10 WWE Stars And Their New Japan Equivalents
6. Dean Ambrose And Tomohiro Ishii
Being overshadowed sucks, but it presents an opportunity. Some wrestlers may buckle and fail to make an impact in the face of such competition, but the greats explode upwards, making sure to carve a legacy no matter what the cost.
That's what links Dean Ambrose and Tomohiro Ishii, two men who broke the mold to emerge from the shadows of their teammates. Ambrose, who was the wild card of The Shield alongside Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, came up short in matches with both men following the dissolution of the group.
Still, he kept fighting and embracing his "Lunatic Fringe" persona, and eventually, the crazy-like-a-fox Ambrose used a Money in the Bank briefcase to claim the WWE Championship at the expense of both men.
Ishii, meanwhile, was a part of the CHAOS stable alongside NJPW main-eventers Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada. While he never claimed the IWGP Heavyweight Title like they did, his hard-hitting, no-mercy fighting style made him one of the most acclaimed workers in the world.
He captured the NEVER Openweight Title on four occasions, essentially making the belt his own. Today, Ishii has proven himself and, like Ambrose, he is second to none.