Dean Ambrose Reveals the Reason He Betrayed Seth Rollins on WWE ‘Raw’

Dean Ambrose’s betrayal of Seth Rollins remains one of the most shocking moments in recent WWE history. The fact that it happened on Roman Reigns’ last night made it all the more effective and all the more surprising. 

Indeed, fans were speechless when The Lunatic Fringe dropped Rollins in the middle of the ring. Why would WWE do this? Why do it on the same night that Roman announced his leukemia had returned? More importantly, what was WWE going to use as Dean’s reason for doing it in the first place? Judging from what happened on the November 12 edition of Monday Night Raw, there are no answers. Perhaps there won’t be.

This is surely not what fans were expecting. Ambrose could have any number of reasons to turn his back on Seth Rollins. Maybe he saw an opportunity to move up in Roman’s absence and decided to make a statement against Seth in order to do it. He could always remind everyone that Rollins did it first. How could anyone blame Dean for wanting to be on top after spending the past few years watching his Shield brothers enjoying main event glory?

Why not admit that Roman was the only one keeping the group together? Maybe Dean’s resentment over Seth’s own betrayal of The Shield in 2014 had never truly left. Perhaps Ambrose could’ve told the world that he was only playing along out of respect to Reigns but now everything had changed. Fans may not have been insanely happy with either explanation but at least it would’ve been enough to get things moving between Ambrose and Rollins.

Watch Dean’s promo from the November 12 edition of Raw:

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

But instead, Ambrose made it known that he didn’t appreciate the way Seth talked to him. He believed that Rollins treated him like a charity case. Then Dean burned his Shield riot gear in a symbolic gesture. As fans begin to process what they’ve seen, it must be said that maybe WWE has already dropped the ball here.

It’s not to say that Dean’s heel turn has been wasted. It’s also not to suggest that Ambrose’s new direction shouldn’t be taken. After all, Roman’s departure does open the door for something new. Dean has put his time in and deserves a shot at the top. He’s been the WWE champion before of course but he always seemed to be in the shadow of his Shield brothers. 

Now he’s on his own and he’s determined to make an impact. He wants more than what he had and he wants it now. Ambrose has waited for his turn and his turn has finally come. Giving him a fresh take on his character is a good thing and feuding him with the red-hot Seth Rollins is even better. This storyline makes sense for everyone involved and the sooner it can really get going, the better.

But Dean got his feelings hurt and that’s why he betrayed Seth on Raw? Does that make sense? Ambrose has no real motivation for going solo other than feeling unappreciated? Dean was in a three-man group that was too busy waging war with the majority of the roster for the bulk of their run to worry about making anyone feel sad about anything. The Shield wasn’t about showing unconditional love between its members. The Shield was about showing dominance and that’s exactly what the trio did, week in and week out.

Watch the trailer for Ambrose’s Chronicle:

WWE Chronicle: Dean Ambrose trailer

The most important thing here of course is that regardless of whether anyone else understands it, Dean is the one that must believe he’s right. A heel’s mind doesn’t work the same way as everyone else’s does. A heel operates out of anger, fear and oftentimes, paranoia. Sometimes it’s ego that takes over. Other times, it’s the need to be in full control that determines just how far the heel will go. 

So even though fans likely wanted a better explanation, the fact is they may not get it. The Shield imploded the first time and this time, it simply just fell apart. The Hounds of Justice had their time on top and now Dean Ambrose is alone on the hunt. The only question is, what happens now?

Rollins is facing off against Shinsuke Nakamura at Survivor Series on Sunday, November 18. The Intercontinental champion is facing the United States champion for the first time and while neither title is on the line, bragging rights certainly are. Many WWE fans believe this match will steal the show and they’re probably right. Many more believe that Dean Ambrose will make his presence known during the match and they’re probably right about that as well.

But even if Dean costs Seth the win at Survivor Series, what happens next? Seth and Dean have yet to wage war and it’s obvious that WWE is saving the match for a big event later on. There are four pay-per-views between Survivor Series and WrestleMania 35. It’s obvious that Rollins versus Ambrose is a main event match on any card and WWE would certainly love to deliver it at just the right time. But it seems unlikely that WrestleMania is that time.

Watch Rollins from Raw on November 5:

Seth Rollins is done asking Dean Ambrose questions: Raw Exclusive, Nov. 5, 2018

Five months is just too long. Seth and Dean are heading for a major showdown and that showdown is going to happen soon. But this feud, though not necessarily about Seth’s Intercontinental Championship, is certainly going to feature the title. Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is not around and he only defends his title on pay-per-view. The IC championship has really become the top title on the red brand, so its overall importance will play a role in this rivalry.

Of course unless Dean comes out of this with the title and more momentum than ever before, then it’s perhaps all for nothing. WWE had an opportunity to create three new main roster megastars with The Shield. That’s exactly what the company did. Now WWE has the opportunity to elevate one of those stars higher than he’s ever been before. Whether or not that will truly happen remains to be seen.

 

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