Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Dean Ambrose in Need of New Storyline, Rival

1. A Lunatic in Limbo

Dean Ambrose is stuck with supporting roles for now.

The popular, unhinged brawler is currently Roman Reigns' right-hand man, an encouraging friend ready to mix it up with any enemies who come along. It's Reigns who is the star of this story, though. Reigns is unraveling thanks to Bray Wyatt and will get a chance at vengeance at Battleground and beyond.

Ambrose has no match lined up for the pay-pay-view.

He is still hanging around the periphery of the main event scene, as his feud with Seth Rollins isn't fully engaged but hasn't fully faded away, either.

He battles Rollins, J&J Security and Kane often, but this narrative is more about Rollins and The Authority. It doesn't look like it is going to net Ambrose anything but a stepping-stone role.

Rollins is prepping for a showdown with Brock Lesnar, perhaps followed by a collision with Triple H, and if he's still champion and turns babyface at some point, Sheamus would be next in line for him. As for Ambrose, it's unclear what's in his future.

He's too popular a star and has picked up too much momentum in the last year-plus to not make him a higher priority.

WWE needs to give him his own storyline to work with. He needs an enemy opposite him with whom he can clash on pay-per-views. Reigns has Wyatt and Rollins has Lesnar, but Ambrose is left without a proper rival for the moment.

Even the injured Rusev has a clear enemy in his sights in Dolph Ziggler.

It feels as if this is a case of WWE's not knowing what to do with him, so the company is just lumping him into the tale of Wyatt vs. Reigns and the angle featuring The Authority's making peace and raising hell. The company's options are admittedly limited.

That's especially true if Sheamus is going to start feuding with Randy Orton. That leaves the list of available top heels rather short.

Ambrose could look to tear apart The Authority, leading to a showdown with Triple H. That would be quite the SummerSlam blockbuster. It would certainly beat facing Kane on a regular basis or being thrown into the same tag team match over and over again.

2. Neville's Beginnings

When Neville burst onto the main roster, fans expressed concern early on that he was losing too often. He fell to Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins in two of his first three matches. The word "burial" often made its way into online discussions. 

Credit: WWE.com

While WWE didn't go the typical approach of letting the newcomer go on a winning streak, Neville's win-loss record ended up being mighty similar to recent NXT transfers. He has gone 21-8 in his first 29 televised bouts.

That's not far off from what Adam Rose and others accomplished, even with their early winning streaks:

• Adam Rose (25-4)
• Rusev (24-4-1)
• Bo Dallas (21-7-1)

These numbers alone don't tell the full story, though. Dallas was on Superstars defeating the likes of Los Matadores and El Torito. Rose was taking on the roster's bottom feeders.

Neville, meanwhile, has been treated like a bigger star. He's been in the ring with everyone from John Cena to Sheamus. Taking the quality of competition into account, his record so far is not one to be worried about at all.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Cora Combs

Wrestling lost another pioneer. As F4WOnline reported, Cora Combs passed away at the age of 92.

Combs, a member of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, was a central figure in the golden age of women's wrestling. She wrestled from the '50s into the mid-'80s, competing with notable names like The Fabulous Moolah and Mildred Burke. The video below captures a battle between her and June Byers:

Listen to how engaged the crowd is. Burke and Combs had the audience buzzing with some hard strikes and strong mat work. It was the kind of lengthy, dramatic match not often seen in WWE's women's division today.

The roster may well have the next Combs, but it's hard to tell when the women don't get this kind of stage to work on.

4. TNA Exodus

WWE's scouts have a new crop of talent to watch as TNA continues to lose stars.

Austin Aries, James Storm, Magnus and Gunner are all now seeking work after their TNA stints. Gunner explained to The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling that his exit from the company was amicable. In a press release (h/t Wrestling Inc), Aries revealed that his TNA contract has expired and that he has now entered a partnership with The Regime, a talent agency based in Los Angeles.

PWInsider (h/t Wrestle Zone) reported that Storm and Magnus asked to be let out of their contracts.

Indy promotions and New Japan Pro Wrestling are the likely destinations for these men, but there's plenty of talent in that group should WWE want to add depth. NXT has morphed into a separate brand rather than just a developmental territory, so it makes sense to bring in a vet like Storm and Aries and make their fanbases follow them to see what they do at Full Sail University.

