The Shield Reunion Paves the Way for Dean Ambrose Heel Turn on WWE Raw

WWE didn't waste any time throwing The Shield back together once Dean Ambrose returned. 

Call it picking up right where WWE left off with a certain arc, one in which the original reunion tour got cut short due to the injury. It's only natural to pick up the arc and run with it given the stable's immense history and the possibilities from a storytelling standpoint. 

But the continuation relies on someone billed as a lunatic. 

The WWE Universe already knows Ambrose is a loose cannon. And from the moment he walked back on stage, well, the picture speaks for itself: 

WWE.com

That's a man who looks like he's just along for the ride because somebody told him to hop on. But when he snaps—and he will—brotherhood and everything else can go out the window in the blink of an eye. 

This is a carefully manufactured look. Part of it likely stems from the fact Ambrose needed to get away from the baby-faced look he had before, freeing himself from the stigma of a guy who, while being WWE's ironman, was also involved in a lengthy program with James Ellsworth in which he was relatively spinning his wheels. 

Let the visuals do the talking: 

WWE.com

See the difference? 

But this is much bigger than the look, as it is likely just a vehicle to nudge things in the right direction. The tension between Ambrose and Seth Rollins at SummerSlam was palpable, with Dean at one point even standing behind the new Intercontinental champion in a way reminiscent of Rollins' original betrayal. 

While Ambrose was there the next night saving Roman Reigns' new Universal Championship run by fending off a Money in the Bank cash in from Braun Strowman and playing along as the third wheel, that's just it—he's the third wheel. 

From a storytelling standpoint, at some point, Ambrose will snap out of the luster of his big return and his place within a pack of wolves again and realize he's the only guy without a belt.

While he's always showing up when needed, his brothers don't have much of a reason to show up to help him if a belt isn't on the line. Maybe he'll logically connect to the idea he was alone on SmackDown and it resulted in a lengthy title run. 

Heck, Ambrose can claim he's already shown he's the best—he emerged the winner of The Shield's triple threat match at Battleground 2016.

And while it took Ambrose a long time to forgive Rollins, culminating in a title run as tag champs, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Continuation is selective in WWE in the first place, and again, we're talking about a character whose whole schtick is being a lunatic fringe. 

If the end pursuit for WWE is an eventual split, as it should be because that's simply good storytelling, Ambrose is the way to go.

Rollins is white hot as a good guy, and it doesn't make sense this time to make him go bad. The "burn it down" superstar is too over with fans right now and the story is easily written that all his glory has suppressed his "architect" instincts of old.

And we all know Reigns is stuck in the John Cena face-of-the-company purgatory. Some of his actions and cockiness are heelish every now and then, but he'll never be the outright bad guy who drives a storyline. 

Which leaves the new-look Ambrose. Like Randy Orton, everything good about Ambrose is amplified as a heel. His violent, unorthodox style gets to turn loose even more. His erratic talking—if he says a word at all—goes off the charts. And let's be honest, asking kids to cheer for a "lunatic" doesn't even make sense. 

Ambrose's spot as a top superstar in WWE is best solidified through solid tweener work in a way Stone Cold used to as a bad guy who fans can't help but cheer. WWE does have plenty of those right now, but we could make the argument few, if any, can pull it off the way Ambrose does. 

So while the latest reunion of The Shield is bound to be fun and move some merchandise, keep in mind these reunions happen so they can lead to an eventual breakup. WWE's job is to create compelling storylines and drama to keep fans engaged, and while the company doesn't always hit the mark, Ambrose is the sort of natural star who makes the job easy. 

It's something to keep in mind as the reunion tour makes the rounds. The Shield is a vehicle for many things, but perhaps most of all, it's a slingshot for Ambrose to become one of the company's top names, perhaps more so than before.

Expect the tension to continue, as the lunatic fringe lurks in the background behind his two title-holding teammates perhaps working out his standing within the group and what's possible if he splits off on his own again.

This process will take time, but it only takes one look at Ambrose and the surrounding elements to realize he's likely heading for a break capable of shattering The Shield anew.