10 Questions Stone Cold Must Ask Dean Ambrose On His WWE Podcast

Two weeks ago, WWE brought back the brand extension with a draft that split the roster across Raw and Smackdown lines. Seth Rollins, the first overall pick, was taken by the Raw brand, while WWE Champion Dean Ambrose was snatched up next by Smackdown. By default, the two former Shield members are the faces of their respective brands.

That puts Ambrose in a difficult position. Even though the entire point of the brand split is to help Smackdown's ratings (the show was also moved to a live Tuesday evening format), decades of conditioning are hard to undo. Fans are used to seeing Raw positioned as WWE's must-watch show and Smackdown treated as less crucial viewing. If they don't want to make time for both, Smackdown will likely suffer.

Dean Ambrose, of course, is just a wrestler, and he's not in charge of any of the decisions that will go into making Smackdown a success or a failure. At the same time, though, being WWE World Champion and the first man selected to Smackdown makes him a locker room leader and the man carrying the promotion. All top stars, from Bruno Sammartino to John Cena, have felt the pressure to make their company a success.

How will Dean Ambrose help Smackdown become the winning brand it needs to be? And how does he feel about the perception that the blue brand is already behind the eight ball? His answers may sound like kayfabe, but they'll be undeniably real.