Dean Ambrose: His Future Might Be His Past

Most wrestling experts would make the claim that Dean Ambrose is the third most valuable member of The Shield. Roman Reigns is the unquestioned future top star of WWE. Seth Rollins was arguably the strongest pushed WWE Superstar for a period of two years, constantly receiving major wins & accomplishments at the expense of some of WWE’s biggest stars.

Ambrose doesn’t receive the accolades that Reigns & Rollins get. The one thing he’s excelled at over the past five years has been showing up.

Dean Ambrose was the current WWE iron man (1,054 matches between 3/3/2012
and 12/18/2017) when he got hurt. He had a gap of 37 days in 2012 and 35 days in 2014 but 2013 was only 13 days, 2015 was only 8 days, 2016 was only 6 days and 2017 was only 12 days. #wrestlenomics

— Chris Harrington (@mookieghana) December 26, 2017

Some amazing numbers there. While Reigns & Rollins both missed time due to injuries, Ambrose kept going out there and doing his thing. He took some time off in 2014 to make a movie, and was written off of TV by Seth Rollins curbstomping his head through some cinder blocks. It takes a lot to put Dean Ambrose out of commission.

That’s why he connects so well with people in the crowds. Most of us are working-class stiffs whose best skill just might be showing up for work. Whether we’re a little under the weather, or we don’t want to be there, or whatever the issue might be, we go to work to pay the bills. We give everything we have, whether the boss man appreciates it or not. That’s what Dean Ambrose does. Whether he’s appreciated as much as his Shield brothers are or not, he shows up and puts in his time. He might not always have the best match, but he’ll put in as much effort as anybody on any show he’s working. His charisma & presence might not be what certain people think makes a star, but it’s what he can bring to the table.

Unfortunately, every wrestler eventually reaches his breaking point. It’s not a matter of if you’re going to get injured, but when it’ll happen & how long it’ll put you out. Considering the types of things Ambrose has put himself through during his career, it’s amazing it’s taken this long for him to miss a good amount of time.

A triceps tear will lead to nine months on the shelf for the Lunatic Fringe. For a man that’s missed little time over the past five years, that will feel like a lifetime. It’s one thing to get a nice little vacation. It’s another to sit at home for nine months. Even with Renee Young at home, that’s gotta be rough.

Not all is lost. In fact, maybe some time away is just what Dean Ambrose needs. It’ll give him a chance to refresh his batteries. To contemplate his future. To consider new ideas…or perhaps bring back some old ones.

Early this decade, there was a ton of hype surrounding the man then known as Jon Moxley. His charisma made him stand out from the pack. Watching CZW or DGUSA or other independent shows he appeared on at the time, it was obvious that his speaking ability was on another level from everybody else in the indies. He had the potential to go places. The thing people wondered at the time was if he could make the transition without losing his edge.

He got the developmental contract. Dean Ambrose emerged in Florida Championship Wrestling and was like nothing in WWE’s developmental system at the time. People marveled at his promos at the time and declared him the future of the business. Comparisons were made to Roddy Piper, Brian Pillman & other great unhinged bad guys. Dean Ambrose was going to be the next great WWE top heel. That didn’t quite happen. Dean’s career took a different route than we all expected.

The Shield was a great & powerful thing. At the time it launched, we expected Ambrose to emerge as the top star of the group. Roman Reigns obviously had a bright future with his look & low key charisma, but Ambrose had all the personality. Seth Rollins certainly didn’t have the charisma, and he was lucky to be part of that group because he’d be in for a struggle in WWE without those guys. Ambrose was going to be the leader & the mastermind of the group, and when it split he would definitely be the top heel in WWE.

Turns out that was Seth Rollins’ destiny. Ambrose’s destiny was to be one of WWE’s top babyfaces. It’s been a bumpy ride, but one that has been successful overall. Even though Ambrose routinely lost major matches, was considered miscast, didn’t impress Steve Austin on a podcast & was relegated to main eventing on the “B tour”, he still rated as one of WWE’s most popular performers & even occasionally outdrew Reigns & the “A tour” that ran in bigger markets & bigger arenas. Dean Ambrose’s working-class lunatic hero character wasn’t as appealing to Internet fans as his previous persona was, but it worked for the WWE Universe.

Internet fans may end up getting what they want, though. They say that idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Dean Ambrose is going to have idle hands for the next several months. He’ll have time to stew over his current predicament & how he isn’t as well-respected as his Shield brothers. Seth Rollins just won the Raw Tag Team Championship with Jason Jordan, not his regular tag team partner Dean Ambrose. Roman Reigns is currently the Intercontinental Champion, and odds are that bigger prizes will come his way soon enough.

Keeping busy is a good way to avoid letting the difficulties of life drag you down. Why do you think I write for so many websites during any spare time I get from work? The more I do, the less I think about the things that bother me. I’m too busy to worry. Dean Ambrose has been almost constantly on the road for six years. He hasn’t had time to worry about the things he hasn’t done. He hasn’t sat around and thought about how he isn’t the revolutionary, business-changing personality that everybody thought he would be. Now, he will.

Don’t be surprised if the Dean Ambrose that returns to WWE television is pretty close to what we saw from him in FCW and independent wrestling.