What if Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins main event WrestleMania 35?

If you were to ask a serious wrestling fan as recently as a month ago to pick one surefire WrestleMania main eventer for next spring, there’s a good chance Roman Reigns would be the first name to come to mind. All indications were Reigns was the corporate chosen one, and after closing out the preceding four ‘Manias, it would only fit for him to do it again in New Jersey, possibly opposite The Rock, Braun Strowman, or in a Triple Threat with his Shield running buddies.

With Reigns out battling leukemia, the field is wide open for headlining the biggest show of the year. If The Rock does come back, he is likely to close things out, but if Brock Lesnar remains Universal Champion, he might too. Strowman, AJ Styles, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, The Undertaker or Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz each have a shout, too. WWE could also try to make history with the first women’s match to main-event, highlighting Ronda Rousey in a first-time match with Charlotte Flair or Cris Cyborg.

But then there’s Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose. With a little nudge, they could have the star power to justify top billing, and the foundation for a WrestleMania main event level storyline is already in place given their long history. This article looks at what that main event scenario would mean.

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5. Dean Ambrose wins the Universal Championship

Dean Ambrose could carry the Universal Championship into WrestleMania

While Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and the story between them could broach WrestleMania main event territory, it’s not exactly a slam dunk to close the show without a world title in the mix.

Neither man would be out of place winning the Universal Championship but the face casing the title on the way to a major show generally feels like a bigger draw and more satisfying story. The idea of heel Ambrose as a world champion feels fresh, too.

Of course, this scenario does raise the question of how Ambrose could get his hands on the belt when the most obvious roads for the months ahead go through Brock Lesnar or Braun Strowman. This title picture also favors Ambrose over Rollins as he could cheat his way to a win over either big man while protecting both of them as longer-term main event guys.

4. Seth Rollins wins the Royal Rumble

Seth Rollins could go the distance at the Rumble

While the Royal Rumble match and its winners have had checkered outcomes in recent years, the Rumble generally remains one of WWE’s most reliably great matches, and the winner someone of long-term importance to the company. For all of his accolades, Seth Rollins hasn’t yet won a Rumble, and doing so to pave the way to a WrestleMania title shot against his arch-rival is about as straightforward as WWE storytelling can get.

Ambrose having the title and Rollins having a Rumble victory under his belt would also help bolster the two men’s credibility for this match to ensure they feel deserving of the most coveted spot on a card all year—the main event of WrestleMania. As a cherry on top, Rollins is exactly the sort of exciting and high endurance worker it’s a joy to see work a marathon run in the Rumble and there’s little doubt fans would be behind him winning.

3. An injury angle for Rollins

Seth Rollins may need an excuse to sit out for a bit

If Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were to work the main event of WrestleMania, one of the big questions that arises is how WWE would keep this pairing fresh all the way to ‘Mania when their feud has already gotten a start this fall.

The guys already have three fairly major programs behind them that saw them work PPV main events in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and while flipping the face-heel dynamic does add some intrigue it could be a tough sell for them to maintain fan interest through WrestleMania, and especially enough so to justify working the last match of the biggest show of the year.

One way to stretch the feud would be to keep these two apart, and one way of doing that while still adding heat to their program would be for Ambrose to kayfabe injure Rollins and take him out of action for a bit. This booking could even set up the Rumble as Rollins’s comeback campaign on the road to WrestleMania.

2. The best WrestleMania main event in years

Rollins and Ambrose could have the best WrestleMania main event match in some time

There’s a substantial history of legitimately great WrestleMania main events. Consider Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage, the Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels Iron Man Match, Steve Austin vs. The Rock from 17, or the Triple Threat between Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chris Benoit to name just a few.

None of these great main events happened in the last few ‘Manias.

While there’s an argument that the hard-hitting fight between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, paired with the electricity of Seth Rollins cashing in Money in the Bank was great on its own terms, Reigns main events to follow opposite Triple H, The Undertaker, and Lesnar were largely boring slogs, made even worse by exhausted love crowds.

Rollins and Dean Ambrose are each very good workers who have proven chemistry with one another. While they may not stage the greatest WrestleMania main event of all time, they’d almost certainly deliver the best match to close the show in four or five years.

1. Rollins gets a career-defining victory

Seth Rollins could have the win of a lifetime in this WrestleMania main event

WrestleMania is the most watched, best-remembered wrestling show of most years, and as such a fitting place for major stars to define their legacies.

Seth Rollins has a defining, crowning moment as a heel when he crashed the party at the WrestleMania 31 main event and walked out champion. As a face, he could make history again winning a straight up, one on one world title match against his arch-rival and real-life friend in the biggest match of the year.

There’s little better time for an accomplishment like this, either. With Roman Reigns out indefinitely there’s a sizable vacancy at the top of the card. Though Braun Strowman is in some ways the more obvious choice to lead the company forward, for his size, look, and mystique, there’s no denying Rollins is the better worker. This WrestleMania 35 victory could chart a course for him to lead WWE for the years ahead.