10 Rare photos of Dean Ambrose

Perhaps no one has come as far in the wrestling business over the last decade or so as Dean Ambrose. Real name Jonathan Good, Ambrose has wrestled in a variety of promotions, some of which relied on some pretty gruesome practices.Here are 10 of the rarest photos of the journey Ambrose took to get this far, though.

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#10 Why a basketball?

It’s hard to say what might have been going on here.

Working in the independent promotions can lead to some strange moments, and this seems to be one of them. Ambrose, wrestling as Jon Moxley during his independent days, is inexplicably holding a basketball while wearing traditional wrestling trunks in some sort of auditorium or school gym.

Oddly enough, those weird moments have followed Ambrose to the highest level of the sport, from exploding televisions to wild rides in ambulances or borrowed vehicles.

#9 Ambrose sporting long locks

Ambrose has been in the wrestling business for quite some time.

Dean Ambrose may not be very old, but he’s far from a newcomer in the wrestling industry. He’ll turn 31 later this year, but he’s been working in the ring since he was 19 years old.

As a result, he’s literally grown up before wrestling fan’s eyes, going from a long-haired teenager to a slightly shorter-haired championship contender in the prime of his life in one of the world’s top promotions.

#8 Three buddies

Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins will always be connected in fans’ minds.

Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins began working together in FCW, primarily as opponents. The trio came up to the main roster together in 2012, debuting as The Shield at Survivor Series.

Off-screen, they’ve remained friends and are known to work out together, and on-screen, Ambrose and Reigns are known to be as close as brothers. Three different paths to the same end result as WWE main-eventers.

#7 Dean and Renee

The real-life relationship between Dean Ambrose and Renee Young has long been a topic of discussion.

Female fans have flocked to Ambrose over the years, and that has continued during his time with the WWE. As a result, his relationship status in real life is of particular interest to these fans.

The ladies have gotten bad news on that front over time, as Ambrose is known to be married to WWE personality Renee Young. The two have been photographed together on multiple occasions, much to his fanbase’s disappointment.

#6 Movie star

Ambrose took a little time off in late 2014 to film a WWE movie, in which he played a police officer.

One of the advantages of working in the WWE is the increased opportunity to do work in other areas of the entertainment industry. That includes films, even ones produced by the WWE itself.

Ambrose was in such a production, a film called “12 Rounds 3: Lockdown.” The movie was released in 2015, and Ambrose seems to have befriended some of his co-stars in this picture.

#5 Punk and a Lunatic

Ambrose took a chance to imitate CM Punk during his days in FCW.

While Ambrose was in Florida Championship Wrestling – later rebranded as NXT – he developed the crazed but technically gifted persona we know today. He also got a chance to go head-to-head with CM Punk during those days.

That led to this scene, with Ambrose imitating Punk’s signature seated position for delivering the most high-impact promos, or “pipe bombs.” Punk better be careful, Ambrose isn’t known for being too stable.

#4 Choosing his weapon

Even during his independent days, Ambrose got to do promo work.

Ambrose has become known as one of the WWE’s top performers in the ring, but also on the microphone. That work in promos didn’t just begin when he got to the big-time productions of the WWE, though.

He’s been doing entertaining microphone work for many years, even when those were Combat Zone Wrestling promos that involved discussing which weapon he was going to pick from a janitor’s closet to inflict pain on his opponent.

#3 Man in tights

Maybe Ambrose is upset at how much thigh he’s showing in this picture.

Nowadays, Ambrose’s signature style involves a more street clothes look that reflects his upbringing in lower-income portions of Cincinnati and meshes well with his brash style. But that wasn’t always the case.

Even during his FCW days after signing with the WWE, Ambrose wore the more traditional wrestling trunks, which is a stark contrast to the outfit fans are accustomed to now. That’s a bit more skin than we’re used to.

#2 Dean loves the kids

Ambrose might play a tough guy on TV, but he clearly has a soft side.

Even as wild and tough as Ambrose can be in the ring, he obviously has a draw with the younger audience. His oddball style coupled with an often humorous persona are bound to resonate with children, and his look is likely easy to replicate.

For that reason, it’s no surprise that moments like the one pictured above are bound to happen, when Ambrose takes part in fan meet and greet events.

#1 There was blood

Jon Moxley

Ambrose is perhaps best known for his work as Jon Moxley in the independent promotion Combat Zone Wrestling, known for its “death matches.” During those matches, Ambrose and his opponents went through some pretty gory stuff to sell tickets.

There are plenty of photos of Ambrose taking all sorts of punishment from saw blades to the head to needles through the cheek, but the above photo captures a face we recognize with the results of such a match.

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