Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Current WWE Feud

WWE pitting a young lion against an old lion in the Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose feud was the right move, but something is missing from this story.

Issues with motivation and tone have so far held this rivalry back from reaching its full potential. Ambrose and Jericho fit well together and have plenty of bad blood, but their narrative doesn't have enough teeth. 

Fans expected to see Ambrose and Jericho collide as far back as last September. It was a rivalry many thought would develop in time for WrestleMania. Instead, Jericho collided with AJ Styles as Ambrose sought a battle with Brock Lesnar.

In the weeks following WrestleMania 32, The Lunatic Fringe and Y2J have finally started fighting.

Credit: WWE.com

There have been flashes of excellence as this has unfolded. Their chemistry and banter have to make WWE happy. It's not a problem with personnel that has Ambrose vs. Jericho underwhelming.

The Good 

Ambrose and Jericho make ideal foes. The former is an emerging star in need of some signature wins as he continues his climb up the WWE ladder. The latter is an established veteran and future Hall of Famer who would make quite the trophy for Ambrose.

Their characters are clicking opposite each other, too. They create a juxtaposition of calculated and crazy, of elitist and everyman.

Total Wrestling noted how well Jericho's gimmick interplays with Ambrose:

It's easy to root for Ambrose here. He's the hardworking, gutsy, no-frills fan favorite. Jericho, meanwhile, is a snob of the highest order.

And these two enemies have managed to churn up a high level of animosity between each other.

That was most clear on Raw on April 25, when Jericho demanded an apology from his rival. Things quickly went from tense to chaotic.

Soon, they brawled at ringside. Ambrose seemed powered by a frenetic rage. 

The trouble is, though, that rage feels hollow. The foundation for this rivalry is too flimsy. 

The Bad

Some of the greatest WWE rivalries have centered on themes like revenge, betrayal and desperation. Jericho vs. Ambrose lacks the gravitas of those stories, having been born of a less compelling catalyst.

The rivalry kicked off when Shane McMahon canceled Jericho's Highlight Reel segment in favor of Ambrose's own mock TV show. The Lunatic Fringe pasted up a poster board sign and found a spot for his potted plant, Mitch.

The fact that something as trivial as this started their war doesn't spell doom for the rivalry as much as there not being enough layers added on afterward.

It's too late in the narrative arc for fans to still be left asking, "What are these guys fighting over? What is at stake here? What are each man's motivations?"

The story offers too many blanks in response to those questions.

It's odd that WWE didn't try to weave in Jericho and Ambrose's recent history.

The two teamed up with Roman Reigns at Night of Champions last year against The Wyatt Family. Jericho ended up costing them the match by trying to take on too much of the load. Rather than apologize, Y2J bristled in his post-match interaction with his team.

A frustrated Ambrose said backstage, "Everything was going according to plan until that glory hound Y2J came in."

Using this as part of the current story would make so much sense. It would build on pre-existing issues, making it easier to believe that these wrestlers' relationship is so contentious.

The Ugly

For a feud that has two men so angry with each other, so willing to tear each other's limbs out of socket, Jericho vs. Ambrose is too silly.

Making it so much about the switchover between talk shows has led to a lot of attention being paid to Ambrose's potted plant. It has become the symbol of Ambrose sliding into Jericho's spot, and on Monday's Raw, Jericho smashed that symbol over Ambrose's back.

The image of soil spilling out at ringside wasn't nearly as powerful as moments like Seth Rollins crushing Ambrose's head into cinder blocks or Randy Savage crushing Ricky Steamboat's throat with the ring bell. Instead, it, along with all the talk of Mitch beforehand, has led to a flood of jokes.

ProWrestling.net's Will Pruett's mock summary of the feud isn't far off:

Add the fact that a lot of Ambrose and Jericho's verbal clashes have been about how dumb Jericho's scarf looks, and it's hard to take this story seriously.

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens is about one friend abandoning the other. Charlotte vs. Natalya is about a championship, pride and winning the right way. Jericho vs. Ambrose, meanwhile, feels more like comic relief than it should.

Leave that to Goldust and R-Truth. As intense as this feud is and as much of an impact it could have on Ambrose's career, things need to get darker in a hurry.