5 lesser-known facts about Dean Ambrose
Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose isn't new to the world of wrestling. On the road to earning the notoriety and credibility he has today, Ambrose has faced many obstacles, but didn't allow those challenges to dictate his career path; rather he created one all his own.
These challenges helped strengthen his resolve, an attribute that contributed to him earning the opportunity to carry the WWE World championship. After The Shield split up, many wondered what would eventually become of him. It didn't happen immediately, but Ambrose's main event run has materialised, and with great success.
One of the biggest challenges Ambrose has faced is that he hasn’t been convincing as either a face or heel, but remaining true to himself while developing the Lunatic Fringe character. As seen in his interview with ‘Stone Cold' Steve Austin a while back, Ambrose is just as laid-back as the character he portrays. He is able to turn on the charm when pushed and deliver compelling promos.
A thirteen-year veteran of the ring, Ambrose has scratched and clawed his way to the top. He has faced some of the best in the world and come out better for it afterwards. Here are five things you probably didn't know about Dean Ambrose.
#5. The Lunatic Fringe competed briefly for Ring of Honor
As many may already know, Ambrose's time in the ring doesn't just include his time developing with FCW, which later became NXT, and then WWE's main roster. Close followers of Ambrose's past will recall that his early success happened while competing for Combat Zone Wrestling.
For those unaware, CZW could be described as the modern-day version of ECW, where risk-taking is simply an expectation of the talent. Whether it was using barbed wire or smashing an opponent's head with a fluorescent light tube, Ambrose was a willing participant in such matchups.
What many fans may not know, however, is that during his time competing on the independent circuit he competed in a promotion with the most ravenous fans. In 2007, he competed on two separate occasions for Ring of Honor.
At the time the promotion was run by Gabe Sapolsky, and Ambrose first competed in a tag match alongside Alex Payne, against Bobby Dempsey and Rhett Titus. On the other occasion, he faced Mitch Franklin in a match that was untelevised. On both occasions, the former WWE world champion and current Intercontinental champion was unsuccessful.