Dean Ambrose Loses His Edge and the Silliness Returns in WWE

Dean Ambrose’s betrayal of Seth Rollins on Monday Night Raw remains one of the most shocking moments in recent WWE history. It was an important night for The Shield because of Roman Reigns’ sudden departure. The Big Dog was going home to fight leukemia and he left his brothers to keep fighting in his absence.

But in the weeks following Dean’s turn, something very regrettable has happened. Much to the dismay of many WWE fans, The Lunatic Fringe’s new direction has taken an unexpected turn and his character is sinking back into a routine. The man that dared to devour the moment and strike in The Shield’s hour of need, has derailed. The question is what went wrong?

Saying that this failure to follow through was unexpected is perhaps a bit unfair. After all, WWE doesn’t always hit the mark. Longtime viewers can testify to that fact. It’s always tough to predict whether or not fans will accept certain storylines and more importantly, certain characters.

So when WWE moved forward with Dean’s betrayal, the company rolled the dice. The initial shock was a great way to spark the angle but the onus was on WWE to carry it forward from that point on. A great beginning is only the beginning but the hard work comes after that. Everyone from the Superstars to the creative forces behind the scenes, must be on point. The WWE faithful must buy in. The entire process must be fluid, it must harmonize with all parts working together. When that happens, magic is made.

Watch Ambrose burn his vest on Raw:

Dean Ambrose sets his Shield vest on fire: Raw, Nov. 12, 2018

But when things go south, the angle falls apart. This is precisely where Ambrose and Rollins are right now. The fact that Dean refused to explain himself was perfect. He kept the fans wondering, he forced them to speculate. By not giving into Seth’s demands for a fight, Ambrose took full control of the situation. 

The only thing Rollins could do was sit back and wonder why. The fans did the same. Only Ambrose knew why he did what he did. The time would come when he would have to answer for his actions and maybe then he would explain himself. In the meantime, Ambrose maintained his edge and the storyline’s intensity grew. All was well.

But then Ambrose finally broke his silence and that part didn’t go quite as well. Dean’s reason for stabbing his best friend and brothers in the back was painfully simple: they didn’t appreciate him. Was this really the direction WWE decided to go with Dean Ambrose? This was the best that the company had for him?

Dean Ambrose earned his reputation as the unpredictable wildcard of The Shield. He was the one that would do and say anything at any time. He was the first one to the fight and he was the last one to leave. No one could handle The Lunatic Fringe because he was too crazy to know when he had gone too far. No one could stop him because he never knew when too much was too much.

Watch Ambrose attack Rollins:

Seth Rollins attacks Dean Ambrose: Raw, Nov. 19, 2018

Ambrose was the Johnny Ringo of The Shield. There was no limit to how far he would go and he had no respect for anyone he came into contact with. The most important thing to him was his gang. The Shield was all that mattered.

But suddenly, Ambrose acted completely out of character and decided that Roman and Seth didn’t appreciate his contributions to the team. He was an outcast and felt isolated. Dean Ambrose couldn’t take the pressure anymore. Ambrose essentially got his feelings hurt. This was evidently why he chose to destroy The Shield when the group needed him the most.

That was likely the moment when fans realized that something wasn’t right. Was this actually the reason Dean had for going rogue? Ambrose’s symbolic burning of his Shield tactical vest wasn’t as surprising as his reason for leaving in the first place. In fact, the gesture made perfect sense. Why not burn the vest and leave his past in the past? It was a definite statement on his part and fans received the point loud and clear.

But when Dean suggested that Roman was now paying the price for The Shield’s sins, fans once again groaned. How could WWE go this route? Why use Reigns’ physical health in such a cheap way? Was the leukemia really being used as a storyline point? What about the man fighting the disease? Roman, his family and friends, are all directly affected by this situation. Why use it on TV?

Watch Dean get “inoculated” on Raw:

Dean Ambrose gets a series of inoculations: Raw, Nov. 26, 2018

Of course when it comes to WWE, nothing is out of bounds and most fans know that. The outrage was loud and it was persistent but at the very least, WWE was attempting to tell a story. However it was yet another unfortunate moment for Dean’s character. Maybe Ambrose didn’t present his side in the most understandable way. Perhaps WWE didn’t give him enough material to work with. Or maybe none of this should be happening in the first place.

As this storyline continues, Dean Ambrose’s Chronicle special is replaying on Youtube. The program is meant to give some insight into the moments leading to Ambrose’s betrayal of Rollins. It’s a compelling bit of programming as it’s difficult to know how much of the special is him and how much is storyline. But how often has WWE promoted this special on live TV? It’s as if the company is hiding the special in plain sight. Why?

By the time Dean Ambrose bent over for a shot in his hip on Raw, many fans were likely ready to tap out. Dean’s spiteful words sound hollow amidst the painful death of his character. Dean is indeed back to being a silly caricature of himself. His edge is gone and so too is the heart of this storyline.

Can WWE save this angle? Is it possible that great moments lay ahead for Dean Ambrose? Or is the storyline now crippled beyond repair? The real answer may come at TLC on December 16. Seth will put his Intercontinental Championship on the line against Ambrose on that night and it could very well be that they will steal the show. There is still an intriguing story to be told here. With any luck, WWE will figure out what it is.

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live