Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins' Feud Will Improve Without John Cena

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins don't need John Cena. Their rivalry is plenty explosive enough.

After weeks of WWE cramming Cena, Randy Orton and a host of moving parts into what was previously an effective story of betrayal and revenge, it looks as if the two principal rivals are going to get some space. Monday's Raw pointed to the company wising up and pushing Cena into the background of this feud. 

Cena will still be on the periphery of Rollins vs. Ambrose and apparently will team up with the unhinged fan favorite again. As noted by Rob McCarron of F4WOnline, WWE announced after Raw that Cena and Ambrose will take on Orton, Kane and Rollins in a Street Fight on next week's show.

Still, the company is moving in the right direction here. The less Cena is intertwined in this feud so that former brothers-in-arms can battle at Hell in a Cell, the better. 

That pay-per-view was supposed to feature Ambrose fighting Cena for the right to face Rollins. WWE delivered that present early.

In a No Holds Barred Contract on a Pole match on Monday's Raw, The Lunatic Fringe outlasted his opponent, emerging victorious from a mess of distractions and interference. 

Cena now slides over to a bout with Orton. Ambrose gets Rollins, their narrative becoming simpler without its third wheel.

After Raw, Mr. Hustle, Loyalty and Respect congratulated Ambrose, wishing him luck in The Devil's Playground and saying that one day they would be fighting for a championship. That felt like a strong signal that WWE is putting the Cena-Ambrose tension on hold.

There's a money-making feud to be had there, but now is not the time to do it. It's wiser to wrap up the narrative that has been building since Rollins first double-crossed The Shield.

So often, the best wrestling stories are the simplest ones.

The clash between Bret and Owen Hart was about jealousy and sibling rivalry. Ricky Steamboat's feud with Randy Savage was centered around revenge for a violent act. Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon was about a tyrant and a rebel battling.

Ambrose vs. Rollins worked so well because it followed this tradition. A vengeful hero sought payback after the villain abandoned him and later stomped his face against a stack of cinder blocks. Having Cena inserted into it muddled that story. 

Cena's reasons for wanting to take out Rollins weren't nearly as compelling as Ambrose's. Losing out on a championship match doesn't measure up to having one's career nearly ended.

Now that Ambrose has his coveted contract in hand, Hell in a Cell gets the match it should have had in the first place.

Cena can now battle Orton and The Authority. The focus of Rollins vs. Ambrose can better zero in on those two men.

The buildup to Hell in a Cell had become centered on a franchise centerpiece and an emerging star jostling for position. It can now be more about Ambrose's fury toward his old friend. 

At one point, Ambrose was seemingly in a constant state of seething. He attacked Rollins at every turn, leaping out of every shadow that The Architect walked by.

It's been too long since we've had a highlight like that. Ambrose squirting mustard into Orton's face isn't anywhere near as powerful as watching The Authority have to peel off the unstable Superstar from his adversary.

On Monday's Raw, Ambrose didn't even cross paths with Rollins. He was too busy with the former world champ. The same was true for last week's SmackDown, as he brawled with The Miz and Cena but not his true enemy.

The SmackDown from Oct. 3 saw Ambrose and Cena stare each other down. The Sept. 29 edition of Raw featured Ambrose taunting Rollins, but it was Cena who chased him out into the stands.

Those moments did nothing to ramp up the bad blood between the former allies. 

As Hell in a Cell approaches, WWE will have less of this subplot overtaking the main one. Ambrose can return to his role as a rabid hunter in the drama that was so captivating before Night of Champions.

The gears of the Rollins-Ambrose feud are about to start whirring again with less extraneous parts to gum them up.