5 backyard wrestlers who became WWE Champions

Modified May 26, 2019 05:58 GMT

#4 Dean Ambrose

Years before Dean Ambrose became WWE World Heavyweight Champion by cashing in his briefcase on Seth Rollins, he was shedding blood on a regular basis as a backyard wrestler in Combat Zone Wrestling. The promotion is notorious for putting on extremely violent and gory matches, some of which take place in backyards and parking lots.

Also read: 5 reasons John Cena isn't finished with WWE

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Ambrose wrestled in CZW from 2009 to 2011 and was known for his incredibly disturbing death matches (hardcore wrestling bouts where DQs, countouts, and other rules don't apply). YouTube has an extensive collection of Ambrose's hardcore backyard wrestling matches for interested viewers to check out, but prepare yourself for a bunch of disturbing footage before you head over to check it out.

Ambrose later signed with WWE and became a part of The Shield, one of the greatest factions of all time. He went on to become a Grand Slam Champion.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Atharva Papnoi