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Ambrose's WWE career has seen him characterized as unstable and unpredictable.
Referred to as "The Lunatic Fringe" since his time in The Shield (taking the nickname from Cincinnati radio station WEBN, who itself got the nickname from the 1981 song), his gimmick is portrayed as a wildcard.
Ambrose's gimmick has been compared to that of WWE Hall of Famers Roddy Piper and Stone Cold Steve Austin, and has drawn comparison to Brian Pillman and Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker.
Despite expectations that Ambrose would become one of WWE's next top heels even after The Shield turned babyface, Ambrose's babyface run post-Shield gained popularity, with him being cheered over fellow babyface Roman Reigns when they faced off in three world title matches (Payback and Survivor Series in 2015, and Fastlane in 2016).
Ambrose's popularity over Reigns has been especially reflective on the live event circuit, where Ambrose was drawing better on WWE's "B" circuit (usually in smaller markets) than Reigns as champion on the "A" circuit.
Ambrose was voted as the "Most Popular Wrestler of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 2014 and 2015.
