At WWE Money in the Bank , fans went crazy when Seth Rollins beat Roman Reigns cleanly in the ring. It was a shock to many, as most expected Roman Reigns to retain at least through WWE SummerSlam this August. The reason Reigns would drop the title became clear two days later when it was found he tested positive for a banned substance under the WWE Wellness Policy. Regardless, Rollins did as he said he would and beat the Samoan Powerhouse.
Sadly for Rollins, just seconds later, Dean Ambrose would come out to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase he won a bit earlier that night. He would go on to beat Seth and become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career. Ambrose’s win was loved by fans, as no one expected to see it happen. Fans cheered for a long time that night then chants of “you deserve it” came out from fans the next night on WWE RAW .
Dean Ambrose has worked hard in his career and winning a World Title is clearly a big deal for his career. Interestingly, this entire thing set up a triple threat possibility for WWE Battleground as Reigns and Rollins both deserve rematches for the WWE World Title. This does make sense and the match with these three had to happen before the WWE Draft took place. Once the brand split becomes official, it seems obvious that WWE won’t keep all three former Shield members on the same brand.
That is understandable, so clearly this match needed to happen. While some fans feel that Reigns being in a title match in any way is wrong, WWE is still going through with it regardless for the event. Naturally, with Rollins just now returning and Reigns having issues with the Wellness Policy, we would easily assume Dean Ambrose would retain the title right? Apparently not. According to The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, WWE still plans to do the Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns match for the WWE Title at WWE SummerSlam.
This means one of these two men will win the title at Battleground . Of course, the plans Dave heard of were in place before Reigns was suspended. Nothing seemed to change, which means we can expect to see Reigns back in the main event scene on a consistent basis regardless of his suspension for his first violation of the Wellness Policy.
If WWE did feel the need to still make this match, one would imagine they would have Seth Rollins win it at Battleground . Having Reigns win would send fans into a fury due to Reigns being suspended. WWE openly spoke of the suspension as well, so even fans who aren’t considered “marks” or “smarks” know about the whole situation. Casual fans see the issue with Reigns just as much as anyone.
People were already booing Reigns before this, and chances are they will again. Having him go into Brooklyn for SummerSlamas a champion or even as a challenger would be signing his death warrant as a babyface. Fans there will make him a heel whether WWE wants him to be or not. Either way, Reigns is screwed going into such a match there. One would then imagine that plans should change for the betterment of his character.
Of course, Dean Ambrose would then deserve a rematch himself if he loses. With the draft upcoming, clearly this could not happen unless he was on the same brand with the new champion. If that were the case, the match at SummerSlam with Rollins or Reigns could not occur due to the split. With all of this craziness, WWE may have Ambrose lose only to be back in another World Title picture at the event.
Interestingly, WWE has now changed his title to the WWE Championship , leading to many believing in the rumor of two World Titles being a factor in WWE once again after the WWE Draft next week. That means Ambrose certainly won’t be out of the main event picture whether he wins or loses at Battleground . That said, fans of Dean Ambrose should not get too upset if he loses as he will be in the title picture for some time.
[Image via WWE]