Dean Ambrose’s heel turn: good or bad?

#1 Conclusion: Good

In the end, the heel turn is good for Ambrose and WWE on the whole.

Stars like The Big Show, Kane, and Randy Orton have turned a lot over the course of their WWE careers. These face and heel turns underscore that turns, in general, are a key storytelling mechanism in pro wrestling and that it’s often easiest to keep characters fresh with the help of a major kayfabe personality shift.

It’s a credit to Ambrose’s drawing power and talent that he was able to stay face and remain relevant across a five year plus period. The time had come for his turn, though. While WWE reportedly had plans on the turn before Roman Reigns had to step away from the ring, it also does help that The Shield was dissolving anyway and that Ambrose was able to collect even bigger heat for turning on the same night as the Reigns announcement.

The jury is naturally still out on how Ambrose’s heel run will ultimately play with WWE fans. For now, though, there’s plenty of reason for optimism.