Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns: Good, Bad and Ugly of Current WWE Feud
Ryan Dilbert@@ryandilbertWWE Lead WriterJune 24, 2016Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns: Good, Bad and Ugly of Current WWE Feud
Timing threatens to hamstring the magical nature of the feud between WWE world champion Dean Ambrose and his former stablemates Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
There is no shortage of backstory and animosity as the men who once formed The Shield prepare to collide at the Battleground 2016 pay-per-view on July 24. The history between these men is rich. Their chemistry is stellar.
But is WWE going to undermine this potentially all-time-great clash with a hurried narrative? Reigns' 30-day suspension for taking an as-yet-unannounced banned substance promises to hurt this Triple Threat matchup, too.
A feud between three men who once thought of each other as brothers now has multiple issues to overcome. Its strengths, though, are plentiful enough to do just that.
The Good
Rarely is a WWE narrative as robust as the one focusing on Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns' rivalry.
Too often, wrestlers battle with small stakes in showdowns built on shallow premises. Not here.
As The Shield, these three men were brothers-in-arms, forming a dominant, cohesive alliance that rocked WWE from late 2012 on. Rollins' betrayal of Ambrose and Reigns two years later left that partnership in shreds.
Ambrose has since been seeking vengeance on The Architect. Rollins later swiped away Reigns' chance at glory at WrestleMania 31, cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to become WWE champ. Ambrose did the same thing this year, ending Rollins' second world-title reign just moments after it started.
The WWE title now resides in the center of this story, with three men wanting to crush each other to seize that prize.
Their past matches showed off their great chemistry against each other. Now this will be the first Triple Threat between them. It boasts the proverbial big-fight feel, serving as the potential climax to the saga of The Shield.
In the early stage of the build for that bout, Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose's bickering has been compelling. Their familiarity and enmity has created ample sparks.
The Bad
The Shield's convergence in a three-way battle for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will not be on the company's grandest stage. Instead, it will happen at a pay-per-view with just four years of history.
In response to that odd timing, Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman tweeted, "Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins is #WrestleMania main event-worthy. Such a money match rushed to #Battleground."
He's right. The bout feels out of place. It won't be treated to the massive hype that would accompany a spot at WrestleMania or even SummerSlam.
This leaves the match feeling less important than it should be.
And rather than being patient and letting anticipation build over months for this dream match, WWE is moving hurriedly, booking the Triple Threat showdown just weeks after Ambrose cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase.
The Ugly
Roman Reigns' absence is going to put quite a strain on WWE Creative.
WWE announced just after booking the Battleground Triple Threat match that it has suspended Reigns for 30 days "for his first violation of the company's talent wellness policy." There have been no official details beyond that.
This now leaves Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to tell this story alone. The appeal of all three former members of The Shield reaching for each other's jugulars is lost with Reigns out of action for a month.
The issues with babyface-heel alignments that troubled this tale are now amplified.
As Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "WWE finds themselves now with two of their most popular talents in Ambrose and Rollins who are both adversarial with each other while each are both generally perceived as fan favorites."
Reigns' move toward villainy was an appealing part of the rivalry—one that could have been instrumental in inspiring a Rollins babyface turn. That option is off the table now that a three-man rivalry has been reduced to a two-man one ahead of Battleground.
Projections
Ambrose will emerge from this story as champion. It will hurt the importance and electricity of The Lunatic Fringe's triumph to take the title belt off him this quickly.
Plus, it will look terrible for WWE to crown Reigns again just days after he finishes serving a suspension.
Another heartache for Reigns will lead him to finally turn heel. The crowd is already booing him. He is also already exhibiting villainous tendencies with how vicious he has been in his recent matches.
Falling to Ambrose and Seth Rollins will then be the catalyst for him to finally lose his mind and morph into a darker character.
As for the action on the mat, putting three top-notch performers in the ring together assures WWE of a classic. The rivals' long history, despite the timing issues getting in the way, will be the foundation for a surefire Match of the Year candidate.
It won't feel nearly as big on the Battleground card as opposed to WrestleMania's, but it will be tremendous nonetheless.