Why Dean Ambrose Will Never Escape the Shadow of Roman Reigns

Dean Ambrose is the man many WWE fans want on top of the company. But the problem is Roman Reigns is the man WWE wants on top of the company. This has become common knowledge among many of the WWE faithful; however, that's not making any of this any easier to accept.

The time has come to face the fact that Ambrose is trapped in Reigns' shadow and may never be able to get out.

This is surely not what either guy expected in the beginning. The Shield was a means to an end, a way to introduce and build three future main event stars. The gimmick got over, the fans bought in, and when the time came to end it, the members would separate and find individual success.

credit: wwe.com

It worked on every level.

But The Shield feels like a lifetime ago, as Roman has become the most hated top prospect since John Cena, and Dean has become the dark-horse choice for the new top guy. Roman was built for the top spot. He's worked hard to get it.

But Dean has found his way in.

WWE put Reigns on the right path, but that's not been enough. The work needed to get him to this point has taken two years, and an impressive cast of characters has been there to help along the way. The Rock, Daniel Bryan and even Brock Lesnar were not enough to get Reigns fully over.

Meanwhile, Dean has done nothing but keep working.

As Roman was elevated, Dean began chipping away at the main event floor. He turned in one hard-fought match after another, until WWE either decided to move him forward or went with the plan that had been in the works from the start.

Either way, Dean managed to get over where Roman could not.

It's just too hard with Reigns, and the work to keep trying to get him over continues happening. Even his return on the March 14 edition of Raw was not enough; fans didn't care about his attack on Triple H. They should have blown the roof off the building, but that did not happen.

Had it been Dean in the same spot? It would have been a huge difference.

The problem is WWE is likely not changing direction. Roman is still going to his second WrestleMania main event, challenging Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He's still getting the shot while guys on the NXT roster wait their turn, and he's still being booked as the top babyface when he's not even close.

Dean just can't get ahead here.

The truth is Ambrose was perhaps just meant to be a really strong third or fourth guy. He's good in the ring, he's got a fun character, and he has the ability to rally fans behind him. He's exactly what a mid-card star should be, and he could have stayed in that spot for years without anyone getting too upset about it.

But he's proven himself, he's found his niche and he's gotten over. Now fans want him to go higher.

However, the shadow that Reigns casts is massive. It's so massive that even during Seth Rollins' title run, many fans believed he would eventually drop the belt to Roman. Every time it appeared Roman was going to lose a step and slow down, WWE refocused on him and kept moving. Reigns has had every chance to get over, every chance to succeed, and yet, he cannot fully connect with the WWE audience.

Ambrose has.

But he's going to 'Mania against the unstoppable Brock Lesnar in a match that he is in no way guaranteed to win. Even if Dean manages to get past The Beast, he would still be just behind Roman in the pecking order.

Of course Cena, Rollins and Randy Orton are not even back yet; what happens to Dean after that?

The experiment known as The Shield should logically have ended with the best man moving forward. Whoever the strongest of the three was should have been given the nod and been elevated to the top. After countless attempts to get Reigns over fell flat, WWE should have moved on to the obvious choice, and that choice right now is Ambrose.

But Reigns is obviously the choice, and WWE is committed to making it work, though it's absolutely not working right now.

Ambrose and Reigns can be best friends. They can be brothers. They can work that angle in the storyline and in reality as well. But no amount of work is going to change the fact that there is one spot, and Ambrose is the best fit for it, yet Reigns is the man getting it.

Like Roddy Piper and CM Punk before him, Ambrose has a top guy that he can't get past. He may be the fan favorite, but he's evidently not the company's favorite. Unless that changes, Ambrose will continue to shine brighter than the man in front of him, even though he's standing in his shadow.

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