Dean Ambrose Should Be Kept out of Survivor Series Elimination Match

The long, bitter, evasive, frenetic and overall magnificent rivalry between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins is dead.

Or at least it should be.

Sunday at Hell in a Cell, Ambrose’s much-hyped main event match against Rollins ended when Bray Wyatt returned unannounced and—whether he was trying to or not—serving as timely product placement for the upcoming Ouija film.

Wyatt used smoke, holograms and other spiritualistic bona fides to distract Ambrose before attacking him, thus costing him the match.

WWE has since moved forward, announcing a main event that will pit Team Cena vs. Team Authority at the November Survivor Series pay-per-view. The idea behind the announcement is to show The Authority flexing its corporate muscles, essentially daring anybody to fight the system by aligning themselves with Cena.

“John, you walk back there and feel free—feel free to find somebody with your guts, with your gumption that will stand up against the system like you do,” Triple H quipped as Cena declined yet another offer to join The Authority.

Seriously, this is becoming a monthly thing now. The groundswell of angst for Cena to turn heel has not only made its way onto television but has become a staple of WWE storylines. Telemarketers make fewer offers than those begging Cena to sell out.

Of course, the storyline will now enhance the nobility of babyfaces like Dolph Ziggler who decide to stand by WWE’s resident corporate anti-authoritarian.

Against a stable named The Authority, Team Cena will take on characteristics of rebellion, revolution and individualism by default. This describes Ambrose in a nutshell, but he has no business going anywhere near this match.

Team Authority vs. Team Cena figures to feature prominent Authority member Seth Rollins. After defeating Ambrose for the third time in three matches at Hell in a Cell, there is little reason to continue to feature any remnants of this feud.

The inclusion of Wyatt, with whom Ambrose exchanged words on Raw, is further incentive to keep Rollins and Ambrose apart. The story of Rollins and Ambrose was one of brotherhood and betrayal, and after a series of matches that raised both their profiles, that book should be closed for now.

Ambrose and Rollins’ legacy with The Shield has defined them to this point. Even after The Shield split, their lengthy feud was a direct result of Rollins breaking up the group and going on to make claims of destroying his own creation.

In order to grow as individual stars, Rollins, Ambrose and even Roman Reigns—who found the need to call out Rollins on Raw—need to distance themselves from their ties to The Shield.

The more they continue to feud with one another, the more their time as members of the successful faction will serve as the backdrop. And the more that happens, the more it will work to subtly sabotage their efforts to become singles stars.

Ambrose’s feud with Wyatt is a fresh, new chapter devoid of any significant ties to The Shield. In fact, Wyatt, who previously feuded with The Shield as a member of The Wyatt Family, now walks alone.

As Rollins and Ambrose move forward, their 2014 feud should be a thing of the past. They have built their young legacies on the backs of each other. They’ll need to cement these legacies on their own.

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