WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose is set to leave the pro-wrestling company when his contract expires in April, WWE tells TheWrap.
“Dean Ambrose (Jonathan Good) will not be renewing his contract with WWE when it expires in April,” a spokesman for WWE said in a statement. “We are grateful and appreciative of all that Dean has given to WWE and our fans. We wish him well and hope that one day Dean will return to WWE.”
WrestleMania 35 takes place April 7 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. It is expected that Ambrose will leave after the event, which is the culmination of WWE’s “season,” though the Vince McMahon-led promotion did not immediately offer a clarification on Good’s specific end date.
Ambrose’s real-life wife is WWE commentator Renee Young. WWE did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on her contractual status.
Good, who has been dubbed “The Lunatic Fringe,” came up through WWE’s minor-league program NXT with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in 2012. The trio was paired together on the main roster as popular faction The Shield. They’ve since broken up, feuded, reunited, and feuded again. Reigns is currently taking a break from wrestling while undergoing treatment for leukemia. He is also co-starring in an upcoming “Fast & Furious” spinoff movie alongside real-life cousin and former WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
With and without Rollins and Reigns, Ambrose has had a ton of success in WWE. He’s won the WWE Championship, “Raw” Tag Team Titles (twice, with Rollins), United States Championship, and the Intercontinental Title three times.
Ambrose lost the Intercontinental Championship to Bobby Lashley on Jan. 14’s “Raw.” He participated in Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view but was eliminated by newcomer Aleister Black. The Royal Rumble Match was won by Rollins, whom Ambrose subsequently lost to last night on “Monday Night Raw.”
Before NXT/WWE, Good found success on the independent wrestling circuit, notably with CZW, which is known for its ultra-violent Tournament of Death.
Ambrose was out of action — and the public eye — for the majority of 2018 after suffering a bad triceps injury in December 2017. He contracted a staph infection during recovery. TheWrap had exclusively reported his return to WWE programming in August.
Every WWE Champion Ever, Ranked by Number of Reigns (Photos)
Pro-wrestling championship belts change hands (or waists) like grapplers change ring gear these days, though it wasn't always that way. Bobby Lashley is the current WWE Championship after an incredibly short-lived reign by The Miz (and after one violent Hurt Lock in the main event of March 1, 2021's "Monday Night Raw" episode).
The Miz (yes, Mike from "The Real World") only had the belt for eight days. Really though, Lashley's violent "Elimination Chamber" attack on then-champ Drew McIntyre is what set Miz up for his second WWE Championship. In other words, the belt found the correct waist in the end.
This is Lashley's first-ever stint as WWE Champion, and it's spanned several pay-per-views. Up next is Sunday's "Hell in a Cell," which fans can watch on Peacock.
Scroll through our gallery to see every WWE Champion ever, ranked by their number(s) of title wins. Remember: this is a list of those who won the WWWF Championship, the WWF Championship or the WWE Championship. So don't come after us, Universal Champions, et al.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Jinder Mahal # of Reigns: 1
Shortly before this publishing, the "Modern-Day Maharaja" dropped the title to A.J. Styles, ending a somewhat confusing run right before the WWE went to India.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: John "Bradshaw" Layfield # of Reigns: 1
JBL has taken his heel persona from the ring to the announce table. Never without a cowboy hat, Layfield thankfully leaves his lariat clothesline at home.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: The Ultimate Warrior # of Reigns: 1
The muscle-bound maniac who handed Hulk Hogan his first-ever "WrestleMania" loss died after suffering a heart attack three days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Pedro Morales # of Reigns: 1
History lesson: Back in the WWWF days, Morales became the first guy in wrestling history to win all three of the major men's titles -- the WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF Tag Team Championship -- in the company.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Bobby Lashley # of Reigns: 1
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: The Miz # of Reigns: 2
The kid from "The Real World" made good on his over-the-top MTV promos. One of the best on the mic, Miz has been holding down the Intercontinental Championship more than any other Superstar of the past few years.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Bob Backlund # of Reigns: 2
Backlund couldn't "Make Darren Young Great Again" -- or even keep the guy employed -- but the master of the cross-face chicken wing had a pretty incredible career of his own.
From Buddy Rogers to Bobby Lashley, here are all the guys from the old WWWF and WWF days — and beyond
Pro-wrestling championship belts change hands (or waists) like grapplers change ring gear these days, though it wasn't always that way. Bobby Lashley is the current WWE Championship after an incredibly short-lived reign by The Miz (and after one violent Hurt Lock in the main event of March 1, 2021's "Monday Night Raw" episode).
The Miz (yes, Mike from "The Real World") only had the belt for eight days. Really though, Lashley's violent "Elimination Chamber" attack on then-champ Drew McIntyre is what set Miz up for his second WWE Championship. In other words, the belt found the correct waist in the end.
This is Lashley's first-ever stint as WWE Champion, and it's spanned several pay-per-views. Up next is Sunday's "Hell in a Cell," which fans can watch on Peacock.
Scroll through our gallery to see every WWE Champion ever, ranked by their number(s) of title wins. Remember: this is a list of those who won the WWWF Championship, the WWF Championship or the WWE Championship. So don't come after us, Universal Champions, et al.
