Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose Feud After WWE Fastlane 2016 Is Best for Business

Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose are two of the three men going to war in the Triple Threat match at Fastlane on February 21. The bout also features Roman Reigns, and the winner will go on to face WWE world heavyweight champion Triple H at WrestleMania 32.

But while Lesnar still has long-standing heat with Reigns, it's the other Shield alumnus who The Beast Incarnate should be concerned with. A feud with Ambrose after Fastlane is best for Lesnar and best for business in WWE.

When The Lunatic Fringe confronted Lesnar, many WWE fans watched with great anticipation.

After all, the two men had never really crossed paths in any substantial way before, and even though Lesnar is a monster, Ambrose is infamously unpredictable. He always looks as though he's either ready to fight or just go with the flow and mean no harm.

No one ever quite knows which one it will be.

Therein lays his charm and his allure; Ambrose is the rebel without a cause, and fans can't get enough of that. He's consistently one of the most popular Superstars on the card, and on any given night he can out-pop almost anyone else in the locker room.

It's that same guy who stood eye to eye with Brock and didn't flinch. Ambrose was out of his element but was also right at home, and the crowd could surely see that. It wasn't ego he displayed against Lesnar—it was defiance.

He didn't know what he was getting into, but he also didn't care.

The spot was effective in terms of getting Ambrose over, but Brock was smiling when it began and still smiling when it was over. That fact alone impacted the moment for Ambrose, and it was apparent that something else was surely going to happen.

That something was a surprise F-5 at the end of Raw.

That event, combined with their confrontation earlier in the program, has opened the door for something new and something fresh for both men. Lesnar has what Ambrose has been looking for: veteran validation for a main event spot.

Ambrose has proved in the past that he's up to the task, as he and Seth Rollins have worked the last match and torn the house down on more than one occasion. But a good number of Ambrose's feuds have also come against other young guys such as Bray Wyatt and Kevin Owens; there have been no WWE veterans to really give him the rub he needs.

Rollins got that rub from Randy Orton, John Cena and Sting. Reigns got it from Orton, Lesnar and Daniel Bryan.  

Ambrose is still waiting.

Lesnar could do more for Ambrose than really anyone else ever has. Their confrontations could be highly entertaining, thanks to the latter's edgy character and willingness to throw himself headfirst into any situation. Lesnar would be as cold and as vicious as ever, yet no matter what he did, Ambrose would always get back up.

He would really be the ideal opponent, because of everyone Lesnar has faced, Ambrose is the only one with nothing to lose.

He has no massive ego, boastful pride or storied career he's trying to protect; all he has is the desire to cut loose and wreak havoc. Ambrose is the epitome of Lesnar's character except in a smaller frame with a rebellious attitude.

For the first time in a long time, Lesnar would be thrown off his game. Ambrose goes right when he should go left, never does the same thing the same way twice and never backs down from a challenge.

Every time he's backed into a corner, he comes out fighting. He would be a constant annoyance for Lesnar and would not stop until he came out on top.

Just seeing Ambrose lock up with Lesnar in a singles feud would be huge for fans who have been waiting for The Lunatic Fringe to break out. Lesnar would get the chance to put over a younger talent, and WWE would have another bankable main event star as a result.

If this feud does indeed materialize after Fastlane, there's no reason why it can't go all the way to WrestleMania 32.

Lesnar's list of veteran main event opponents has dwindled down considerably. Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker and Big Show have all worked with him, and at this point The Rock is really the only one left. Of all the younger talents Lesnar could face, Ambrose is the one who would perhaps give him a more intense match with all the chaos he could handle.

It's not a slam dunk for Ambrose in terms of winning, but maybe it doesn't have to be. His character does not live and die by wins and losses; it's the ride that's the most important part for him. Ambrose vs. Lesnar is new and different—right now, WWE needs as much as it can get of both.

Tom Clark can regularly be found on Bleacher Report and his podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.