WWE Can Turn Dean Ambrose into New Steve Austin with Right Booking

The charismatic and popular Dean Ambrose has a ton of potential right now. I'd even venture to say that, with the proper booking, he could be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin.

You think I'm expecting too much? Well, let's examine things...

Ambrose's character is similar to the one that got Austin so massively over in the '90s. Both are reckless, anti-authority-types unwilling to play politics or conform to get ahead. You'll never see either man come to the ring in a fancy suit or attempt to placate those in power.

WWE needs to continue pushing that aspect of Ambrose's character not only because he may replicate Austin's success but also because it differentiates him from every other bland babyface on the roster.

Credit: WWE.com

Ambrose is, in many respects, the cool and edgy alternative to John Cena and Roman Reigns—something WWE's booking team has to continually reinforce. That's the quality that will make him a major star one day.

Another idea is to replicate the legendary Austin vs. Vince McMahon feud by putting Ambrose in a long-term feud with new boss Triple H.

Like the McMahon-Austin feud, a Triple H-Ambrose feud would present an intriguing clash of personalities—the corrupt corporate boss outraged at the crazy employee running wild all over his show.

Triple H may actually be a better choice for the "evil boss" character than McMahon was. Triple H is a wrestler and can deliver in the ring, unlike McMahon, whose in-ring efforts during the Attitude Era were patchy at best. You could book a lengthy Ambrose vs. Triple H bout on pay-per-view and not have to worry about them having a bad match.

Credit: WWE.com

Another key to getting Ambrose over like Austin is scripting him to do more cartoonish stunts.

Famous angles such as filling McMahon's car with cement and taking out The Corporation with a beer truck helped make Austin a huge star.

Thanks to his antics, the Texan became a hero to the masses, who lived vicariously through him.

WWE has already flirted with that idea for Ambrose. On Monday's Raw, the star threw a tantrum and wandered off for a couple of hours to explore Brooklyn, later returning to the ring with a (stolen?) hot dog cart to help Cena. Randy Orton and Kane got covered in mustard and ketchup, obviously.

It was quite hilarious and easily one of the highlights of an otherwise mediocre edition of Raw. Like Austin before him, Ambrose has the timing and the presence to do comedy extremely well.

Hopefully, he'll continue to do more crazy stuff as his program with The Authority escalates in the next few months. Seth Rollins should probably avoid bringing any expensive cars to the arena too.

Of course, you could argue that, rather than trying to make Ambrose the next Austin, WWE should focus on making him the first Dean Ambrose.

There's some truth to that, and I'm not saying the former Shield member should start bringing beer to the ring or drive a pickup truck to events. He has to be himself, first and foremost. But if WWE pays attention to the lessons of the past, it can book Ambrose in a similar fashion to Austin—and have similar success.