Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins Feud Setting the Table for 2nd WWE World Title

After Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins battered each other for nearly 30 minutes on Monday's Raw, each man believed that the WWE Championship was his.

Confusion swirled. The former allies had settled nothing. But this wasn't about reaching a climax; it was about planting seeds for a major shift in the championship picture.

WWE will use the chaos that marked the close of that bout as a means to reintroduce a second world title. 

Ahead of their Triple Threat match with Roman Reigns at the Battleground pay-per-view, Ambrose and Rollins collided on Monday night in Providence, Rhode Island. This was the last Raw before the draft on Tuesday night, the last Raw before WWE splits its shows into two distinct brands once more. 

Credit: WWE.com

The rivals struggled to keep each other down. Rollins kicked out of Dirty Deeds; Ambrose lifted his shoulder off the mat just in time after taking a Pedigree.

The Architect then sent Ambrose crashing onto the canvas with a superplex, but the champion managed to hook Rollins' legs afterward. The referee counted to three with both men's shoulders on the ground.

Raw's commissioner and longtime Rollins ally Stephanie McMahon proclaimed The Architect the winner. But he would have little time to celebrate. SmackDown's commissioner Shane McMahon later announced on the WWE Network that Ambrose had retained the title.

Eventually, the referee reviewed the footage and declared the bout a draw.

It was hard not to see the wheels of WWE's plans turning. Both Rollins and Ambrose are sure to believe they are the rightful champion moving forward.

Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com was among those who saw this as a hint that WWE is creating a second world championship:

The folks at Daily DDT were extremely confident about that unfolding:

There is good reason to think the same way. The timing is key. This controversial ending came just one night before the WWE draft, when Raw and SmackDown will each go their separate ways.

WWE had two world championships during the last brand extension from 2002 to 2011. Raw had its own world titleholder, as did SmackDown. 

It wasn't until after Raw and SmackDown's rosters began to overlap each week that WWE merged the two championships in a ladder match between Randy Orton and John Cena at TLC 2013.

Now it looks as if WWE is preparing to crown a pair of champs once more. And Rollins and Ambrose will be the bridge to that split. 

Stephanie clearly backs Rollins. She was quick to hand the belt to him on Monday night, beaming with smug pride about him regaining the title. The bond from their days together as part of The Authority has apparently not faded.

Credit: WWE.com

Shane has been Ambrose's backer for weeks. He was the one to award The Lunatic Fringe his own talk show segment. And he refused to accept Stephanie's decision on Monday, happily announcing that Ambrose had held onto the gold.

This all smells like Rollins is heading to Raw with Stephanie in his corner while SmackDown will draft Ambrose where Shane can be his advocate.

Each wrestler will be sure that they won on Monday night, telling everyone on Tuesday's SmackDown and beyond that they are the rightful champion. The Raw and SmackDown commissioners will want a champion to represent their respective shows. 

Credit: WWE.com

That appears to be the path to resurrect the second world title.

WWE has used controversy and chaos as tools in naming new champions before. When Ted DiBiase used Andre the Giant and a pair of twin referees in an attempt to buy the WWE title in 1988, then company president Jack Tunney vacated the belt.

A decade later, WWE vacated the championship after both Kane and Undertaker pinned Steve Austin at Breakdown: In Your House. In 2011, a storyline saw CM Punk leave WWE while still champion, leading to Rey Mysterio winning a second version of the title.

More disorder like this is on the way. Shane announced in a backstage interview that there will be a rematch between Ambrose and Rollins on Tuesday's SmackDown.

Count on another screwy finish, more bickering between the McMahons and more uncertainty about who is actually champion. This is how a new world title will be born.

How WWE will then handle the Triple Threat bout on Sunday's PPV is unclear, but things won't be straightforward.

In an attempt to add buzz around the brand split, WWE has surrounded the world title scene with disarray. The fight for the top title has become more than just a battle of former brothers-in-arms. It is now a battle between brands.