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Since making his debut as a member of The Shield in 2012, Dean Ambrose has gone on to become one of the most popular superstars in the WWE.
His success is down to a number of things, firstly, he's got an excellent character and is super enjoyable on the mic, and secondly, he is an incredibly gifted in-ring performer.
In the six years that he has been a WWE superstar, Ambrose has had several Match of the year candidates, both in singles match and as a member of The Shield. His consistent in-ring performances saw him rise to the top of the card, winning his first WWE championship in 2016.
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Ambrose has been out of action since last December and is expected to make his return to the WWE in the coming weeks, so to build some anticipation for his impending arrival, let's take a look at his ten best matches, both single and with The Shield, in the WWE so far.
#10 Dean Ambrose Vs Brock Lesnar Vs Roman Reigns- Fastlane 2016
Dean Ambrose, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns took part in a triple threat match to determine who would get to face WWE champion, Triple H at WrestleMania 32.
One month prior, Ambrose had come within inches of getting his hands on his first WWE championship, narrowly losing out to The Game in the final two of the Royal Rumble.
Ambrose and Reigns have an excellent chemistry in the ring together, and the addition of Lesnar only added to the excitement here. Lesnar is one of the most inconsistent performers in the WWE at the moment, but he brought his A game to this match.
The brief reunions between Reigns and Ambrose got major pops from the crowd, and while the outcome of the match was obvious, there was still plenty of excitement throughout the bout.
Ambrose and Lesnar would go on to have a hugely disappointing match at WrestleMania one month, while Reigns would go to on to have an equally poor main-event match against Triple H.
#9 Dean Ambrose Vs Bray Wyatt- TLC 2014
Dean Ambrose's match with Bray Wyatt is largely remembered for one reason- a TV monitor blowing up in Dean Ambrose's match to allow Bray Wyatt to capture the victory.
As this list will highlight, badly booked endings have been a common problem throughout Ambrose's WWE run, and a lesser performer would have been significantly damaged by the nonsense Ambrose has had to put up with.
Finish aside, though, this was a really fun TLC match, and a nice continuation of the feud between Ambrose and Wyatt that had started two months prior.
Ambrose's elbow drop of not one, not two, but three ladders provided the highlight of the match, but Wyatt played in his part well here, and this is definitely one of the finer matches in his collection as well.
#8 The Shield Vs The New Day, Survivor Series 2017
While the Shield's brief return at the end of 2017 was considered, by and large, to have been a failure, their one PPV match back together was far from that.
After having to change their match at the previous month's TLC event, The Shield got to take on The New Day in a Raw Vs SmackDown match to kick things off at Survivor Series 2017 and as you would expect from the talent involved, it was excellent.
The match was the very definition of a hot opener. The crowd were hot for both teams, and the pacing of the match was perfect. There were some nice innovative moments throughout the match, and The Shield picked up the victory to get the night off to a positive start.
#7 Dean Ambrose Vs Kevin Owens- Royal Rumble 2016
Dean Ambrose is often at his best when he feels as though he is truly living up to his 'lunatic fringe' gimmick, and there are few better examples of that than his match with Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble 2016.
Ambrose and Owens beat each other senseless during the bout, using a variety of weapons and a series of innovative spots. Ambrose's selling is incredible in this match and the fact that he would go on to finish runner-up in the Royal Rumble match later in the night is even more impressive.
Ambrose won the match by throwing Owens off the top turnbuckle through two tables that had been positioned outside the ring earlier in the encounter.
#6 The Shield Vs Evolution- Extreme Rules
The Sheild Vs Evolution in 2014 was something of a dream match-up, with two of the biggest stables in the history of the WWE coming to face.
This was the old vs the new and all six men put in an exceptional shift, with The Shield coming out on top, shortly before Seth Rollins turned on his team-mates on an episode of Raw.
This was a brutal and chaotic bout which was full of exciting near-falls and memorable spots.
The finish came when Roman Reigns hit the spear on Batista to secure the win for his team, and this was really the beginning of The Shield as serious main event stars in the WWE.
#5 Dean Ambrose Vs AJ Styles- TLC 2016
Dean Ambrose's feud with AJ Styles was one of the biggest reasons for SmackDown's success in the second half of 2016, and their rivalry came to a brutal end at TLC 2016 when AJ Styles put his WWE title on the line in a TLC match.
The build for this match was memorable for the presence of James Ellsworth, but not even that questionable booking could put on a dampener on this encounter.
The two men went hammer and tongs from the opening bell to the last and the encounter featured several thrilling high spots.
The finish came when James Ellsworth tipped Ambrose from the top of the ladder, allowing AJ Styles time to recover, climb the ladder, and retrieve his WWE title.
#4 The Shield Vs The Wyatt Family- Elimination Chamber 2014
Sometimes in the WWE, things just come together perfectly, and that was the case when The Wyatt Family and The Shield squared off for the first time at Elimination Chamber 2014.
The two teams were both red hot at the time, and their first showdown with each on an episode of Raw saw the crowd erupt into a 'this is awesome' chant, which, for once, was fully deserved.
Their match at Elimination Chamber 2014 was met with equal enthusiasm from the crowd, and the six men lived up to the chant, delivering one of the finest six-man tag team matches in recent memory.
The match featured some excellent tag-team action before it descended into chaos, and Ambrose and Rollins were both taken out by The Wyatts, leaving Reigns to fight off all three family members.
Despite rallying back with several superman punches and a couple of spears, the numbers game finally got the better of Reigns and he was hit with a sister Abigail by Bray to finish the match.
#3 Dean Ambrose Vs Seth Rollins- Money in the Bank 2015
One year before Ambrose would defeat Rollins to lift his first ever WWE title, the two men met in a thrilling ladder match for Seth Rollins' WWE title.
Rollins' series of matches with Ambrose was the highlight of his run as WWE champion, and this was one of their finest encounters.
The match featured several incredible spots, including Rollins hitting a running powerbomb onto a ladder before giving us a refreshingly well-executed finish, which saw both men fall from the top of the ladder holding the belt, only for Rollins to cling on to it as they hit the mat.
This is one of the finest ladder matches of the modern era and is one of the best encounters these two former Shield brethren have ever been involved in.
#2 Dean Ambrose Vs Seth Rollins- Hell in a Cell 2014
While I've tried avoiding repeat match-ups on this list, it would have been criminal to not list Ambrose's clash with Rollins at Hell in a Cell in 2014.
The hell in a cell gimmick has lost some of its magic in recent years, but Ambrose and Rollins reminded the world exactly what the match is meant to be about.
This purpose of this match was to draw an end to their feud, and it certainly did just that. The two men beat each other from pillar to post, utilising the match's gimmick well and giving us one of the best hell in a cell matches in recent memory.
The finish, which saw Bray Wyatt interfere and cost Ambrose, feels a little misjudged, but there is no taking away from the quality of the rest of the bout.
#1 The Shield Vs Team Hell No and Ryback
Has there ever been a more impressive debut performance than that given by The Shield at TLC 2012?
Sure, these guys were hardly rookies before they came to the WWE, but this match was sheer magic.
The TLC stipulation was utilised expertly, and the match was full-blown carnage from the first bell to the last.
The crowd were red-hot throughout the whole encounter, and the bout featured several innovative and memorable spots.
Few acts have ever introduced themselves to the WWE universe in quite the way that The Shield did at TLC 2012, and it still among all three men's best performances for the company.
