader of the Ambrose Asylum”. Two superstars who have been indie darlings and are the future flag bearers of the WWE. Both of them give the best they have to offer in each and every match irrespective of their opponent.
When Ambrose won the #1 contender match for Owens’ title, one could just imagine the intense matches they would put up. Ambrose surprisingly defeated Owens’ at TLC and it led to Owens’ the go on a ruthless streak against all his future opponents. Ambrose faced off against Owens’ on two occasions at SmackDown, on both occasions Owens’ was unable to defeat Ambrose.
This led to a Last Man Standing match at Royal Rumble 2016, a match that put both men over. All that was left in the areas after the match was broken barricades, shredded kendo sticks, dented chairs and battered bodied of both the superstars.
Though Ambrose emerged victorious during the match, he lost the title to Kevin Owens during a Fatal-Five way match on Raw. The feud served as a great catalyst in bringing a character progression for Owens’ and helped Ambrose to progress towards a feud with Brock Lesnar.
1. Seth Rollins
Many people will think that the rivalry of Ambrose ad Rollins started on the main roster. Only a Few will know that they put on some stellar Iron Man matches during their FCW days just after the debut of Ambrose on the FCW roster. Later, both these guys went on to be a part of the Shield brotherhood and the fans loved them both for their sheer talent.
The seeds of the feud were sown when Rollins betrayed Ambrose and Reigns and joined hands with the Authority. Ambrose then vowed to make Rollins'’s life a living hell. Ambrose would have even prevented Rollins from winning the match had he had not gotten assistance from the Authority. The “Lunatic Fringe” even prevented Rollins from cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase.
At one point, Ambrose even stole the briefcase and when Rollins got it back and opened it, he got a gooey green colored liquid sprayed all over his face. His hidden attacks on Rollins from out of nowhere made Rollins fearful and it showed. So, Rollins tried everything to stop Ambrose from coming after him from using the Authority’s power to assist him in matches to stomping his head through the cinder blocks. But, Ambrose came back even stronger every time.
Not even a fall from the top of the cell on the announce table at Hell in a Cell could stop Ambrose from extracting revenge from his brother with whom he once stood side-by-side and fended opponents. The outcome of the matches did not matter; all that mattered for Ambrose was vengeance. This feud was just written and executed in a way that captured every wrestling fan’s imagination.
Ambrose has not been in the WWE for very long time, but, even in this short time he has become the most over superstar in WWE and s shot shot future main event draw. Even if any title doesn't’t adorn his waist or he turns heel in the future his fan base will not diminish. With his talent and ability he will rise even more and we will be able to witness some great feuds and longer tile reigns.
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