The Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins Feud Will Turn Both into Main Eventers

Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins has easily been one of the best WWE feuds all year—and a program that looks set to advance both men to main event stardom in the near future. During this bitter rivalry, both guys have undeniably demonstrated they have the promo skills, charisma and in-ring skills to go right to the top.

When Rollins betrayed Roman Reigns and Ambrose in June and aligned with The Authority, I was concerned that the former Ring of Honor star would find himself upstaged by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon and relegated to the role of mere henchman.

Credit: WWE.com

Thankfully, that hasn't happened. Since his corporate makeover, Rollins has shined as a sneaky, Machiavellian heel who believes he's entitled to anything he wants, including the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

He convincingly portrays disdain and derision for his former teammate on Raw and SmackDown—he really does appear to detest the time they spend together as friends.

Ambrose, too, has been tremendous in this feud. While many, including me, may have initially assumed he was a natural heel, he's actually shown himself to be an appealing and endearing babyface.

He doesn't come off as too bland, disingenuous or one-dimensional, like John Cena or Reigns often do. Clad in torn jeans and a vest, he's very much his disheveled self. Indeed, he's arguably settled nicely into the "rebellious, anti-authority" babyface character that CM Punk played before he left.

Credit: WWE.com

But perhaps the real appeal of this Ambrose vs. Rollins rivalry is that it can elevate even the most childish storyline material.

Case in point: On Monday's Raw, Ambrose stole a bunch of WWE merchandise then went to the ring and attempted to sell them to the fans in attendance at absurdly low prices.

He also gave Rollins back his Money in the Bank briefcase—but not before rigging it to unleash a ton of green slime on his foe as he opened it.

With anyone else—Cena, perhaps—this segment could have been silly, predictable and unfunny. But Ambrose's lively performance and facial expressions, as well as Rollins' fury, saved it. It was easily one of the most entertaining parts of the show.

Make no mistake about it, the two have tremendous chemistry, and it will carry them to the main event scene in the future. I'd even venture to say they might be this generation's Steve Austin vs. The Rock.

Credit: WWE.com

The comparisons are obvious. Like The Rock in 1999, Rollins is backed up by his corporate bosses. Ambrose, meanwhile, is the unhinged and reckless babyface determined not to conform.

Considering WWE has now cast Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury in the "bumbling stooges" role that Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco used to play, it seems the company is well aware of the similarities, too. (I guess this makes Triple H the new Vince McMahon? Perhaps The Game needs to work on his power walk now.)

There was also encouraging news for both guys in Monday's ratings. As PWTorch notes, Raw, which often struggles during football season, did a good number and rebounded from a bad viewership the previous week.

Considering the show was dominated largely by Ambrose's antics, this validates the pushing of this rivalry. The company will have to take note; it is clearly onto something here. How can you not push these guys at a main event level when they are delivering well in one of the most crucial aspects of WWE's business?

Sure, the bookers may have initially earmarked the bigger, more physically striking Reigns for singles fame, but you could make an argument that the star has been outshone by his former Shield teammates. You could say it's they, not Reigns, who will play the biggest part in the company's future.

The superb program, which continues to go from strength to strength every week, certainly indicates it.