Dean Ambrose has always been a very popular performer, but around the time of Royal Rumble, and the thought of him being a WWE Champion, his popularity rose to even greater heights. When WWE then booked him in Fastlane's number one contender match, fans made clear to the company that they wanted him to be a bigger star. For many fans, he was the preferred choice to win that match and go on to fight for Triple H's WWE Title at WrestleMania. The company were never going to book that, but based on his surge in popularity they knew they had to give him something more substantial than just a mid-card bout. Thus the decision to book him against Brock Lesnar.