Dean Ambrose returned to WWE Raw just in time to help Seth Rollins overcome both Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, allowing “The Architect” to reclaim the Intercontinental Championship. While Ambrose and Rollins are the most cohesive unit in WWE right now, it’s only a matter of time before Ambrose chooses to chase the title that has eluded him.
Since making his return to WWE Raw after a torn triceps, Dean Ambrose has been a much more serious character. With a shorter haircut, a new move-set, and an even better physique, Ambrose looks like a man focused on achieving the biggest possible prize in WWE.
Ambrose has been one of the most successful superstars in WWE since debuting on the main roster at Survivor Series 2012 with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. “The Lunatic Fringe” (or “Fridge”, if you’re Rusev) is a two-time Intercontinental Champion, one-time United States Champion, a former Raw Tag Team Champion with Rollins, and a former WWE Champion.
Recall that Ambrose won his lone WWE Championship at the 2016 Money in the Bank Pay Per View when he cashed in on Rollins on the same night that he won the briefcase. Rollins had defeated Reigns for the WWE Championship, which led to Ambrose cashing in.
So Ambrose’s first world title victory came as a result of a one-night storyline involving all three members of The Shield. It makes me wonder if his first Universal Title victory could involve a long-term story that revolves around The Hounds of Justice.
A Man Of Few Words, But Not A Heel
Over the past several weeks on Raw, Ambrose has been a man of few words. He’s interacted with Rollins, Jinder Mahal, Braun Strowman, and other superstars, but he has largely kept quiet, letting his actions and menacing stare do the talking.
More from Daily DDT
- It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
- Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
- Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
- Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
- Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline
Quiet men are often the least trustworthy, and every time the camera pans to a silent Ambrose, it just seems like he’s pondering something as he stares off into the distance. You always get the sense that the gears are turning in Ambrose’s head. In some ways, he seems wiser than the character we saw pre-injury, because it feels like his actions are now pre-determined. Ambrose is no longer living moment-to-moment, acting on whims. He seems colder, more calculating, and even more rugged.
There’s been a strong belief among fans that Ambrose could turn heel on Seth in a few months, as the two have rebuilt their friendship over the past year. Their dominance as a tag team last summer allowed them to capture the Raw Tag Team Championships against The Bar at SummerSlam 2017, and they remain on the same wavelength.
Ambrose’s heel turn would be revenge against Rollins for what he did with a steel chair all those years ago, and while Ambrose finally forgave Rollins for his actions, some would say that Ambrose might be out for something more.
In my book, it might be better to keep things ambiguous with Ambrose. As Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have shown in the build to their feud at Hell in a Cell, storylines where best friends having a falling out don’t necessarily have to culminate in a defined heel turn. As long as the story makes sense and the characters have clearly-defined motivations, everything will work itself out.
The Path Together
At Hell in a Cell, Rollins and Ambrose will have their opportunity to become two-time Raw Tag Team Champions, as they’ll take on the pairing of Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. Ambrose and Rollins are familiar with their treachery, and this is a match that could go either way. But with Rollins locked in as the Intercontinental Champion, a Raw Tag Team Title victory doesn’t seem as likely for Rollins and Ambrose, at least not until the distant future.
I could see Rollins and Ambrose winning the Raw Tag Team Championships on an episode of Raw before Survivor Series, as the two finally conquer McIntyre and Ziggler after struggling at Hell in a Cell. With #Ambrollins now Raw Tag Team Champions, all three members of The Shield would hold gold, assuming Roman Reigns defeats Braun Strowman at The Pay Per View.
At Survivor Series, Rollins and Ambrose confirm to everyone that they are the best tag team in the land, by defeating SmackDown Live’s champions in a champion vs. champion match. They are on top of the world as tag champs, and nobody can stop them from running through all of the other Raw tag teams.
That is until Drake Maverick decides to write up his master plan and put it into action. He sees a world of potential in the Authors of Pain, whose dominant performance at NXT TakeOver: Chicago helped lead to a break up between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.
Heartbreak
At TLC 2018, the Authors of Pain get their first crack at the Raw Tag Team Championships. And they don’t come up short. Rezar and Akam prove to be too much for The Shield to handle, dominating a gimmicked match. Maverick’s instructions prove to be valuable, as the Authors of Pain decimate Ambrose and Rollins without a trace of mercy. The two are left broken in the center of the ring, as Maverick boasts about a new era of tag team wrestling in WWE.
Ambrose and Rollins try to win the tag titles back, but they come agonizingly close before ultimately falling short again on an episode of Raw. A frustrated Rollins makes his intention to enter into the Royal Rumble clear, having lost the Intercontinental Championship to Elias on the same night that Ambrose and Rollins lost the tag titles. His hubris, once again, his downfall, as he thought he could defend both titles.
