8 Legitimate Reasons Dean Ambrose Has To Be Unhappy With WWE
7. The Prop Comic Era
As ridiculous as it sounds today, there once was a time when one could compare Dean Ambrose to Brian Pillman's 'Loose Cannon' persona without a shred of irony. Sadly, his own unhinged character lost every hint of danger and edginess within weeks of The Shield splitting up.
The Seth Rollins programme presented WWE with the opportunity to transform Dean into the kind of antihero they built the Attitude Era's success on. They didn't take it. Instead of building Ambrose as a smart-but-unpredictable schemer, they turned him into a lame rodeo clown - a prop comic - and systematically destroyed any hope he had of becoming a genuine game-changer.
Ambrose would dress as The Mountie, assault foes with hotdog carts, empty ice buckets on Seth Rollins' head, and attend "therapy" sessions played for laughs. He still leans into these things today, even as a heel.
This "wacky" character would be more palatable if the comedy was actually, y'know, funny. It isn't. It never has been, and it never will be. Instead of getting Ambrose over, it has neutered him, made a mockery of him, and likely contributed to his decision to walk out in April.