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Not very long ago, Roman Reigns announced to the world that he was battling leukemia, and would take time away from WWE. His Shield brothers were visibly and understandably upset with the news, and vowed to win the RAW Tag Team Championships, that very night. And win they did! Only what happened after the victory shocked the world.
Dean Ambrose turned on Seth Rollins, following the win. Many have called it the best heel turn of recent times, because nobody saw it coming. But since then, the feud has just become all sorts of confusing, really.
Ambrose was at Crown Jewel to accompany his wife, but was left off the said card. He wasn't even picked to be a member of Team RAW, ahead of Survivor Series.
Why is one of the biggest stars on RAW being kept off one of the biggest shows of the entire year?
#5 Ambrose cannot be trusted (kayfabe reason)
All through the year, the men and women of WWE wage war within their own brands. And then comes Survivor Series, where you leave your personal thoughts and feelings aside for one night, as you take on the other brand. Whether you like your opponent or not, you have to coexist.
The RAW Survivor Series team is already comprised of people that do not like one another. We saw Balor, Ziggler and McIntyre in a very heated exchange on RAW. Corbin may not want to have another volatile element in his ranks, in the form of the unpredictable Dean Ambrose too.
And therefore, it makes complete sense for him from a storyline perspective to leave the Lunatic out, this one time at least. It makes for a cohesive unit.
#4 The RAW brand is too stacked
Not long ago, The Shield was the most dominant faction on RAW. Ambrose was part of the trio with Rollins and Reigns, and the stable would destroy anyone in their path. Ever since the dissolution of the unit, there doesn't seem to be as much of a hype around the two remaining members anymore.
Neither of the men is gunning for the Universal Championship right now. The two men aren't even competing for the Intercontinental Championship at this point in time, though that should be the plan in coming weeks. The fact of the matter is that RAW is full of talent who are hungry for the top spot.
The truth of the matter is that even without Ambrose, all the competitors from RAW at Survivor Series are top tier superstars. It does not hurt to leave him off the card, in all honesty.
#3 To maintain his mystique
To make sense of this point, let's go back in time, all the way back to WCW. Sting went from a lovable babyface to a mysterious character who would only appear in the rafters, looking on. He became the most popular babyface in the brand in almost no time. Hulk Hogan vs. Sting did record business at Starrcade 97.
Ambrose has tapped into his lunatic character at long last, and finally has a mysterious aura around him. His motivations aren't clear, even after he revealed them on RAW this week.
Ambrose has a chance to create a sense of anticipation heading into his eventual clash with Seth Rollins. The moment we begin to understand his motivation and drive, it may not be nearly as exciting.
Therefore, WWE may want him to be a silent spectator at Survivor Series, rather than an actual team player.
#2 To cost Seth Rollins his match
Let's move on from the antagonist to the protagonist for now. Seth Rollins is scheduled to take on Shinsuke Nakamura in a singles match at Survivor Series this year. It will be the clash of the Intercontinental Champion against the US Champion, in a dream match.
In any other circumstances, I'd say that Rollins would be the favourite to win the match. In these particular circumstances, I'd say Nakamura is the favourite, because Ambrose could interfere and cost Rollins this big match. This could potentially launch their highly personal feud in motion.
Even from a storyline perspective, Rollins thinks that his former friend is confused and doesn't know what he is doing. Having Ambrose interfere and cost him the match could push him over the edge, straight into the feud.
#1 To not have him take a pin
Ambrose threw away the Tag Team Championships, soon after winning them. As a result, he is currently not a Champion. The only match that he would have qualified for is the traditional Survivor Series 5-on-5 men's elimination match. Chances are he may have had to take a pin during the match.
If he were to be eliminated, much of the mystique around the man would be gone. We wouldn't be nearly as excited for the story to come, which is the heart of the matter. People would have been less excited to see the eventual match against his former teammate.
Even if he were to emerge as the sole Survivor, it would not make sense to me, purely from a character standpoint. Why would someone like Ambrose care for brand supremacy?
Let me know your thoughts and viewpoints in the comments section below.
