16 Things We Learned From Dean Ambrose On Stone Cold's WWE Network Podcast
13. Breaking Into The Business
Dean says that once he started getting older he strongly felt that he had it in him to be a wrestler but had absolutely no idea how to go about doing it. As he aged he became more and more obsessed with watching TV, scouring video stores for tapes, and shoplifting stacks of blank VHS tapes so he record as much wrestling as possible.
Tasking in all that information led to him building an encyclopedic knowledge of wrestling in his brain, and he began to develop a real appreciation for ECW. Austin points out a similarity between Dean and Terry Funk, and he says that going back and watching his NWA work now he sees the comparison and he loves Funk's work.
He also names Harley Race as someone he loves, saying that he was oblivious to the fact that there was an audience when he wrestled, exhibiting a confidence that he would like to adopt for himself.
As for who mentored him in the business, he names Les Thatcher and Cody Hawk at Heartland Wrestling Association's school in Cincinnati. He wasn't 18 yet, so for two years he swept floors and sold popcorn, paying his dues until he was old enough to begin training.