5 Ups And 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (April 20th)

6. Fighting For Relevance

When the history books are written about 2014-15, there might have to be a chapter dedicated to the lost opportunity with Dean Ambrose. Post-Shield breakup, Ambrose easily was the hottest of the trio. When Roman Reigns went down with an injury, it seemed like Dean was poised to step into that role of rising face to challenge the Authority. The fans wanted it and the Lunatic Fringe was certainly more than capable. Unfortunately, the WWE braintrust decided that it would be better for Ambrose to lose to a hologram and have a TV set blow up in his face as part of a spectacular PPV losing streak. Monday, Ambrose fought fellow directionless NXT alumnus Luke Harper in a brief battle that merely served to set up an Extreme Rules match. Since WrestleMania €“ where Harper put Ambrose through a ladder €“ the duo have fought a few times inconclusively. This is the kind of feud where promo work would have gone a long way in setting things up rather than a couple double DQs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enXalrvgMxU The good news is that both men are solid workers and might be able to overcome poor writing, but these guys are capable of being in matches with bigger stakes rather than a poorly defined grudge match. It will be entertaining, but both men deserve better.