In WWE's seemingly never-ending desire to make Roman Reigns appear to be a main event-level competitor, the latest gimmick-as-crutch that the company is using is presenting him as a friend to one-time Shield co-conspirator Dean Ambrose. The "buddy cop" friendship angle has been used for years by promoters in order to get over a talent that the crowd may not exactly yet see as someone with a greater level of potential. In this case WWE obviously sees big-budget potential in Roman Reigns, while Dean Ambrose is similarly on the road to the main event. However, while fans routinely boo babyface Reigns, cheers always accompany Dean Ambrose on his way to the ring. However, there are issues in the way this friendship is being presented onscreen, some of which WWE could easily avoid, but isn't at-present. As compared to say, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, both of these performers do not have the same levels of organic charisma apparent within them. Ambrose currently clearly appears much more comfortable in being himself turned up to 11 and getting over with the crowd, while Reigns is still learning this skill. This chasm in charisma creates a space where fans can clearly sense on some level that "one of these things" is not like the other, which may make what happens next in this "buddy cop " storyline readily apparent. However, this doesn't need to be the case. Here's a list of 10 reasons why the Ambrose/Reigns alliance is flawed.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
