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This past Monday, to the surprise of everyone, the WWE announced that former WWE Champion, Dean Ambrose, would not be renewing his contract when it runs out later this year.
This was a surprising move on the part of the WWE, as the company doesn't tend to address such issues in advance, and it could be an indication that Ambrose is incredibly well respected within the community.
While the reasons for Ambrose's departure are nothing more than mere speculation, the tone of the WWE's statement suggested that the door would always be open to the Lunatic Fringe, if he ever decided he wanted to return.
The WWE will now have several months to decide how they are going to book Ambrose's departure from the company and whether or not they want it to be a quiet affair, or whether they want to give him some sort of send off.
With that in mind, let's take a look at 5 ways the WWE could decide to book Dean Ambrose's departure.
#5 Keep him off TV
This option, however disappointing it may be, should not be ruled out.
It still remains uncertain as to how the WWE has reacted to Ambrose's impending departure, and if they are not taken to the news well, there is every chance that we won't be seeing much of the former WWE Champion in the coming weeks and months.
Hopefully, however, the fact that the WWE has decided to publicly announce Ambrose's contract running out is an indication that they have been fairly accepting of what has happened.
The exact reasons for Ambrose's request are still uncertain, and there is every chance that it could be down to something much more understandable than him being annoyed with the WWE.
#4 Humiliate him
There is only one thing worse than keeping Dean Ambrose off television between now and the end of his contract, and that would be booking him horrendously over the next few months.
While the WWE has not often done this, Batista's first farewell from the company and Eric Bischoff being thrown in a bin lorry are both memories that spring to mind.
Of course, both parties have to be willing to participate for this to happen, and Ambrose seems like the kind of guy who would not be willing to comply with this kind of thing. Here's hoping then, that the WWE decide to treat Ambrose with the respect he deserves on his way out.
#3 One last title run
While his most recent run as Intercontinental Champion was underwhelming, to say the least, Ambrose has been an excellent servant to the WWE over the last 6 years, and one last run with a mid-card title and a feel-good passing of the torch moment to see out his time in the company would be a nice way to draw in his time in the WWE to a close.
It is certainly difficult to see what title belt Ambrose could win in the coming months, but if the WWE really wanted to make this happen, and send Ambrose out on a high, then they could easily do it.
#2 Putting someone over
It's a well-known fact in the wrestling world that when you leave a company, you do so on your back.
Any self-respecting superstar knows that the correct way to leave a company is by putting somebody else over and paying your dues to the promotion, and Dean Ambrose, a seasoned veteran of several promotions, will know that better than anyone else.
While Ambrose may no longer be the biggest star on the roster, a victory over him at WrestleMania could certainly work wonders for a new star.
EC3, who was rumoured to face Ambrose at Mania, is the ideal candidate, while former NXT Champion, Aleister Black, could also be a good choice.
#1 One last Shield moment
No group has had an influence on the WWE like The Shield since Evolution back in the early 2000s.
All three men have established themselves as future Hall of Famers, just over 6 years since making their main-roster debuts.
If Ambrose is set to leave the WWE on good terms, then one last Shield reunion at WrestleMania could be a fitting end to his run in the WWE.
With Seth Rollins likely to defeat Brock Lesnar at the Showcase of the Immortals having Ambrose to come out to celebrate, only for Roman Reigns' music to hit seconds later would create quite the iconic moment.
With Reigns' future in the WWE uncertain as well, this certainly provides the WWE with the chance to give these guys the kind of WrestleMania moment that they deserve.
