Fading Dean Ambrose Needs Show-Stealing Moment at WWE Money in the Bank 2016

As his Shield comrades go head-to-head in the main event, Sunday's Money in the Bank 2016 pay-per-view should give Dean Ambrose an opportunity to join his former faction-mates in the spotlight.

Ambrose seemed to be clawing his way back to the top of the card as 2016 got underway, engaging in an engrossing feud with Triple H over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. From his performance in the Royal Rumble to the excellent main event of Roadblock, it seemed like he was finally ready to enter the main event picture for good.

This was seemingly confirmed when plans for an anticipated feud between The Wyatt Family and Brock Lesnar were shelved in favor of The Lunatic Fringe facing the Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania.

Unfortunately, the bout was a complete disappointment.

Since then, Ambrose has been embroiled in a feud with Chris Jericho. The program has been entertaining enough, but it's been fairly obvious that Y2J is simply giving Ambrose something to do while more interesting spots on the card were filled by other talent.

Ambrose could be stuck in this role for the foreseeable future if he doesn't receive a serious burst of momentum on Sunday night.

Fortunately, The Lunatic Fringe has more than one way to make sure that he's the center of attention on Sunday night. First and foremost, there's the possibility of his winning the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Someone as unstable as Ambrose holding the briefcase would give any champion cause for concern. Given that the champion coming out of Money in the Bank will be either Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins, the threat of a cash-in could be a compelling element of WWE television.

The briefcase would put Ambrose one step closer to the world title, which is clearly where fans want him to be.

However, he could make that same forward progress simply by interfering in the world title match scheduled for the main event.

Of course, a cash-in bringing about the much-hyped Shield Triple Threat would be sure to make Money in the Bank 2016 a pay-per-view for the history books. Ambrose doesn't need to be an official entrant in the bout to ensure that he's placed in the spotlight, though.

Credit: WWE.com

By aligning himself with Reigns or Rollins—or simply laying both men out—Ambrose would inject himself into the world title picture.

It doesn't really matter whether or not Ambrose wins the ladder match or even the title at Money in the Bank—the important thing is that he is given something to do. Even a heel turn would help spice things up for The Lunatic Fringe.

In his current state, Ambrose is likelier to slip further down the ranks than climb higher. Even his most devoted fans will move on if he's confined to upper-midcard feuds that don't have any relevance beyond fleshing out the card for a few months' worth of pay-per-views.

Ambrose is directionless, which can be a death knell for a promising WWE Superstar. At Money in the Bank, he'll hopefully recapture some of the electricity he's exhibited at his best.