WWE SmackDown Superstar Profile: Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose is the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion as well as the leader of the SmackDown brand. He is also one of the most important members of the current WWE roster.

This is the second Superstar Profile after the first one looked at Seth Rollins. The “Superstar Profile” series will take a look at an individual performer or team that’s currently part of the WWE roster by evaluating them in different categories: Workrate, Promos, Charisma/Look, Character and then the Future Outlook. At the end of every category, there will be a grade and then a final grade for the overall performer.

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Name: Dean Ambrose

Age: 30

Career Accomplishments: WWE World Heavyweight Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2016 Money in the Bank Winner

Main roster debut: November 2012

Ambrose was signed by WWE in April 2011 after spending the previous seven years working in the independent scene under the name Jon Moxley. His WWE debut was memorable as he was part of The Shield trio that attacked Ryback at Survivor Series 2012 leading to CM Punk retaining the WWE Title.

Workrate (In-ring Performance)

Ambrose has had a lot of good to great matches in his career and there’s a very good chance that his WWE Title match against Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam will be outstanding as well. His matches feature the same spots like most wrestlers with the bulldog, the flying elbow off the top onto a standing opponent and the suicide dive outside the ring. While his technical wrestling skills may not match guys like Cesaro or Sami Zayn, his style works with just about everybody in WWE, which is what you want when you’re a top guy.

If there’s a negative for him it’s that his punches don’t look that great. That may come off as a minor thing, but if he threw better punches he might be seen as more of a tough guy. An example of a guy that threw great punches is Steve Austin. It helped him earn a reputation as a brawler. Ambrose tends to just throw jabs rather than good worked punches.

He uses the Dirty Deeds as a finish, which is basically just the Double Arm DDT that guys like Mick Foley used as a setup move for a long time. It’s not a bad finish by any means, but when there are DDT variations in nearly every WWE match these days it doesn’t stand out as a great finisher. The good thing is he can hit that move on anybody, so it works in that regard. Grade: B+

Promos

Ambrose is one of the best promo men in WWE right now. Paul Heyman is still the king in that regard, but if you’re only talking about the wrestlers then Ambrose is probably in the top upper echelon along with Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho and emerging talker Enzo Amore. When Ambrose is really allowed to cut loose in a promo he usually delivers. He suffers when they have him do some of the comedy bits that don’t really come off that well. When it’s time to get serious, he’s really good at getting his point across.

As good of a talker as Ambrose is right now as the top babyface in WWE, he would probably be even better in a heel role. Heels get to talk more than faces. A good comparison would be CM Punk, who did well as a face for his first few years in WWE, but when he was unleashed as a heel in 2009 he really took off in the promo department. Grade: A-

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Charisma/Look

There’s not that much to say about his look because he wrestles in a tank top and a pair of jeans. It’s as basic as they come. Part of that is because his character is supposed to be this regular guy that happens to be a good wrestler. It works for him, but if you were watching WWE for the first time you would not point at that guy as a superstar just based on how he looked. That hurts him a bit.

The Ambrose theme song is very basic as well. There’s a distinctive noise at the start that sounds like engines revving up as a way to get a crowd fired up. There’s really not much to it. Too bad WWE has such basic songs for Ambrose as well as Shield brothers Rollins and Reigns because if they had better songs it would help all of them.

In terms of charisma, Ambrose does a good job of showing his emotions. His facial expressions are among the best in WWE too. Whether angry, fired up or in a happy mood, you know what Ambrose is feeling and that’s a good thing. Grade: C+

Character

Ambrose’s character is pretty simple to understand because he’s a loner that had it rough in his life, but he’s always been a good fighter and professional wrestler. When he was part of The Shield he was seen as a breakout star, but then it was Rollins that turned on him and he had to fight to get to the top. He was the last of The Shield members to win the WWE Title. Basically, he’s the guy that always has a chip on his shoulder with something to prove. That makes him an easy guy to root for.

They call him the “Lunatic Fringe” sometimes although it feels like they have stopped doing it of late. The name comes from a classic rock song by a group called Red Rider. It puts over the idea that Ambrose is a bit crazy although really he doesn’t do much that makes him come off that way. It’s also why they use the term “Ambrose Asylum” for his talk show as well as a general phrase for him.

When he turns heel, he’ll probably be one of those crazy heels that loses his mind, blames the fans for his problems and becomes a lot more aggressive. It may be the more natural role for him. Grade: B

Future Outlook

As the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Ambrose is locked in as “the man” on the SmackDown brand. The fact that he’s on the show opposite of his former Shield buddies Rollins and Reigns should be seen as a positive because he can do his own thing without being in their shadow. Being the top babyface of SmackDown may not be seen as a major thing as if he was in the same role on Raw, but when you consider he’s holding the most coveted prize in WWE, it helps Ambrose a lot.

There are a lot of interesting feuds that Ambrose could have on the SmackDown brand in the next few months as well as going into 2017. The top heels he can feud with are AJ Styles, which would be fresh, and Bray Wyatt, who is a familiar foe. Then there’s his SummerSlam opponent Dolph Ziggler. They could have more than just one match if Ziggler turns heel, which would be a good thing for Ambrose as the champion that tries to stop him. Aside from them, a guy like Baron Corbin could emerge next year while others such as John Cena and Randy Orton would make for intriguing matchups when the time is right.

Ambrose has proven himself to be a durable, reliable performer that WWE can count on. He hasn’t had any significant injuries during his four years on the main roster and it’s fair to say that he has earned his spot as the top guy on SmackDown right now. Nothing was handed to him. That’s what makes his character so relatable right now.

At 30 years of age, Ambrose could have another decade in WWE as a top guy as long as he’s healthy. He’s definitely going to be a big part of WWE’s future.

Overall Grade (Not An Average): A-

Related Story: Seth Rollins Superstar Profile

Next wrestler profile: Raw’s Rusev.