WWE Gimmicks That FAILED The HARDEST Every Year (1985-2025)
10. ‘Lunatic Fringe’ Dean Ambrose (2016)
It might raise a few eyebrows that ol' Jon Moxley is in this spot. Only...it wasn't AEW debutant Moxley or even modern day Mox. No, it was 'Lunatic Fringe' Dean Ambrose, and he was playing a character who drifted between lame comedic moments and acting like he didn't actually give much of a toss about being on top of WWE at all.
Trouble started brewing during Deano's feud with Brock Lesnar heading into WrestleMania 32. WWE couldn't let Ambrose bring the CZW-style thunder he wanted to proceedings, and it was painfully obvious that Brock didn't really want to work with him on the grand stage anyway. So, their match was a struggle.
Dean darted from Lesnar to a surprisingly lame feud with Chris Jericho. Their 'Asylum Match' at Extreme Rules was notable for bringing thumbtacks to the party, but it was drenched in bizarre, unfunny "comedy" on TV. The potted plant ("Mitch") thing they kept trying? Yeah, it was poor. That didn't set Ambrose up for a coming WWE Title at all.
He cashed in Money In The Bank the same night to become champ in June, then proceeded to have a mediocre title reign that ended when AJ Styles beat him in September at Backlash. Maybe the most iconic moment of Dean's entire reign was an 8 August appearance on Steve Austin's WWE Network show - 'Stone Cold' stared daggers through a disinterested Ambrose as he gave nothing answers and meandered his way through the gig.
His push was crap, his hardcore style half-cocked, and his title reign miserable.