WWE News: Dean Ambrose’s Trainer Talks Dean’s Early Years & How Their Friendship Led To His Own Work In WWE

Cody Hawk, longtime friend and trainer for WWE star Dean Ambrose, was the featured guest on a recent episode of the Electric City Wrestling Fans Podcast. On the episode, Hawk talked about his work with a number of independent wrestlers who ultimately made it to WWE, including Sami Callihan, who performed in NXT Solomon Crowe. Hawk also talked spoke at length about his work with Dean Ambrose before WWE’s “Lunatic Fringe” hit it big in the world’s largest wrestling promotion.

“I mean he was just an …18 year-old kid when he moved in with me; fresh out of high school,” Hawk said when recalling the early years of his friendship with Dean Ambrose. “At that point in time I want to say I was probably in my early 30s and I have been wrestling for 10 or 12 years about point. It was cool. It was still the day and age of VHS tapes and we watched a lot of wrestling together. I tried to get him booked on any indie shows I was booked on. We worked a lot together. We had real good chemistry together so it made for some real good feuds and matches on the HWA shows.”

Hawk noted that while Dean Ambrose – then working as Jon Moxley – went on to make a huge splash working in ultraviolent matches for Combat Zone Wrestling, that particular style of work did not appeal to Cody as a career path.

Hawk also recalled a chance phone call to Dean Ambrose a few years ago that ultimately led to him doing some on-camera work with WWE. He said he took his girlfriend’s son to a house show several years ago and called Ambrose to see if they could get together after for pictures and autographs afterwards. Dean sent a security guard to meet Cody and his son and escort them backstage. In addition to spending time with Ambrose, Cody Hawk subsequently reconnected with some of the indie workers who were going to portray Adam Rose’s entourage as “Rosebuds” for the night.

“That night, indie wrestler Mad Man Pondo happened to be a Rosebud and he was walking by me and I was standing in front of Joey Mercury and I was like, ‘Holy crap! Pondo is a Rosebud? I want to be a Rosebud!’ And Mercury said, ‘Really? You don’t think that’s beneath you?’ And I was like, ‘Hell no, it’s not. It’s a payday. It’s WWE. Sure, I’ll do it!'”

Hawk said he went on to do a total of 14 dates with WWE, including other appearances as a Rosebud as well as portraying one of Sting’s doppelgangers. A 2015 report by WrestlingINC maintained that Cody Hawk was the Sting double who appeared in the ring during that episode, but on the Electric City Wrestling Fans Podcast, Hawk set the record straight by explaining that there were several Sting duplicates on hand for the segment.

“I can’t say that I was the one in the ring. But I was definitely there,” Hawk said.

Cody also discussed his appearance in a televised segment during Dean Ambrose’s feud with Brock Lesnar. The SmackDown spot was filmed in a bar where Hawk and Ambrose spent time in their indie days.

“The bar where we were, that was an actual bar of it would always to hang out up on a regular basis. We knew the bartender, we knew some of the regulars that were sitting there. You know, they hadn’t seen [Ambrose] since he became a big star so it was pretty cool. We shot that take probably 3 or 4 times. It was fun.”

Cody Hawk noted that although he has enjoyed his recent work in WWE, he did not go into the experience expecting a full-time gig. A veteran of the squared circle going all the way back to the final months of WCW, he continues working shows for independent wrestling promotions. At present, Cody Hawk also owns a custom vape shop in Miamisburg, Ohio, and he still maintains a friendship with Dean Ambrose.

[Photo by Joachim Sielski/Bongarts/Getty Images]