50 Ups & 50 Downs For WWE's Decade: The 2010s
15. The Dean Ambrose Heel Run
The 2018 WWE Network 'Chronicle' feature on Dean Ambrose's return from injury was another absorbing production that meshed kayfabe and reality for the good of his comeback and eventual switch to the dark side. It tragically proved to be the last thing the company ever did right by him.
It's possible that this story started life as one about 'The Lunatic Fringe's unravelling psyche, particularly after his "brother" Roman Reigns' awful leukaemia revelation shortly following his return. A sickness was engulfing everything that propped Ambrose up - his own body had even failed him after years as an indestructible force. This travelled through a Vince McMahon filter and Ambrose became a prop comic. Gas masks, big needles and banter promos at the expense of a rivalry that some even suggested could one day headline WrestleMania. Per the rechristened Jon Moxley's appearance on Chris Jericho's podcast post-release, he'd have used a pooper scooper too. The one (horrendous) pay-per-view singles match between the former Shield men permanently derailed it, and Ambrose's idea of a future within WWE.
NJPW and AEW's gain was McMahon's loss, but it's likely he still doesn't realise just how stupid his requests were.