Earlier this morning, Wade Keller over at PWTorch.com reported that form WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose would be done with the company in April.
The article explained that Ambrose had given his notice to WWE after having a meeting with Vince McMahon this past weekend. It also detailed his frustrations with his character, and that he had reached a breaking point recently. Ambrose reportedly also made it very clear it wasn’t about trying to get more money.
The internet was a buzz about this rumor, but WWE just recently released a statement confirming Keller’s report:
Dean Ambrose (Jonathan Good) will not be renewing his contract with WWE when it expires in April.
We are grateful and appreciative of all that Dean has given to WWE and our fans. We wish him well and hope that one day Dean will return to WWE.
WWE rarely releases statements so far ahead of someone leaving the company, so we can safely assume this isn’t part of a storyline they’re trying to get ahead of. The contract they offered to Ambrose was said to be for $1 million guaranteed per year.
Ambrose has been in and around the main event since he debuted with The Shield in 2012. He’s a Grand Slam Champion, as he has held every championship there is to hold in the current title format. Ambrose leaving WWE would make him, besides at the moment Kenny Omega, the biggest free agent in professional wrestling.
What’s Next For Dean Ambrose?
But let’s be real here for a minute: Ambrose has basically been the Bugs Bunny of the WWE for quite sometime now. His edgey Jon Moxley character from his days in CZW, DGUSA, and even in WWE’s developmental promotion FCW has been stripped of what it once was. Being portrayed as a goofy lunatic who hides in ceilings and uses a hotdog cart as a weapon, overall he just doesn’t feel as dangerous as he should.
Where did this character go? The one who (besides being a little too Foley at points) was an honest to goodness uncomfortable and dangerous character? Can Dean Ambrose do goofy and wacky? Yes. Can he be doing something way better with his character. Absolutely.
When you look at his WWE career as a whole, it’s easy to see why Ambrose would be frustrated with where the WWE creative team has taken his character. Will he go to All Elite Wrestling? If money isn’t why he’s leaving, maybe he would go back to a smaller promotion such as Ring of Honor or Impact Wrestling. Things can certainly change between now and the end of April. Maybe he could just end up changing his mind and stick around the WWE.
We will keep you updated with any new developments in the future.
