This past week, the shocking news was revealed that Dean Ambrose will not continue working with WWE once his contract expires in April of this year. Rumors started flying that he would be leaving, and then, WWE confirmed it by announcing it across their social media sites. Now, many are wondering if the “Lunatic Fringe” will just sit out the remainder of his deal, but his upcoming schedule says very differently.
In the last few weeks, there have been a number of superstars who have expressed their dissatisfaction with their positions in WWE. Not only is Dean Ambrose leaving WWE in April, but Hideo Itami (KENTA) is also said to be on his way out as well.
There have also been reports of The Revival, Mike and Maria Kanellis, and Dolph Ziggler leaving too, but for now, that remains speculation.
With All Elite Wrestling becoming another option where wrestlers can work, it has really started things rumbling again in the rumor department. There is discussion of some superstars jumping ship, not re-signing, or straight-up asking for their releases to go work elsewhere.
Earlier this week, the rumblings started about Ambrose, and then WWE shocked everyone. Not only did they reveal he would not be renewing his contract once it expired, but they posted it all over the place on social media.
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According to PW Insider , Dean Ambrose will not just sit out the remainder of his contract and leave quietly. He is actually scheduled to be on the road this weekend for WWE Live Events and he’s even scheduled for upcoming TV tapings as well.
It’s not yet known what WWE will do with Ambrose or if they’ll actually involve him in any kind of new or continuing storylines. For the past few weeks, Ambrose has been in a program with Seth Rollins and most recently crossed paths with Nia Jax and Tamina on Monday Night Raw .
When Ambrose let WWE know on Monday that he would not be renewing his contract in April, it was shocking to a lot of people. According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter , by way of Wrestling Inc. , Dave Meltzer believes this entire situation is real and not an angle being put on by WWE and Ambrose.
Backstage, a number of superstars still believe this to be a work because WWE never announces departures as they have with Ambrose. Other members of the talent roster were already aware of his decision to leave, but most didn’t find out until the announcement on Tuesday.
Dean Ambrose is said to have turned down a very lucrative five-year contract from WWE, which is said to have been worth seven figures. He is good friends with Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho, but it isn’t known if he will actually join All Elite Wrestling. For now, mostly everyone is moving forward with the idea that he is really leaving, but Ambrose won’t be off the schedule until his contract is actually up.