Dean Ambroses Time in WWE was full of missed opportunities. His potential was clear and he has reached that potential after exiting the promotion and has arguably become one of the biggest stars in AEW today, in addition to dominating the independent scene and appearing in several different promotions as a major magnet. When it comes to his time in WWE, there were a few good moments, a lot of bad moments, and a collection of others in between. While his heel run wasn’t great in WWE, the turn itself is one of the best moments of his entire career (if you ignore everything else around it).
Dean Ambrose became the third and least important member of the shield
When The Shield debuted in WWE, Dean Ambrose initially seemed to be the focus of the trio. He appeared to be the de facto leader early in their run, becoming US Champion while Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins became Tag Team Champions. As time went by, Ambrose began to feel less like the leading man, and Reigns grew into whoever WWE wanted to endorse as a breakthrough name. Up until 2014, The Shield was one of the most popular acts in the company – until Seth Rollins turned his back on the group when he joined The Authority.
During the summer, Rollins and Ambrose feuded, although it was clear that Ambrose was not a priority for creativity. He became very second fiddle from there, save for a brief push as WWE Champion in 2016. Most of the time, he was either in the midcard or the sidekick of either Reigns or Rollins (after the two rekindled their friendship). Speaking of the revival that took place in 2018, it seemed like something was different about Ambrose — a side of him that wasn’t necessarily on board when he hooked up with Rollins.
Dean Ambrose’s long-awaited heel turn was a breathtaking moment
Fans had been desperate for an Ambrose heel turn ever since The Shield babyfaced, as his good guy runs hadn’t brought him too much success over the years. WWE hasn’t left much behind in terms of content and feuds, feeling like an afterthought most of the time while other Superstars surpassed him. It was high time for a change for Ambrose as he desperately needed a heel to revitalize his career.
On the October 22, 2018 episode of Raw, it was an emotional night for the reunited Shield. Universal Champion Roman Reigns revealed he was battling leukemia again and gave a heartbreaking speech before being hugged by Rollins and Ambrose on stage. Later that night, Ambrose and Rollins challenged the team of Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler for the Raw Tag Team Titles, winning the belts in a magnificent manner to cap a truly moving night for the members of The Shield. And then Ambrose turned heel.
Ambrose attacked Rollins, delivering a brutal and violent attack and taking advantage of the emotional atmosphere in the building, ripping the heart out of Rollins and the audience. It was a breathtaking moment and perhaps the most perfect way to make the best of a terrible situation. Ambrose filming Rollins also made perfect sense since Rollins had done it to him a few years earlier. Ambrose couldn’t overlook the changes made by Rollins, who harbored years of anger and revenge. Michael Cole’s only words during this time were “not tonight, not that night”. It was a powerful performance before he fell silent at what he saw.
WWE ruined Dean Ambrose’s heel run
In a capsule, that moment was phenomenal. Ambrose’s conflict and anger on his face made for a standout performance as he struggled with his demons but ultimately bowed to them when he knocked out his former brother on the same night as Reigns’ cancer announcement. It was an immersive television experience, and it should have been the birth of a hellish chapter in her story.
Unfortunately, Ambrose’s heel persona was completely ruined when he was made into a germaphobe, cutting promos into gas masks and given injections in the air to rid him of the filthy diseases of the town they were in. The battles between Ambrose and Rollins have been low intensity, with the ongoing misbookings over the years leaving Ambrose one foot out the door as he would be leaving the company in the first quarter of 2019. While his heel character was terrible, the turnaround was incredible, and he’s up there with one of his best individual moments in WWE and maybe even his entire career.
