Dean Ambrose has been a regular on WWE television for the past five years. In that time he has dominated as part of the Shield and won multiple championships as a solo competitor.
Since the WWE Draft, he has resided on SmackDown LIVE, bringing the WWE Championship to the blue brand. Due to the spotlight he has received over the past year, his sudden move back to RAW is rather puzzling. But was it the right move for him?
Change Of Scenery Or More Of The Same?
First and foremost, moving Ambrose to RAW will give the Intercontinental Champion a new string of opponents to face. Moreover, it should theoretically provide him with a lot of new opportunities, including his first ever shot at the WWE Universal Championship — which I’m sure he’ll get the chance to compete for in the future.
However, considering the fact that the original draft only took place nine months ago, RAW isn’t much different to how he left it. Sure, there is a smaller roster and a handful of brand new superstars. But when you look at the bigger picture, it’s still run by the woman of Authority Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns is still being made to look strong at everyone else’s expense and Seth Rollins is still hoping to get that championship that has eluded him since Ambrose stole the WWE Championship from him at Money In The Bank last year. So my question is — what makes us think that Ambrose’s presence on RAW now will be any different than it was last year?
Of all the members of The Shield, Ambrose has always been the most overlooked.
While his arrival on RAW may increase the chances of a Shield reunion, as far as Ambrose’s solo career is concerned, right now he needs to distance himself from them. Despite his unique gimmick, great in-ring ability and effortless charisma on the mic, WWE somehow continues to underutilize him while focusing on putting Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in just about every main event possible.
Should Ambrose Have Stayed On SmackDown?
While his recent run as Intercontinental Champion has left a lot of us wondering what the company should do with him, Ambrose did indeed have a few shining moments during his time on SmackDown. Granted, the storylines and promos he has had to work with as of late haven’t been show-stopping, but that doesn’t take away from his role in the early days of WWE’s new era.
As he was the WWE Champion during the time of the Draft, he took the gold to SmackDown LIVE, which instantly gave the blue brand the boost it needed. He would then go on to have a multiple exceptional matches with AJ Styles for the championship, as well as a great Triple Threat match which featured the two of them and John Cena. Whether he was defending his gold or trying to reclaim it, seeing Ambrose constantly featured in the main event was refreshing.
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While the Triple Threat match marked the end of his current run in main event picture, we always knew he would eventually return to it. And his Intercontinental Championship reign was a stepping stone to get back there — even if it was a little underwhelming. All he needed was a hell turn to change things up a bit. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Now that he’s on RAW again, Ambrose has been thrust into an even bigger pool of talent and instantly stuck in the mid-card — due to the fact that he took the Intercontinental Championship with him. Thus, I have no doubt that he will find himself competing for screen time and meaningful feuds all over again.
At first glance, Ambrose’s move to RAW may indeed have been an exciting change as it promises potentially new rivalries for the Intercontinental Championship. But looking back on it, he definitely should have been allowed to remain on SmackDown LIVE. On the blue brand, Ambrose was always one of the key players, but on RAW he will likely just resume his previous role as one of the many talented stars who continue to be overlooked. And he deserves so much more than that.