Meanwhile, Ambrose enters himself into the Royal Rumble in a quieter manner. He slips “Acting GM” Baron Corbin a slip of paper, nods, angrily stares into the camera for a brief second, and then walks away without so much as moving his lips.
Credit: WWE.com
The Royal Rumble
When the Royal Rumble takes place, Rollins is the first entrant, but he’s prepared to go all the way. Rollins and Ambrose know that Reigns, who is still Universal Champion after withstanding everything that Braun Strowman has thrown at him, awaits them as Rumble winners. They are more than ready to face their “brother” at WrestleMania 35, especially since Rollins remembers how Reigns surprisingly eliminated him in 2017.
When Ambrose comes into the Rumble match in the 20th spot, it is absolute chaos. So Dean and Seth start doing what they do best. Working together to kick some ass. Corbin…Balor…Cesaro…Owens, they start taking out WWE’s biggest names on their own, and they work together to eliminate the biggest fish of them all in Strowman.
After tossing Strowman out of the ring, Ambrose and Rollins breathe heavily as they stare each other down. Rollins reaches out for a quick fist bump and Ambrose responds affirmatively, as the two focus their attention on the final man left with them. Randy Orton, who has his eyes set on WWE Champion AJ Styles (regained the title from Samoa Joe).
Although Orton’s nickname is “The Viper” and Rollins was the “rat” who betrayed The Shield, Ambrose is the one who goes into business for himself. He shoves Rollins into Orton’s path, as Rollins is RKO’d. Ambrose is shaking out of guilt for selling out Rollins, but he quickly collects himself in time to capitalize. Because while Orton is busy shoving Rollins out of the ring like he’s last week’s enhancement talent on Raw, Ambrose sends the most hellacious clothesline of his career to win the Royal Rumble.
The crowd cheers, but an eery hush immediately wafts over them as Ambrose stares down a crestfallen Rollins, who is half-consciously starring with glassy eyes at Ambrose in the ring. You can see the pain in Rollins’s eyes and the remorse in Ambrose’s eyes, but Dean blinks them away. He walks over by the announce table, calls for a mic, and turns to the WrestleMania 35 sign.
Ambrose Wants The Universal Title
But instead of pointing at the sign, he turns towards the stage and points in the general direction of the locker room. “Roman Reigns, ‘brother’, I don’t want you at WrestleMania. I want your ass on Raw tomorrow night!”
And the crowd goes nuts.
This new Ambrose isn’t about to let a rare opportunity that he created and asked for go to waste. After an intense back-and-forth, Ambrose is hit by a spear, and it seems like he’s about to lose. But he wisely rolls out of the ring, as the momentum from Reigns’s spear took Ambrose close enough to the ropes. Ambrose wisely buys himself a few minutes, but against Reigns, a few minutes isn’t enough.
With the fight on the outside, Ambrose turns the momentum by dodging Reigns at the last second. Reigns is now vulnerable after flying into the steel steps. He’s going in for the kill now, but he needs a big move to do it. Dean clears the announce table and is prepared to send Reigns through it.
Instead, Rollins shows up to save Reigns. But while he intends to stop Ambrose, he ends up getting in the way. Ambrose hits Reigns with a Dirty Deeds on the outside, rolls Reigns into the ring, and wins the Universal Title for the first time in his career. And Rollins is the most heartbroken man in the arena.
The Shield Triple Threat At WrestleMania
Because Rollins wants a piece of Ambrose after what happened at the Royal Rumble, he is angling for a shot at Ambrose’s Universal Title. Given the dubious circumstances surrounding his loss, Reigns has an even better case for a rematch.
So, at WrestleMania 35, it’s a Shield Triple Threat match with Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns finally facing each other all at once. And out of all three of them, Ambrose would have seemed the least likely to be the title-holder in this dream matchup. Yet after winning the Rumble, Ambrose will be defending the Universal Title in the main event of WrestleMania, simply because he was ruthless in picking his spot.
In this case, there’s no heel or face. There’s Dean Ambrose, who resourcefully and patiently created his own opportunity after missing months to injury. Then there’s Rollins, who is the most sympathetic of all three men after what happened at the Rumble. Of course, who can forget about Reigns, who seems like the favorite to win this match (I’d pick Rollins, though), especially given how he lost on the Raw after the Royal Rumble.
If all of this sounds like outlandish fantasy booking, then that’s because it is. But it’s fun to start wandering into the realm of fantasy when pro wrestling is involved, and I think this would be a great way of playing to the strengths of all three of these brilliant performers while building to a huge dream match at WrestleMania 35.