5 People who Vince McMahon touted as future WWE stars (and what happened next)

#1 Dean Ambrose

What did Vince McMahon say about Dean Ambrose?

Along with Bray Wyatt, Vince McMahon name-checked Dean Ambrose in December 2014 as somebody who was grabbing the WWE “brass ring”. He also noted Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as future stars during his conversation with Steve Austin but, for obvious reasons, the mention of Ambrose is a lot more notable in hindsight.

What happened next to Dean Ambrose?

Despite McMahon’s comments, Ambrose was often made to look like the ‘third member’ of The Shield, with Rollins and Reigns going on to have major storylines at WWE’s next two events – the 2015 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 31 – while “The Lunatic Fringe” had limited roles. He later became WWE champion in 2016 before leaving the company in 2019, citing his unhappiness with the booking of his character.

What does the future hold for Dean Ambrose?

Now signed to AEW, Ambrose goes by the name Jon Moxley again and he is currently preparing to compete in NJPW’s G1 Climax. He will also face Kenny Omega at AEW’s All Out on August 31.