10 Major Mistakes WWE Has Made In 2016 (So Far)

Ever since The Shield broke up, WWE have exhibited a weirdly schizophrenic mindset when it comes to booking the singles careers of the three men that made up that celebrated faction.

Roman Reigns was earmarked for stardom, but so ineptly shepherded towards that goal that it legitimately seemed as though someone backstage was trying to sabotage his push.

Seth Rollins, on the other hand, was booked as a chickensh*t champion for months, backed into corners and abandoned by his own patrons in the Authority time and again, only to display a fiery never-say-die babyface attitude in the matches he took part in that was completely at odds with the persona he was supposed to be putting across. No wonder people are still confused about whether or not to cheer him.

And then there’s Dean Ambrose, our current WWE Champion. He’s been portrayed as a hard-as-nails, unstable wild card in feuds with Brock Lesnar and Triple H this year, both of which helped to advance the idea in the minds of fans that he had what it took to succeed in the main event.

That’s the Dean Ambrose that got over, the Dean Ambrose that’s become the breakout star of The Shield, and the Dean Ambrose that, as far as attendance records show, may have outdrawn Roman Reigns in smaller markets on recent tours.

And then there’s the other Dean Ambrose: the kooky, kerrrrrazy loon who steals hot dog carts and beats up mannequins; who gets blown up by televisions and distracted by ghost lanterns; who stalks Seth Rollins by hiding (for hours) inside things that might at some point be near him; who beats up expensive jackets; and who enters into a comedy weapons match to avenge the death of a potted plant.

That’s the guy that lost nearly every major match he had following The Shield’s break-up, who acts like a Looney Tunes character at every opportunity. That guy’s a comedy midcarder for life, a charmingly eccentric doofus who no one really expects to win anything. Ever.

It’s bad enough that so much of Ambrose’ offence involves gentle batting and pushing, like a helium balloon in a high wind. He needs to put some weight behind some of his stuff, or risk blowing away entirely.

But if WWE can’t decide whether the Lunatic Fringe is the unholy offspring of ‘the Loose Cannon’ Brian Pillman and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, or the love child of the Roadrunner and Yosemite Sam, then they’re in serious danger of losing out on one of the few men on their roster who has the chops to lead the company into the next decade.