Rollins and Reigns have their merits, but Dean Ambrose is the man destined for a long career of main event feuds.
Even the top guys from the independent organizations have trouble adjusting to the WWE when they first arrive. It’s a hell of a lot different connecting with 10,000 fans in a basketball arena than it is with 80 fans in an American Legion. You have to learn to play to the cameras, and you have to vary your repertoire in a way that is never necessary when most of your matches go untelevised. But from his very first appearance, Ambrose has been absolutely electric. When he’s in the ring, you can’t take your eyes off him – he moves differently than everyone else. He dictates the pace of matches, veering between a slow, stalking, sadist, to a frenzied, vicious predator. He has a solid mix of realistic-looking submission holds and high-impact maneuvers. His in-ring work is a throwback to a bygone era of heels who did mean things and looked like they enjoyed them.
And his promos? They’re a perfect extension of that in-ring character. His voice often begins as a slow, sneering movie villain drawl, but he eventually escalates to barking fury. But he’s always in control, never crossing the line into parody. For a guy this young to have this kind of maturity and understanding of his character? It’s nothing short of spectacular.
I see Dean Ambrose as a can’t-miss main event heel for the next decade. He’s like an evolutionary advancement that combines the greatest parts of William Regal, Terry Funk, and Brian Pillman. Even if I’m wrong about Ambrose, the other guys are going to be a hell of a lot of fun to watch as well. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
