Over the past 24 hours the wrestling world has been hit by speculation, innuendo and, potential, confirmation that Dean Ambrose will not be renewing his contract with the WWE when it expires in April.
Initially; after a statement was revealed by PWInsider, people took this at face value and discussed how much WWE had dropped the ball with the Lunatic Fringe and what his future will be. However, in the hours immediately following, WWE tweeted their own statement which was clearly different to the usual ‘we wish them well in their future endeavours’ which has led many to believe this is all storyline. So I thought we’d have a look- either the future of this potential story within WWE or what the real-life Jonathan Good will do once he leaves World Wrestling Entertainment.
So let’s discuss this situation under the bracket of this is real; Dean has actually handed in his release and will be moving onto pastures new when WrestleMania season ends. Somewhat surprisingly in 2019 after seeing how the Shield members’ careers have gone- Dean Ambrose was my favourite member of the Shield during their first run.
Seth was always clearly the best wrestler and Roman coming in off the hot-tag with his strength, power and speed was always very entertaining but Dean brought something different. He was the main backbone of the character of the group. Slimy, vindictive, cheating and…slightly insane all made Dean Ambrose the most entertaining individual, in my opinion, in the group. When Rollins’ turned on Ambrose; we got the 2015 feud of the year with Dean playing a fantastic babyface who was incredibly sympathetic. But then…it started to go downhill. The ‘insanity’ and ‘Jokeresque’ themes of Ambrose fell away to more ‘wacky’ and ‘silly’ traits such as covering Orton and Corporate Kane in mustard and relish whilst hitting the ‘wacky line’.
So now; we’re here; recently turned heel Dean Ambrose with EASILY the simplest story to tell ever- just make Dean mental. But no- he’s a weird germaphobe with a knock-off Bane jacket. So he’s, apparently, leaving. And if it’s true; no wonder and completely fair play to him. He’s reportedly turned down seven-figures which proves he doesn’t just want to work for money. The big question is, is he going to All Elite Wrestling? It’s allegedly attracting a lot of big names and I feel like Jonathan Good, or Jon Moxley whatever they go with, could be a fantastic fit for that promotion.
However, in a Talk is Jericho interview a few years ago, Ambrose stated that he’d happily do one deathmatch on the indies- due to how well those matches pay- and then disappear from wrestling, somewhat similar to CM Punk. I think whatever Dean chooses to do; he’ll be hugely successful as he’s an absolutely incredible talent.
BUT. What if it’s not real? What if this is all an elaborate work that is designed to revitalise Dean’s position on the roster after a, as mentioned, very poor return since August. Well; usually with WWE ‘release’ statements, they’re very short and sweet and nearly every time feature the phrase ‘We wish them all the best in their future endeavours’. However, this time, the statement read; ‘We are appreciative and grateful 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.’ That’s a weird statement. Additionally; WWE have never commented on their superstars contract status’s until they expire and the individuals leave the company. So. If this is a storyline, where will it go? Well…this is what I’d do.
After Dean’s match with Rollins this past edition of Monday Night RAW, he sat in the ring and went to speak about something about signing with WWE but was IMMEDITATELY cut off by Nia Jax’s music. So someone is trying to keep him quiet. This, coincidentally, came after Ambrose called out Triple H in front of the world. You can then have Triple H come out and speak about how fantastic Rollins and Reigns are from the Shield; company men, great images and media representation and two of the best wrestlers in the company. They aren’t crazy; out comes Dean. Ambrose can mention how, when the Shield was first together, he was, essentially, the leader of the stable and moulded Seth and Roman into what they are today.
They can then reference the Roadblock match between the two when Deans foot DEFINITELY wasn’t under the rope so should have won the WWE title ahead of WrestleMania 32. Hunter can say that he told the ref to give him the win as; he’s fine with losing to Seth. He’s fine with losing to Roman. Not Dean though; that would be a terrible image for the company- a lunatic can’t go into WrestleMania with the title. All of this can lead to Dean Ambrose vs Triple H at Mania, completing the Shield trifecta of Triple H matches, and have the stipulation be that if Dean wins; he renews his contract and gets a WWE/Universal title opportunity. If he loses; he’s gone from the company. And you can either have Dean win for the feel-good moment or have him lose, disappear for a few months and then return later on in the year.
But obviously; that’s all just fantasy booking. It might not happen- either because Dean is actually leaving or they’re doing a different story which obviously could happen. Regardless however; the Lunatic Fringe has the attention of the entire wrestling world again. Which cannot, ever, be a bad thing.