4 Phases of Dean Ambrose's WWE career
Even though we have had months to prepare for Dean Ambrose's departure from WWE, the fact that he just wrestled his last match as a member of Shield against the trio of Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Baron Corbin still seems unreal. The event was promoted as the Shield's Final Chapter and rightly so as it has been one of the most formidable trios in the history and it brought Ambrose's career to a full circle as he is leaving WWE just the way he came in: as part of the Shield.
Ever since his debut in 2013 as part of the Shield, he has become a household name in the world of pro wrestling and while his character arc took some weird turns every now and then, he always had a special place in our hearts. The Lunatic Fringe is someone who is easily likable as a character and has the tendency to leave a mark wherever he goes.
If we wouldn't count the last few months, Dean goes out of WWE with a strong resume. In all, his achievements include gaining the Money in the Bank briefcase, three reigns with the Intercontinental Championship, two with the Raw Tag Team Championships and one each with the United States and WWE World Championships.
On top of that, he was also named the Pro Wrestling Illustrated‘s Most Popular Wrestler of the Year for two consecutive years in 2014 and 2015. He has done it all and to think that he was with the company for only seven years is just surreal.
If his eventual exit from the company is a work or not will be debated among the fans till he would finally show up in some other promotion, but let's keep that issue aside and have a look at all the different characters Dean had played in his career with the company.
#1 The Shield (2012-14, 2017, Aug-Oct. 2018, Mar. 2019)
As you can see with the sub-title, there have been many Shield reunions over the years and while fans have expressed their concern regarding the same, it is everybody's guilty pleasure to see Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose make their way into the ring from crowds wearing their iconic vests.
Ever since his debut in November 2012 as part of The Shield, Ambrose has become a household name in the world of pro wrestling. It is always difficult to shine alone if you are part of a faction, but the sensible booking and the trio's individual talents gave them enough space to showcase their own skills.
They remained undefeated for quite a few months after their debut and had successful feuds against the likes of Team Hell No and The Authority. In the summer of 2013, Dean entered into a rivalry with then United States Champion Kofi Kingston, who he defeated at Extreme Rules to win his first belt in WWE. He held that championship for 351 days defending it successfully against wrestlers such as Kane, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, and Mark Henry. He also became the mouthpiece of the faction during this time.
However, the association started weakening in 2014 because the trio had become bigger than the faction itself and just the friendship was not enough to satisfy them creatively. On the Raw after Payback 2014, much to everyone's shock, Rollins turned on his teammates to join The Authority.
Ambrose and Roman continued to team for a little longer but soon decided to go on their separate paths. The trio reunited a couple of times in 2018 and 2019 to take on different opponents, but it was not the same and they wrestled less than 10 times as a team following the initial break-up.