Dean Ambrose: Why He’s Not Ready To Be ‘The Guy,’ According To Wrestling Insider
When Dean Ambrose scaled the ladder and took the briefcase at Money in the Bank, few fans bought into the idea that he would cash it in later that evening to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
When that actually happened, it was one of those “pinch me” moments for his long-suffering fans, and that next night’s ratings showed a marked jump from previous weeks.
It seemed like WWE was finally throwing its weight behind the guy who was already “over” instead of trying to ram Roman Reigns down the internet wrestling community’s throats.
However, in the fallout of Money in the Bank, it was revealed that Reigns had violated the company’s Wellness Policy, and the decision to take the belt off him was out of necessity rather than a creative change of heart.
No matter.
Fans were glad to have Dean Ambrose as “the guy.” However, some wrestling insiders are now sounding off that it was a mistake and that the Lunatic Fringe just isn’t ready for the spotlight.
On a recent episode of MLW Radio, commentator and professional wrestler Mister Saint Laurent decried the booking decision, stating that Dean Ambrose just wasn’t ready for the big leagues.
On putting him as the “top babyface,” MSL had this to say.
“I don’t see him as a guy that works in that role. One of the positives is that people don’t boo him when he comes out, so I guess for a company that was struggling in some ways, there are positives to it. [But] I don’t see him as a long-term solution.”
The reason for that? MSL says that it’s because of how he’d been booked leading up to the title exchange.
“When you look at the top guys in the company — Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns — who did he ever beat? And I know sometimes fans get upset and say, ‘Stop criticizing, I like that guy.’ But we’re not criticizing. He’s an incredible talent, but if you were going to put him in this spot, this isn’t the way.”
MSL has a point. Prior to taking the Money in the Bank briefcase and then cashing it in later that night, Dean Ambrose had dropped somewhat lengthy feuds to Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Brock Lesnar, as well as Triple H.
In the case of Lesnar, the payoff match wasn’t even that close, with many calling it a glorified squash match.
WWE tried recouping the Dean Ambrose image by giving him the nod in a feud against Chris Jericho, but Jericho hasn’t been considered for title contention in ages and was even once used as enhancement talent for Fandango.
While the comments from MSL are already drawing criticism online –#NationalAmbroseDay is today as a source of support — his point was not to bash Dean Ambrose as a performer, but to point out that it’s hard to accept him as the face of the company rather than a flash in the pan when he has had to “do the honors” for others with limited bounce back.
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— Dean Ambrose Vines (@DeanAmbroseVine) July 3, 2016
Nevertheless, the win at Money in the Bank got a huge pop, and fans appear ready to keep supporting Ambrose as he heads into Battleground with the belt.
The question from here, however, is how do you book him?
If WWE decides to keep the belt on him after Battleground, then they may be content to back him until SummerSlam. That would mean Dean would have to start getting stronger booking from now until then.
But if the company decides to put the belt back on Reigns or Seth Rollins, then it appears he was just a last-minute decision brought about because of Reigns’ misstep.
But what do you think, readers?
Should WWE keep the belt on Dean Ambrose, and is MSL wrong on his assessment? Sound off in the comments section.
[Image via WWE]
