10 Storylines WWE ENJOYED Ruining

5. Dean Ambrose Turns Heel

Ted Dibiase Randy Orton
WWE.com

We know WWE enjoyed this one because Jon Moxley confirmed as much when explaining exactly how involved Vince McMahon was in this ha-ha-hilarious ideas generation process. The Chairman loves his f*cking props, loved the idea of Dean Ambrose literally getting sick in the presence of the fanbase and Seth Rollins, and seemingly loved flushing a load of money away too.

The 'Chronicle' feature on Ambrose's return from injury the prior summer had been an absorbing WWE Network production with a twist. It carefully contorted kayfabe in with the pained reality of his rehabilitation to tacitly inform an eventual turn. It was the lone saving grace of what proved to be the last major angle of the 'Lunatic Fringe's WWE career.

It's possible that this story started covering an unravelling psyche, particularly after his Roman Reigns' leukaemia absence around the same time. The sickness was engulfing everything that propped Ambrose up - from his friends to himself. The sickening reality was McMahon's comfort in reducing him to prop comic heel instead of prop comic babyface - it was little wonder the company fell back on using The Shield again just four months after they seemed permanently put out to pasture.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett