Dean Ambrose Retains WWE Championship at WWE Battleground 2016

In the long-awaited Triple Threat match between former Shield members Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, Ambrose successfully retained his WWE Championship on Sunday night at Battleground.

WWE provided details on how the epic match ended:

It was a huge win for the SmackDown brand, and the entire roster came out to congratulate Ambrose on the mega win, per WWE Universe:

Raw GM Mick Foley took his thoughts to Twitter after his two draft picks, Rollins and Reigns, fell to SmackDown's Ambrose:

WrestleZone.com questioned the decision for Ambrose to register the win:

Bleacher Report had the perfect GIF for fans of the blue brand:

One of the highlights of the match was when Ambrose and Rollins teamed up against Reigns, via WWE Universe:

Reigns entered Money in the Bank as the WWE champion, but Rollins beat him in the main event. Rollins' second world title reign was short-lived, however, as Ambrose successfully cashed in the Money in the Bank contract he won earlier in the night.

That set the stage for a Triple Threat match involving the architects of arguably the greatest and most dominant stable in WWE history.

WWE threw a wrench into the works, though, when it suspended Reigns for 30 days for violating the company's talent-wellness policy.

The incident came at an unfortunate time for the company, but it pressed forward with Ambrose and Rollins carrying the load, while Reigns accepted his punishment:

Although WWE still decided to go ahead with the Triple Threat match, Reigns was absent for the entire buildup, which took an important element away from the storyline. While Reigns represented a huge missing piece, both Ambrose and Rollins stepped up in a big way during his ban.

Both Superstars were excellent in the ring and on the mic during the weeks leading up to Battleground and played their roles nearly to perfection.

Rollins excelled as a heel, with his comedic Rollins Report segment poking fun at Reigns' plight, while Ambrose turned down the comedy and turned up the intensity, which led to his cutting some of the best promos of his WWE career.

The Lunatic Fringe was lost in the shuffle prior to his crowning moment as WWE champion, but he made it clear prior to the pay-per-view that he believed he belonged at the pinnacle of the sport, per WWE Universe:

Regardless of Reigns' situation, the excitement for the Triple Threat match was palpable ahead of Battleground. Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns are three of WWE's top stars, and all of them figure to be near the top of the card for many years to come. The WWE draft, which saw Rollins and Reigns land with Raw and Ambrose go to SmackDown, added an additional layer of intrigue.

They displayed uncommon chemistry during their time as The Shield, and it was assumed that they would do the same as opponents.

That proved to be the case at Battleground, as all three combatants laid it all on the line in a contender for Match of the Year. Was this the last meeting for the trio after the brand split? 

Ambrose managed to come out on the winning end of the battle, but his run as WWE champion is far from secure with the likes of John Cena and AJ Styles on the blue brand.

Whatever the case, the former teammates going against one another isn't likely to get old for the viewing audience, and their performance at Battleground was proof. 

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