WWE News: Plans For The Dean Ambrose WWE World Heavyweight Championship Reign
The WWE is selling the Seth Rollins title reign from Money in the Bank as the shortest in the history of the company. Rollins beat the now-suspended Roman Reigns clean in the show’s main event, but Dean Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, and a grand total of one minute and 59 seconds later, he became the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In one night, all three members of The Shield held the title, with Ambrose leaving Las Vegas as the champ.
With the recent bombshell of Reigns violating the WWE Wellness Policy, many thought he would be removed from the main event at Battleground, featuring the long-awaited triple treat between Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose. As of now, however, the plan is to keep Reigns in the match despite not being able to appear on any of the television tapings in the build-up. The company could easily go with Ambrose vs Rollins, but they are committing to the three-way.
It would stand to reason that because of Reigns’ suspension and the fact that Ambrose just won the title, Dean would be the clear-cut favorite at Battleground. However, Cageside Seats is reporting that Ambrose’s championship reign is not expected to last long. There are even discussions to have him drop the belt next month, which may come as a surprise to many. The fact that the Reigns experiment as the company’s top babyface has failed while the reception for Dean Ambrose has been widely positive makes this one a bit of a head-scratcher.
If Roman Reigns comes back from suspension to win at Battleground, the company will be cast in a poor light unless they bring him back as a huge heel. There have even been whispers that some superstars in the company believe Reigns is receiving preferential treatment over the Wellness Policy violation and that anyone else besides John Cena and maybe Seth Rollins would have been removed from the main event. But if they decided to pull the trigger on a Reigns heel turn and give him back the championship, the Ambrose (or even Rollins for that matter) chase to reclaim it would be that much more compelling.
Originally, the Inquisitr reported that the main reason for switching the title from Reigns to Ambrose was due to the dwindling house show numbers on the events where Reigns was the headliner. With Cena out with an injury, Ambrose headlined the “B” shows and had comparable attendance figures to the “A” shows led by Reigns, which came with a more expensive ticket. That all plays a part in the switch, but Reigns losing clean to a heel Rollins is a clear indication of a “punishment” for Roman failing the drug test.
As alluded to previously, Ambrose has never fully been booked to chase the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Yes, he was in three straight main events spanning May and June of 2015 and even got a championship match against Triple H at this year’s Roadblock. However, Dean was constantly pushed right back into the mid-card at every turn, devaluing his place in the main event scene, and fans never got the feeling he’d go over once he got there. On RAW, he claimed he’s been chasing the championship for two long years, and while that may be personally true, the booking never caught up to him.
Dean Ambrose is the babyface champion that Roman Reigns never was. And Reigns may only get back to that place via the heel turn fans have been demanding for more than a year. By putting the title on Ambrose, WWE has legitimized his place atop the card. And even if they strip him of it before any lengthy run takes form, the chase to recapture it will mean a whole lot more. The one major caveat that remains is whether he’ll chase right away or be given the second World Title in lieu of the upcoming brand extension.
[Image via WWE]
