Seth Rollins Needs Dean Ambrose To Win The IC Title Back

Seth Rollins is as determined as ever, because he is out to reclaim what’s his. The Intercontinental Championship. Standing in his way are Dolph Ziggler, who holds the title, and Drew McIntyre. Every time Seth seems to have the upper hand, the rug is pulled out from under him. If he is to win the IC Title back, he must even the odds with Dean Ambrose’s help.

There are many great “bromances” in entertainment, but one of my favorites has to be the brotherly bond between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. When the two reunited last year after Rollins finally re-earned Ambrose’s trust after callously betraying him years ago, the anticipation towards their eventual reign as Raw Tag Team Champions was absolutely infectious. And when they won the titles at SummerSlam, the pop was boisterous.

Unfortunately, Ambrose suffered an injury in December 2017 and has been out of action since then. His expected return date is after SummerSlam, which puts Rollins in a bit of a bind at the “Biggest Party of the Summer” itself.

See, Rollins is in pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship, which he initially won at WrestleMania 34 in a Triple Threat match with Finn Balor and The Miz. He would defend the title successfully week after week, defeating the likes of Balor, Miz, Mojo Rawley, Kevin Owens, and Elias in show-stealing singles matches.

Unfortunately, the same drive that made Rollins such a tremendous champion was his fatal flaw. After being taken to the limit by an upstart Elias at Money in the Bank – Rollins needed to use the tights to win – he called for an “Open Challenge” the following night on Raw. And lo and behold, it was the wily Dolph Ziggler who stole the Intercontinental Championship away from The Kingslayer, pulling the tights like the crafty old veteran he is.

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Everyone knows that while Ziggler is an excellent competitor in his own right as a six-time IC Champion, even he can’t hang with Rollins in that ring. Seth himself said that in a backstage promo, and that’s the sort of confidence that comes with being “The Man”.

Seth has been a world champion in WWE, he’s cashed in the Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania, he’s beaten Triple H at WrestleMania, and he’s pinned Roman Reigns and John Cena in back-to-back matches.

Yet not even Rollins can overcome the dynamic duo of Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, who are out to prove that they are “The Show”, despite the fact that they are going up against a man nicknamed “Monday Night Rollins”.

At Extreme Rules, Rollins was dominating Ziggler before McIntyre decided to get involved. All of the subsequent falls Ziggler scored were caused by McIntyre, who inflicted serious punishment on a completely blindsided Rollins, who simply had no chance of beating essentially two men at once.

With McIntyre and Ziggler working together as a finely tuned machine who have each other’s backs at all costs, Rollins is almost fighting in a handicap match whenever he steps into the ring with one of them.

Last night on Raw, Rollins had a chance to exact revenge on McIntyre for a go-home match before Extreme Rules (and for McIntyre’s actions at the Pay Per View). He was about to win, having countered an electric chair position into a roll-up. McIntyre kicked out, but Seth smoothly smashed his head into the canvas with “The Stomp”.

But before he could capitalize, there was the Intercontinental Champion himself to break up the pinfall and cause a disqualification. Ziggler had McIntyre’s back, just as McIntyre has his. They have become an inseparable team in just months, meaning that it will take an equally special duo to break their stranglehold on that IC Championship.

Enter Dean Ambrose.

I can’t think of a single duo in the WWE Men’s Division that is superior to the tandem of Rollins and Ambrose. And while Rollins might be able to overcome both McIntyre and Ziggler on his own, the fact of the matter is that it’s just too daunting of a task.

When Rollins was approached by Renee Young backstage, and Young brought up how frustrated “The Architect” must be to have to deal with McIntyre and Ziggler single-handedly. As fate would have it, McIntyre and Ziggler attacked him from behind shortly after, laying him out backstage without any sign of remorse. Rollins may have gotten the upper-hand in the post-match brawl, but, as always, any advantage Rollins has in this program is fleeting.

Rollins’s ego will never let him admit that he needs help. He’ll admirably yell that he has no quit, and while that’s true, sometimes he has to realize when he needs help. With Roman tied up with Brock Lesnar, though, Rollins doesn’t have anyone to turn to.

That is, of course, until Ambrose comes back. Ambrose’s fearlessness and brawling abilities would immediately level the playing field for Rollins. The numerical advantage that McIntyre and Ziggler hold would be a wash, and Ambrose’s experience and fire would honestly give the babyfaces a decisive advantage. While McIntyre and Ziggler are on the same page now, Ambrose and Rollins have far more history together, making it extremely difficult for them to be beat.

Clearly, Rollins is more than capable of beating Ziggler or McIntyre one-on-one, but time after time, he’s been thwarted by having to contend with two men at once. He needs Ambrose now more than ever if he wants to #BurnItDown with the Intercontinental Championship, and when Dean returns to help his brother, the scene will be like nothing else we’ve seen this year.