Dean Ambrose Is Only Roman Reigns' Placeholder Despite Success, Crowd Connection

The final image of Monday's Raw, where Dean Ambrose gloated with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship over a fallen Triple H, was powerful, compelling, but ultimately ephemeral. The Lunatic Fringe isn't taking over Roman Reigns' lofty spot—not at WrestleMania 32, not within the company hierarchy.

It's Reigns' throne; Ambrose is just keeping it warm.

WWE has done a first-rate job in teasing that the dark horse will do the unexpected at Roadblock, that Ambrose will win the world title and force a makeover of the WrestleMania card. But fans should not count on that happening. 

Vince McMahon and company remain tone-deaf about the vast difference in how Reigns and Ambrose have succeeded in winning over the audience.

On Monday's Raw, with Reigns recovering from a storyline attack and real-life surgery, Ambrose again played the role of top babyface. He verbally sparred with Triple H. He drove the tyrannical champion and executive's head into the canvas. 

The Game looked to attack him after his match with Bray Wyatt and after The Wyatt Family had flattened Ambrose afterward. The Lunatic Fringe, however, hit Dirty Deeds and picked up the world title.

As Scott Fishman of the Orlando Sentinel pointed out, there was something fitting about that sight:

That's largely because Ambrose has thrived with each opportunity on center stage. Whether he has been provoking Brock Lesnar or, as he did on Monday night, trading insults with The Game, he has looked every bit like the top-tier babyface WWE wants Reigns to be.

Crowds eat up his antics. There's an electricity surrounding him as he goes to battle or celebrates his own unhinged nature. Ambrose has been a blast to watch, and he has shown in every high-profile feud that he's world champion material. 

He remains behind Reigns in line, though.

Despite inconsistent support from fans, Reigns will hold tight to his position. He is the project WWE has invested in for quite some time. And the company will see that project through.

The Big Dog's rise has been years in the making. Remember that WWE pegged him to be a dominant force at Survivor Series 2013 where he scored four eliminations to tie the record. Remember that it chose Reigns to surpass Kane as the wrestler with the most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble.

Reigns has won the 30-man match and already twice won the title. He has long been built up as a titan.

Over the past couple years, he has been the focus of WWE's main narrative. 

Seth Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase at last year's WrestleMania began the story of Reigns getting fingertips away from glory. Fans then watched as Reigns fought his way through Wyatt and Big Show to get back to the top. Ambrose played his sidekick throughout. 

It's hard to disagree with Fighting Spirit Magazine writer Justin Henry when he wrote about Ambrose being a Reigns substitute:

And while the company did relent to fan pressure in order to crown Daniel Bryan, Ambrose's situation is not the same. Fans hijacked shows in support of Bryan. They drowned out promos with "Yes!" chants; they booed Batista and Reigns at the end of two consecutive Rumbles. 

There has been no hijacking for Ambrose yet.

Fans have clearly taken to him. They have roared for him but haven't shaken buildings with thunderous chants as they did for Bryan.

The audience has been disgruntled at times, but it hasn't been vehement enough to force WWE's hand. So while everything seems to click with Ambrose as the lead man, expect WWE to stick to the Reigns plan. 

As LaToya Ferguson of the A.V. Club reminded us, Dolph Ziggler's Survivor Series 2014 moment not amounting to anything is an example of WWE's history of "sabotaging themselves and their talent to move forward with their own set-in-stone plans instead of actually adapting and going with what works." 

Ziggler didn't climb any rungs after (temporarily) ousting The Authority from its position of power. And Ambrose won't make good on all his promises of upending WrestleMania.

While Reigns is a work in progress and Ambrose is ready to go right now, that will not lead to WWE rearranging the WrestleMania card after Roadblock. The Lunatic Fringe is just offering an interesting diversion until Reigns rides back into battle.