Dean Ambrose is having some serious fun with AJ Styles. The Lunatic Fringe has been targeting The Phenomenal One for the past several weeks, and in the process, he’s made AJ’s life miserable. Fans have watched all of this unfold on SmackDown Live, and it’s become obvious that the company is taking its time with this one.
That fact alone makes this feud important. Far too many times in the past fans have watched so-called rivalries last no longer than one pay-per-view, and then the Superstars involved move on. Unless the two do not have chemistry in the ring, this should never happen. That is especially true for the top championship.
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The belt’s value only increases thanks to the efforts of the two competitors fighting for it in the ring. The WWE World Championship is the biggest and most respected title in the industry because of the talent that has chased it over the years.
WWE is booking the top two talents from SmackDown Live for the belt now, and the time that’s being invested into this rivalry is a good thing. It’s working because both Styles and Ambrose are pros, and know how to tell a story. But it’s also working because they do indeed have great chemistry together.
Styles is the world travelled star that fought his entire career to make it to WWE. When some said he couldn’t do it, he proved them wrong. When the world believed he would not beat John Cena, he set them straight.
When the odds were against him ever becoming the WWE World champion, he fought back and he won. Now that same underdog is at the top of the mountain, and he’s eye to eye with the wildcard.
The description used for Styles could very well apply to Ambrose as well. Dean had to fight against the odds to rise up and to become a top guy in WWE.
While many fans believed the company’s main title would never be his, he proved himself and wore the belt with pride. He’s different, he’s a bit eccentric, but he has carved out his own niche, and no one can deny the growth he’s shown over the past year.
Both of these unlikely WWE champions are vying for the most important belt in the business. This storyline could have fizzled out following John Cena’s departure after No Mercy, but WWE is pressing on. Fans are going along for the ride, and watching Ambrose play mind games with Styles is the real draw here.
Dean is consistently shadowing AJ. Everywhere the champ goes, Ambrose is there. AJ has become a neurotic mess thanks to Ambrose, while The Lunatic Fringe is keeping his cool. This is classic Ambrose, and while some fans may believe this to be too much comedy, it’s obvious that Dean is very much in his element.
There’s also the fact that this storyline has created a new star in James Ellsworth.
Ellsworth should not be over.
The entire angle should have fallen on its face from the very beginning. But Ellsworth is not only over; WWE is actually supporting him with a new T-Shirt. Fans are cheering for him despite his overwhelming lack of offence and a serious lack of charisma. Ellsworth has one job, and that is to play the deer in the headlights. He’s very good at it.
But it’s not just his efforts that are making this work; it’s all thanks to Dean and AJ. It’s a good bit of comic relief behind a title that can be serious business, and it’s causing fans to become immersed in this angle.
Ellsworth’s involvement may or may not end before Ambrose gets his next title shot, but no matter what happens there is enough momentum being generated to carry this feud forward.
Ambrose’s next opportunity at the gold will likely come at Survivor Series on November 20. All he has to do is beat Styles on the October 25 edition of SmackDown Live, and the title shot is his.
The question is will WWE be able to extend this storyline for another month and still keep the fans’ attention? Time has been invested in this, and that’s a good thing, but fans can lose interest quickly. What will WWE do to keep this going?
This is where Styles and Ambrose come in. Without their efforts to maintain their heat, this will not work. The booking has to be there as well of course; WWE must support them with new twists and turns along the way. If all of that happens, then this storyline will succeed beyond what it has so far.
In the meantime, fans are being entertained. Yes, the WWE World Championship deserves to be presented with a serious tone. But this is exactly what Ambrose’s character would do in order to get that championship back. WWE is allowing him to have fun in a logical way, and AJ is reacting precisely how his character would to Dean’s schemes.
Entertaining is what WWE does best, and it’s working here. The time will come when the fun and games end, but until then, it’s about fans enjoying it all. AJ and Ambrose will do what they do best, and they will make this work up to the very end.
Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Sportskeeda. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.
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