Examining Dean Ambrose's Status in WWE Universe Ahead of WWE Extreme Rules 2016

by aaron-bower   Syndicated from bleacherreport,

To say that Dean Ambrose has had a few near misses when it comes to cracking the big time in WWE would be somewhat of an understatement.

Ambrose's popularity with WWE fans has rarely been in question, and his intermittent appearances in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship scene also suggest the company has some faith in The Lunatic Fringe.

But with all the fanfare surrounding WrestleMania and Shane McMahon's new era in charge, Ambrose's stock seems to have fallen—so where exactly is Dean Ambrose right now in terms of his standing in the WWE Universe?

A Damaging WrestleMania

If we look at his recent activity in closer detail, the root of Ambrose's problems seemed to started around WrestleMania 32.

Look, few people expected Ambrose to actually defy the odds and beat Brock Lesnar at the biggest show of the year, but the whole contest felt a bit flat.

The match ran shorter than it probably should have, and by the end of it fans were left to question what the feud actually did for Ambrose.

The ideal scenario was that he'd put up an incredible fight in a lengthy match that would get the crowd invested in Ambrose's long-term future. 

Ultimately, though, it was just another disappointing pay-per-view loss.

The Current Chris Jericho Feud

Ambrose was then thrown into a rivalry with Chris Jericho which, although entertaining enough, didn't seem to fit where Ambrose was going.

If Jericho is going to be sticking around for a good few months, then this feud has legs, but it's an essential rivalry for Ambrose's long-term standing in WWE.

          Too often, he has been on the losing side of a feud. He may have picked up the odd              win here and there, but more often than not, Ambrose is the one who comes out of                a rivalry coming up short.

A two to three month rivalry with Jericho where Ambrose is consistently winning is what he desperately needs right now. He needs a feud of substance, worth and value to get himself back on track.

Factors Against Him

Unfortunately, you do worry if WWE has missed the chance to make Dean Ambrose a true main event star. It has teased its fans over and over again hinting at a massive push for Ambrose, with the Royal Rumble and Fastlane shows the most recent occurrence.

And now, as mentioned at the start of this article, the roster is more flooded with talent than ever before. 

Kevin Owens continues to establish himself as one of the company's most prized assets, Sami Zayn is up from NXT with Finn Balor likely to follow and there are a multitude of injured stars on the way back.

Cesaro is already competing again, with John Cena, Seth Rollins andRandy Orton as three others who are also on the way back to in-ring competition.

How do you plot a route to the main event for Ambrose with so much talent around him? What makes things worse is that his matches haven't stood out too often either, especially with the aforementionedZayn, Owens and Cesaro tending to steal the show. And that's without even mentioning AJ Styles, who performs superbly every time he steps in the ring.

Ambrose is coping well enough, and as previously mentioned, if this feud with Jericho culminates in him emerging successful, anything could be possible once again.

But right now, it feels like WWE has dropped the ball with Dean Ambrose. Almost two years into life as a singles competitor, and you get the feeling he hasn't achieved anywhere near what he should have.