WWE Armchair Booking: How to Maximize Roman Reigns-Dean Ambrose Brotherhood

To get the most out of the bond between Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, WWE's most formidable brothers in arms, their alliance has to crumble.

Watching Reigns and Ambrose enter fray after fray with talk of downing beers afterward is fun, but the smart move is to eventually have them battle each other. It's a WWE tradition, a staple narrative that has seen the likes of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty or The Hardy Boyz split up in dramatic, memorable fashion.

WWE can not only get a great feud out of this storyline, but it can elevate both Reigns and Ambrose while showcasing just how powerful the The Wyatt Family is.

Let the anticipation for their eventual dissolution grow. Let Bray Wyatt feast on a weakened brotherhood. And build slowly and patiently toward a Reigns-Ambrose collision.

Tension Emerges

At Sunday's SummerSlam, Reigns and Ambrose face off in what is being billed as a "family versus family" clash. When they take on Luke Harper and Wyatt, the goal should be to plant the idea that Reigns and Ambrose will disband at some point while providing images of The Wyatt Family's strength.

Wyatt and Harper control much of the matchup. Their chemistry clicks while Reigns and Ambrose grow frustrated at not being able to create much momentum.

The Eater of Worlds punishes Reigns in his corner. Harper flings The Big Dog around the ring. Reigns, meanwhile, reaches to tag Ambrose at some point, only to see that The Lunatic Fringe is busy brawling with Wyatt on the outside.

Credit: WWE.com

Ambrose finally gets in and starts knocking both Wyatt Family members to the mat. He takes a number of risks, leaping from the top rope several times in a row. The last time costs him.

Harper hits a discus clothesline while Ambrose is still in midair. That's enough to get the three-count for the heels.

Wincing from the abuse he took all match, Reigns is clearly upset at his tag team partner. He teases a heel turn, looking as if he is going to nail Ambrose with a punch. Instead, he pulls his comrade up and embraces him.

That outcome gives Wyatt and Harper a clean win while foreshadowing what's to come with the former members of The Shield.

Friction Repaired

On a future edition of Raw, Ambrose takes on Kevin Owens in a hard-fought battle. At some point during the match, Owens rips at The Lunatic Fringe's arm and leaves him grabbing at his elbow in pain.

Ambrose holds his arm to his side as a referee helps him to the back.

Later in the night, a No Disqualification match between Wyatt and Reigns leads to a beatdown. Harper and his partner bash Reigns with chairs and send him crashing through a table. The Eater of Worlds gets the win. Reigns is hurt.

Credit: WWE.com

When he returns to TV after a short absence, Reigns barks at Ambrose backstage. "Where were you?" he growls. "I was out there getting my ass handed to me and my 'brother' was nowhere in sight," he continues.

Ambrose explains that he was still in the trainer's room as the doctors worked on his arm. He didn't even see the match live.

Reigns again looks as if he's set to explode. The two allies make up, though.

To cement the fact that they have solved their issues, Ambrose aids Reigns when the powerhouse takes on Wyatt in a Steel Cage match on pay-per-view. The Lunatic Fringe helps fight off Harper during the bout. And after Wyatt wins and leaves Reigns limping and grimacing, Ambrose helps his brother to the back.

WWE gets another big win for Wyatt this way. He's made to look dangerous again as he leaves Reigns in major pain once more. The Reigns-Ambrose bond is also strong again, making the breakup to come more unexpected.

As a bonus, Owens gets to wield some injurious power as well.

The Explosion 

Reigns and Ambrose tear up the tag team scene for weeks. They rattle off wins against The Ascension, The New Day and Stardust and King Barrett.

Wyatt offers them mock congratulations after one of those victories. He reminds them that they have yet to beat him and Harper.

Credit: WWE.com

That eventually leads to the two sides agreeing to a Hell in a Cell tag team match to wrap up their feud. WWE can tie in the fact that Wyatt cost Ambrose his last chance at a Hell in a Cell match when he prevented the babyface from defeating Seth Rollins.

The tag battle inside the cage is a fierce one. Reigns breaks a Kendo stick over Harper's back. Ambrose flies from off the side of the cell into Wyatt. As the wild match nears it climax, Reigns has Wyatt beat, climbing on top of him after hitting the spear.

Ambrose, though, inadvertently breaks up the pin when his chair shot misses Harper and hits Reigns instead.

Reigns roars in anger. He and Ambrose share a long staredown. It looks as if Reigns is going to go back to brawling with The Wyatt Family, but he goes nuts instead and starts wailing on his own partner.

After Reigns exits, Wyatt leans over Ambrose's body and laughs. A three-count and another win for the heels follow.

Credit: WWE.com

When he explains his actions later, Reigns says that he felt like Ambrose was always trying to sabotage him. He thinks the man he called "brother" was always jealous of him. "He's dead weight and I don't need him," Reigns tells the crowd.

Ambrose promises to be a lone wolf from here on out.

With some of the crowd already booing Reigns, a heel turn makes sense. The character shift allows Reigns to be less placating and more of an angry, take-no-prisoners badass, which plays to his strengths more.

Going this route allows WWE to set up a feud with great potential, hand Wyatt handfuls of momentum and offer either Ambrose or Reigns a springboard toward the world title.