Opinion
Requiem For A Dean: The Departure of Dean Ambrose
“On Tuesday afternoon, the wrestling world was shook to its core as news broke of the WWE departure of Dean Ambrose, one of the biggest stars WWE has had this decade, even in spite of some poor booking and mismanagement.”
Kevin Carroll takes a look at the pending departure of Dean Ambrose from WWE.
Dean Ambrose, we hardly knew ya.
On Tuesday afternoon, the wrestling world was shook to its core as news broke of the WWE departure of Dean Ambrose, one of the biggest stars WWE has had this decade, even in spite of some poor booking and mismanagement.
WWE took to Twitter to confirm the news, stating: “Dean Ambrose will not be renewing his contract with WWE when it expires in April. We are grateful and appreciative of all that Dean has given to WWE and our fans. We wish him well and hope that one day Dean will return to WWE.”
This has understandably been a huge blow to plenty of Ambrose fans across the world, myself included. I always thought that Dean still had plenty of untapped potential, a whole new side of him just waiting to be explored by WWE.
It seems we may never get to see that.
Work Yourself Into A Shoot, Brother!
Now, let’s talk about it. I fanned the flames a bit myself on Twitter the other night by suggesting that the whole thing could be a work, WWE putting one over on all us fans. This was a sentiment shared (and still believed) by a large number of wrestling fans.
But I don’t buy it anymore. Who’s to benefit by WWE making a storyline out of this, and potentially damaging their relationships with the mainstream press who’ve been reporting on this story? Is any pop you could muster worth burning those bridges?
Also, what’s really changed your mind is the outpouring of support and love for Ambrose on social media. From his wife, Renee Young, to Rusev and everyone in between, WWE superstars have been displaying their respect for Ambrose. It feels way too much like a goodbye to be a work at this point. I’m officially announcing my renouncement of that line of thinking, after one whole day.
So it seems we’ve reached the end of an era here in WWE, the Era of Ambrose. Since his game-changing debut back in 2012 as part of The Shield alongside his cronies Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, three men that will be tied together for the rest of time, Ambrose has been a consistent part of the main event scene, with only injury keeping him out of at least the upper-midcard.
I’ll never forget that night, Survivor Series 2012. You’ll never see a debut like The Shield’s, turning the WWE completely on its head when the black-clad trio interrupted the WWE Title match main event, laying waste to competitors and announce tables alike and putting the whole wrestling world on notice.
I don’t know about all of my faithful readers, but I was always drawn to Dean Ambrose. Rollins and Reigns looked like professional wrestlers, but this Ambrose guy looked like a psychopath. Never without a snarl on his face, Ambrose’s way of speaking on the mic had me hooked from the very start.
Through thick and thin, through a WWE Title victory and a talk show with Mitch the Potted Plant, I stuck with Ambrose. Ambrose Asylums, injuries, Brock Lesnar – none of those calamities could kill my Dean Ambrose fandom. Because I always knew he was destined for more.
That still may hold true. WWE is no longer the end all be all of professional wrestling, we’ve seen the landscape of the sport drastically change over the last couple years. Ambrose is a big enough star in this industry to have his pick of where he goes next, whether it be Impact, AEW or back home to Cincinnati, he will get to call his own shot.
We’ve seen the artist formerly known as Neville take his leave, and he’s already the talk of the town. Hideo Itami will be leaving next. It’s certainly not out of the ordinary to leave WWE and seek better fortunes elsewhere, but we’ve yet to see it with a star on the level of Ambrose.
But I’d like to point one thing out before I conclude: the end of that WWE statement from above.
“We wish him well and hope that one day Dean will return to WWE.”
In the words of the inimitable Lloyd Christmas: So, you’re telling me there’s a chance?
You could never say never in the world of pro wrestling, we’ve seen that time and time again. This isn’t WWE future endeavoring Ambrose, this is them wishing him well and hoping he’ll return somewhere down the road. He very well may, but if he doesn’t, that’s fine too.
Although I’ll follow Dean’s career wherever he ends up, it just won’t be the same as seeing the Lunatic Fringe (the worst nickname ever) tearing up Monday Night RAW or Smackdown Live.
I’ll forever hold out hope that we’ll hear that familiar intro once again, that we’ll get one more Shield fist bump. But whatever the future holds for Dean Ambrose, one thing is for sure: His presence is one that will surely be missed around the WWE.
Believe that.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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