5 Things Dean Ambrose has not achieved in the WWE
If there is anything that we’ve learned from the Dean Ambrose saga in the past few weeks then it would be this – The Lunatic Fringe isn’t cut from the same cloth as the rest of the roster.
Ambrose has always frustratingly assumed his place behind Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in the pecking order. While his former Shield brethren have cemented themselves as long-time main event players, the Ironman of the WWE has always treaded the fine line between the mid-card and the main event. It’s as clear as the mid-day sunshine; Ambrose was never intended to be the sustainable face of the company for years.
The WWE title reign seemed like his catapulting moment but the underwhelming angles that preceded and succeeded the run have been enough to convince the popular star to leave the company.
Make no mistake; Ambrose isn’t in it for the money as he longs to be given some creative freedom. That is something no superstar is guaranteed in Vince McMahon’s empire, and commendably enough, Ambrose has taken the gutsy move to walk away from the company that he has worked his rear-end off for since 2011. He is popular, talented and clever enough to find gigs outside the realms of WWE but he is a 33-year-old Grand Slam Champion for god’s sake! WWE stands to lose more than Ambrose with AEW lurking in the background.
Nonetheless, Ambrose would be leaving behind a legacy that would get divided reactions – he’s had some noteworthy accolades and astonishingly, has failed to achieve things that he was expected to accomplish. This list takes a look at the latter.
#1 Has not won the Royal Rumble
Now before we go any further, it should be noted that Ambrose's resume has naturally been compared to his peers in Rollins and Reigns for the purpose of this article. And the most notable deficiency in his record has to be the elusive Royal Rumble victory.
While Reigns and Rollins have both won the match to book their respective spots in the main event of WrestleMania, Ambrose has fallen short on countless occasions. He could have won the Rumble this year, though, had everything gone according to plan. It has been reported that Ambrose was Reigns' original WrestleMania 35 opponent before leukemia threw a spanner in the works. Reigns would have ideally headed into Mania as the Universal champion and Ambrose punched his ticket to the main event via a victory at the Rumble.
The closest he's come to winning the Rumble match was when he was the runner-up in the Rumble bout that was for the WWE World Heavyweight title, which was eventually won by Triple H. Many felt Ambrose should have beaten the Game in 2016 but when do the fans get what they want eh?