In late January 2019, WWE had officially announced that Dean Ambrose had chosen not to renew his contract that expires shortly after WrestleMania 35. At first, many believed that it was a work, because WWE never usually announces departures so far in advance, especially for a star of the caliber of Dean Ambrose. For those who did buy it, it came as an absolute shock. Naturally, Ambrose wasn’t in the best position since returning. He had a long layoff, returned, finally turned heel in the most opportune moment, and while it seemed like it would be the long overdue storyline between Ambrose and Rollins, the direction they took was a rather bizarre one. Rather than Ambrose unleashing a darker, more sinister version of himself (one which he could definitely pull off, given that he’s had a rather dark and disturbing past in real life at one point in his early years). However, it turned out to be a little more comedic, and the feud lost the fire that it had rather quickly. The payoff was an Intercontinental Championship match at TLC, and that disappointed more than one could imagine. Ambrose did win the title, but it would mark the beginning of a “hot potato” period for the Intercontinental Championship, as he would drop it to Bobby Lashley less than a month later, and Lashley himself wouldn’t hold the title too long before winning it back. Either way, Ambrose dropping the title seemed like the death sentence in his WWE run, and with a very short Royal Rumble appearance, it was clear that he wasn’t satisfied creatively at all. At the start after the announcement, WWE really didn’t acknowledge Dean Ambrose’s contract situation. It was only after Roman Reigns returned and requested to reunite The Shield one last time that they publicly acknowledged Ambrose’s contract situation. There were all sorts of contrasting rumors about it as well, with some reliable sources saying that he was expected to renew his contract, while other sources said that he is, in fact, leaving the company. Despite all the confusion, Ambrose’s booking on RAW week-by-week told the whole story. From main eventer, he quickly dropped down the pecking order and began to be used only to put over other talent, such as Drew McIntyre. With hardly any wins anymore, Ambrose’s role with WWE has been made crystal clear, and any hope of him renewing his contract and him leaving being a storyline has vanished. However, Ambrose has been a top-caliber talent for a very long time in WWE, which is what surprises many fans as to why he isn’t getting a farewell match at WrestleMania. Both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are occupied in their own WrestleMania bouts, but for Ambrose, there’s been absolutely nothing announced, nothing planned, and from the look of things, he may not even be on the WrestleMania card. Even if he were to enter the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, it really wouldn’t do justice to him, especially since the winner never really gets pushed anyway. However, there’s also the argument that Ambrose deserves a good farewell match at WrestleMania, and it’s not unreasonable to think so. After all, Ambrose had been on the main roster since late 2012, and until late-2017, he had zero injuries, zero sick days and was consistently the Iron Man of WWE, year after year. In fact, when he became WWE Champion and Roman Reigns had gotten suspended for failing the Wellness Policy, there needed to be a star to carry the company, and Ambrose did it in the craziest way possible, going so far as to wrestling at two different shows in one day. Sure, his last run may not have lived up to expectations, but with all that said, Dean Ambrose connected with the WWE Universe and earned his way to the top of the card. WWE knew exactly how reliable he was, and he was always carefully pushed and protected to make sure that he could be used at any given time if there was a catastrophe (like the mid-2016 Reigns suspension). Though he was always a #3 to his other two Shield brothers, he gave a lot to the company, and for that alone, he deserves a good farewell at the grandest stage of them all. Perhaps pitting Reigns against Ambrose in a friendly contest at WrestleMania would have been the direction to go, but it seems like that’s something we won’t ever get again. Hopefully, Dean Ambrose succeeds wherever he goes outside of WWE.<doc-sep>What's the story? Dean Ambrose is set to walk away from WWE after WrestleMania 35 since he has refused to re-sign a new contract when his current one expires next month. That being said, WWE still had plans for Ambrose, but they have since changed because he has opted not to renew his deal. In case you didn't know... Dean Ambrose has been one of the main stars in WWE for the past seven years, ever since he made his debut alongside Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns at Survivor Series back in 2012. Whilst Rollins and Reigns have since gone on to have matched success on the main roster which includes WrestleMania main events and Royal Rumble wins, Ambrose has been lagging behind. The Lunatic Fringe's recent heel turn was set to be the turning point of his career, but WWE's creative team booked him wrong and it appeared that this was the final straw when it came to his career with the company. The heart of the matter Dean Ambrose doesn't currently have a match at WrestleMania since the company is seemingly looking to write him off screen as soon as possible, but The Wrestling Observer recently revealed that the original plans for Ambrose saw him take on his long-time friend Roman Reigns in the main event for the Universal Championship. It is unknown as to whether or not Ambrose was supposed to win the title as part of the match, which was planned ahead of Reigns' leukemia diagnosis, but it appears that he was about to get exactly what he wanted before the plans were changed late last year. What's next? Dean Ambrose is expected to walk away from the company next month, there has been no official update from Ambrose or Renee Young ahead of the expiration, but it will be interesting to see if Ambrose is written off WWE TV or given the send off he deserves. Do you think WWE should have allowed Reigns and Ambrose to fight at WrestleMania? Have your say in the comments section below...<doc-sep>
WWE WrestleMania 35 will take place at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, April 7. A total of 14 matches have been announced for the event, including Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns, but there has been no word about a possible match for Dean Ambrose. It was confirmed by WWE in January that the Shield member will leave the company when his contract expires in April. At the time of the announcement, many fans questioned whether he really is going to leave or whether his contract situation could become part of a storyline. Given the way that “The Lunatic Fringe” has been booked in recent weeks – he has lost seven of his last eight singles matches, including four times against McIntyre – it seems clearer now more than ever that he will be on his way out of WWE after WrestleMania 35. As for the event itself, Ambrose's best chance of featuring is if he is added to the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which is being built around Braun Strowman, Michael Che and Colin Jost this year, or if he interferes in a match involving Rollins or Reigns. If he does neither of those things, then there is a serious chance that the Shield member has already competed at WrestleMania for the final time. With that in mind, let’s take a trip down memory lane to look at the highs and lows of Ambrose’s past WrestleMania appearances. #5 High: The Shield remains undefeated Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins burst onto the WWE scene in November 2012 by attacking Ryback in the main event of the Survivor Series pay-per-view. They quickly became known as The Shield and built up a ton of momentum over the next few months heading into WrestleMania 29. Still undefeated as a trio by the time that WWE’s biggest show of the year came around, they picked up a statement victory over the makeshift team of Randy Orton, Sheamus and The Big Show in the opening match of the night. “The Hounds of Justice” had only been part of the main roster for a little over four months at this point, so it was a big deal for the up-and-comers to win a match on “The Grandest Stage of Them All” at such an early stage in their WWE careers. 1 / 5 NEXT