AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose: Best Ways to Build WWE TLC 2016 Feud

Adjustments need to be made and dials need to be turned as AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose transitions to WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2016.

The latest chapter in the WWE World Championship rivalry is over. It's time for these enemies to move from the joyfully absurd to the powerfully intense.

Ambrose's chase for Styles' gold will continue to at least the TLC pay-per-view on Dec. 4. SmackDown's head honchos Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan announced the title bout on Tuesday night: 

The Lunatic Fringe earned one more crack at the championship by beating Styles on Tuesday's SmackDown.

His little buddy and lovable loser James Ellsworth nearly cost Ambrose his chance at victory, just as he had done the week before. Instead, Ellsworth's presence aided him. The sight of security guards chasing and piling onto Ellsworth distracted Styles.

The Phenomenal One fell. Security dragged Ellsworth up the entrance ramp, but only after the referee raised Ambrose's hand in victory. 

This has been a wild ride of a rivalry, venturing into bizarre territory and creating a moving story in the process.

As hot as the Ellsworth angle has been, though, it's time to move on. Ambrose vs. Styles is due for a shift in tone.

Intensity over Comedy

The Ellsworth part of the narrative has run its course. WWE has done a brilliant job in harnessing his underdog aura and turning him into the most unexpected of stars.

But how long can that go on for?

WWE runs the risk of overexposing him and this storyline if Ellsworth sticks around.

Tonya Rodgers of Cageside Seats wrote, "I hate to be a party pooper here, but I am sick of James Ellsworth. I really want this to be the last I have seen of him for awhile."

She's certainly not the only one to think that. Ellsworth has been at the center of the Styles-Ambrose feud for weeks now. 

If WWE is going to keep this rivalry's momentum going until December, it will have to make this story more serious. It must move on from the goofy part of the tale to the part where two archenemies' hate for each other overflows on screen. 

Styles should be incensed about how things have gone of late. He's been embarrassed by losses to Ellsworth and constant distractions.

It will be compelling to see him wreak havoc in response to all that anger.

As for Ambrose, he should defend whoever Styles runs over. He should zero in on what's at stake for him. His interviews need to be centered on his hunger to reclaim the WWE World Championship.

Use Survivor Series as a Launchpad

The SmackDown male Survivor Series team is set. Bryan announced on Tuesday that Bray Wyatt, Baron Corbin and Randy Orton will join forces with Styles and Ambrose.

With the rivals set to fight on the same side on the Nov. 20 PPV, WWE has a great chance to create tension and suspense.

They can try to focus on winning for the blue brand, but their personal issues should get in the way. Ambrose and Styles can bicker on the ring apron. They can cheap-shot each other during the match, or they can brawl after the bout, win or lose.

That's a smart way to add drama to both the Survivor Series event and the feud going forward.

WWE should look at the elimination match as a means to add reasons for Styles and Ambrose to be at each other's throats. The more these two get in each other's way, the more bad blood WWE can churn up and the longer this story's shelf life will be.

Highlight the Lunatic's Lunacy

Styles is the superior athlete to Ambrose. He's the better technician and the craftier of the two.

Where Ambrose holds the distinct edge is in craziness. The Lunatic Fringe's past is filled with battles in ladder matches and chaotic bouts in which his reckless abandon pushed him to victory. 

WWE has to play up this dynamic and highlight Ambrose's past.

The story should be that Ambrose is at home in chaos, that the TLC match essentially gives him a home-field advantage.

After all, his first match in WWE was a TLC match. And just this year alone, he has battled in a Asylum match against Chris Jericho at Extreme Rules, a Last Man Standing match against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble and won the Money in the Bank ladder match.

SmackDown can air highlights of Ambrose's extreme moments. It can play up Ambrose's advantage and his willingness to jump into this kind of fray.

As ProWrestling.net pointed out, on Tuesday's Talking Smack, Ambrose compared this rivalry to a cartoon, whirlwind fight that occurred on an episode of Family Guy:

In a way, that's what WWE should strive for here. Ambrose and Styles should brawl in and out of the arena ahead of TLC, smashing each other into vending machines, production vans or dressing rooms.

To combat his lack of experience in TLC contests, Styles should come up with a devious plan. Maybe he can hire a bodyguard to protect him or issue a hit on Ambrose to injure him before the match.

Either way, this is a chance to showcase how smart and cruel the champion is.

With this kind of mayhem and increased enmity, Ambrose vs. Styles can move into a darker, more violent part of this rivalry, one that is just as effective as the portion of the tale that focused so much on Ellsworth's involvement.