Dean Ambrose Is Surpassing Roman Reigns as WWE's Next Big Thing

Dean Ambrose is in the process of snatching away the coronet off Roman Reigns' head to become the crown prince of the WWE.

A recent hot streak has Ambrose poised to claim the company's top babyface spot despite Reigns' current claim to it. He continues to be a highly reliable, consistently entertaining unconventional star on the rise. The case for Reigns to step aside for the time being is getting stronger.

Leading up to WrestleMania 31, it seemed certain that Reigns would knock off Brock Lesnar, lift the WWE World Heavyweight Championship into the air and get his shot at trying to supplant John Cena as the centerpiece of the company.

Reigns, after all, has a family tree of squared-circle greatness to lean on. He possesses a wealth of the intangibles that separate wrestler from star.

The WWE machine backed him, having him win the Royal Rumble, suffer losses only on rare occasions and have Paul Heyman continually talk him up.

Fast forward to Monday's Raw and it appears that a shift is occurring. It's Ambrose who was the central figure of the show. It was The Lunatic Fringe who is headed for a title match at Elimination Chamber and who whipped the crowd into a state of exhilaration.

The Authority promised early in the show that if Ambrose could sign the contract by the end of Raw, he would keep his title bout with Seth Rollins. Otherwise, the champ would get the night off. 

A conspiracy involving a cameraman had that contract-signing looking unlikely. Police officers had handcuffed Ambrose and taken him out of the building. Before Raw closed, though, Ambrose came charging in, steering a stolen police van to the entrance ramp.

The unpredictable Superstar joined Reigns in a scuffle with The Authority. The two allies cleared the ring, allowing Reigns to grab the contract for Ambrose.

The moment where Reigns handed Ambrose the contract could end up being a symbolic one.

With a surge in popularity, with WWE trusting The Lunatic Fringe in the spotlight more and more, it could well be that Reigns was handing off the top-star baton. Ambrose is poised to get a chance to run with that while Reigns slides away from center stage.

The man set to face Rollins at Elimination Chamber is looking mighty good in a headlining role. 

Reigns has always showed great potential, but has looked uncomfortable on the microphone at times. When he delivers his lines, he often looks like he is a few steps away from being someone WWE can depend on as a talker. He's in the process of finding his voice. That process is moving along well, but it's still ongoing.

Ambrose has a clearer idea of who he is and how to project that.

Fans have seen that regardless of what WWE has asked him to do. The company threw him in an oversized suit jacket and asked him to deliver a farcical news report. It's had him dismantle a mannequin and wheel a hot dog cart into the arena, using condiments as weapons.

He's made all of it work.

Reigns' list of standout moments is not as long. His character has less for WWE's creative team to work with. 

Add to that how often Ambrose nails it in the ring, and WWE is forced to rethink its plan to have Reigns be its No. 1 option.

It's forced to enter a debate about what makes a wrestling star. Reigns has presence, impressive athletic gifts and eyes that many a teenage girl would describe as "dreamy." He looks like he was crafted for the express purpose of WWE excellence.

Credit: WWE.com

Ambrose, on the other hand, is a disheveled, wild-eyed back-alley brawler that seemed destined for midcard wanderings.

He has been showing off one trait that Reigns can't compete with: He's just plain fun. Reigns is a thrill to watch as he leaps into the air with ease. Ambrose's character, charisma and uniqueness goes beyond that. He has made Raw more electric.

The reactions he's been receiving from the crowd as of late are a testament to that.

While Reigns has to suffer boos mixed in with cheers, support for Ambrose is more unanimous. On Monday's Raw, when Ambrose made a Steve Austin-like entrance, he had an Austin-like reaction from the fans to go with it.

When Ambrose pinned Rollins in tag action on Monday night, it didn't feel like a run-of-the-mill tag win in a TV bout. The fan response made it feel more significant. That speaks to the crowd connection Ambrose is creating.

Vince McMahon is hearing that. He may have told the writing team to plug Reigns back into the top spot as the summer moves along, but there's reason to alter those plans. There's time to anoint Reigns later.

For now, Ambrose is thriving in a spot that was likely just meant to be temporary.

WWE has to embrace this. Fans ultimately dictate the roster's hierarchy, and it sure sounds as if they are placing their vote for Ambrose as the man whose name should be on the marquee.