5. Lost Without Their Partners

Luke Harper and Jimmy Uso have to be hoping for their tag team partners to hurry up and heal. Since injuries put their respective tag teams on hold, WWE has done little with either man.

Credit: WWE.com

Since Erick Rowan went down with an arm injury a few weeks ago, Harper has not wrestled on either SmackDown or Raw. Jimmy knows just what he's going though: His brother underwent surgery on his shoulder after WrestleMania.

Jimmy's resume since then is mighty sparse; he's been in just two televised matches. None of them have been on either SmackDown or Raw. WWE does have him doing color commentary on SmackDown, but that's far from the best use of his talents.

Jimmy should be flying over the ropes, just as Harper should be bashing folks with forearms. That is clearly not going to happen at a high rate with their partners still on the mend.

WWE is showing a lack of creativity in finding something for both Harper and Jimmy to do as singles stars.

6. Redefining Wrestling

Innovation has been a constant at Lucha Underground. The gritty promotion has toyed with the art form of wrestling.

Not all of it has been tremendous, but it's been fun to see such a different approach at work. A perfect example of that envelope-pushing is a scene featuring some Lucha Underground workers training and some sexual tension between Catrina and Ivelisse.

There are supernatural elements here that would drive a purist fan mad. The industry doesn't have to go this far toward making wrestling like the movies, but it would smart of WWE to keep an eye on what's going with this upstart group and take notes.

7.  Summer in the Spotlight

It's been entertaining to see Rusev as a brokenhearted, wounded beast. And while the story involving him and Lana isn't the ideal way to showcase Dolph Ziggler, it's at least a clear narrative that will eventually beget an intense match.

Why Summer Rae has stepped into the story is less clear. As a wrestler who has regressed greatly since coming up from NXT, it's odd that she got the role over other women.

Credit: WWE.com

If WWE was intent on having such a soap opera-like angle, it would have been better to use a better wrestler in Summer's place. A Lana vs. Summer match has zero appeal from an in-ring standpoint.

Had Emma or even Layla been in her spot, there would suddenly be a better chance that all this bad blood would lead to some solid action.

8. Daniel Bryan's Underrated In-Ring Masterpieces

WWE has been missing a certain high-voltage grappler. Bryan has been out of action for over two months. His health status is unclear, with WWE not confirming exactly what's going on with him.

While waiting for him to recover, why not dig into some of Bryan's underappreciated career highlights? His matches with John Cena, CM Punk and Triple H are raved about often. These don't get talked about nearly enough: 

• Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase: Survivor Series 2010
• Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes: SmackDown, Nov. 22, 2011
• Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler: Raw, Oct. 22, 2012 
• Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins: Raw, June 10, 2013
• Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton: Raw, Feb. 3, 2014

The Ziggler match has the bonus of Jim Ross at the announce desk. That and Bryan's chemistry with Ziggler make this something special.

Orton and Bryan really started to jell in the ring after their pay-per-view battles. Their match on Raw in February of last year was their most engaging outing. Intensity was on display from bell to bell.

9. Borrowing the Rock Bottom?

The Rock made a surprise return, showing up unadvertised at a house show in Boston over the weekend. Bo Dallas served as his punching bag, taking a Rock Bottom to the delight of the crowd.

The Rock's finisher is an effective, standout match-ender, and it's iconic thanks to him. WWE should consider asking him to pass down the move to an up-and-coming star, as Ric Flair did when he gave the figure-four leglock to The Miz.

That would allow a new star to benefit from the move's history and a connection with The Rock. 

10. Nikki Bella on Dropped Storyline

WWE's women are just as confused as to what the company is doing with their division as we are. Last year, WWE spent months building up a narrative about Brie and Nikki Bella being at each other's throats. Eventually, the company unceremoniously dropped it.

There was no explanation. Brie just started liking Nikki again, despite all the feuding they were doing.

At a recent Wizard World Comic Con, Nikki talked about how baffling that was. She said that she was told about the story, "We're just ending it."

That's a glimpse into how low a priority the women on the roster are. It's choices like that one that make the women's division feel so insignificant. Fixing that is as key as providing ample ring time.

All match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.