35 Current WWE Stars And Their '90s Counterparts

30. Dean Ambrose/Brian Pillman

Bray Wyatt and Waylon Mercy
WWE.com/WWE.com

The whole ‘unhinged lunatic’ thing has been done a million times before throughout the wrestling industry. But when all’s said and done, Brian Pillman and his Loose Cannon gimmick is the unstable wrestler who most fans hold closest to their hearts.

As far as Dean Ambrose is concerned, the Lunatic Fringe is essentially a modern-day, PG-approved take on Pillman’s WWF character.

Those who have seen Ambrose's FCW work or his Jon Moxley days will know that he is capable of doing so much more with his character than the current WWE product allows him to. Think about it, though: if he’s getting over so well at the moment, just imagine how over he’d get if he was allowed to let loose a little more in a non-PG environment?

Key to the intrigue surrounding Brian Pillman during the mid-‘90s until his untimely death is how he was never out of character. Ambrose is different in this regard as he regularly speaks with a more concise, milder tone during most out of the ring interviews.

When it comes down to it, the crazy, erratic ways of the Dean Ambrose character is the modern take on the Loose Cannon. It’s just a shame that this apparent lunatic seems a little restricted in what he can and can’t do.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.