3 Reasons Dean Ambrose should stay with WWE and 3 reasons why he should leave

Dean Ambrose had the pro wrestling world abuzz this past week when rumors emerged of his desire to leave WWE once his contract expires in April.

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The former Lunatic Fringe has been a valuable member of the WWE roster regardless of his placement on the card.

His membership in the Shield certainly helped his cause in WWE, but out of the three members, he has been seen as the third-best member of the group by WWE management.

He did top Seth Rollins for the title at Money in the Bank in 2016, but Roman Reigns' suspension played heavily into that booking decision.

Ambrose hasn't been the top star on Raw, but when he came out to confront Triple H this past Monday, it appeared as if he could be headed to a huge feud with the King of Kings or at least with the power structure of the show.

That would have propelled him to greater things, but if he is indeed leaving and it is not a work, then nothing much will ever come from it.

There also would have been the history between Ambrose and Triple H when the battled each other in factions or when they were the final two in the 2016 Royal Rumble.

But whatever he should decide to do regarding his career, it is his decision and he knows the best path he should take or should not take.

There are both positives and negatives regarding Ambrose leaving the WWE. Here are three reasons why he should stay with the company and three reasons why he should leave.

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Stay -There is still a lot he can do

Ambrose is the perfect superstar to 'fight the power' if WWE ever revisited the evil authority figure storyline.

Dean Ambrose has been with the WWE main roster since late 2013. In that time, he's been a hated heel (with the Shield's initial run), a beloved anti-hero with the Shield and a main-event face when on SmackDown.

If Ambrose does not return to WWE, he will still have a lot left that he could have accomplished. He could become the anti-authority heel or anti-authority face who fights the power when/if Triple H and/or Stephanie inevitably return to rule of WWE with iron fists.

That placement propelled Steve Austin into the 'GOAT' conversation when he opposed the evil Mr. McMahon.

It's easy to understand why he might be frustrated if his ideas aren't considered. But if he does leave, he'll miss out on potential feuds/matches with the likes of EC3, the Velveteen Dream, Aleister Black and loads of other superstars from NXT.

And that doesn't even include the likes of feuding with Finn Balor, Mustafa Ali or someone like Andrade.

Perhaps those feuds aren't enough to coax Ambrose to remain in WWE, but he would certainly have a plate full of opponents no matter which show he was on.

Leave - More creative freedom with character

Ambrose might reconsider his position if he was given more creative freedom for his character.

According to several reports, including one from SEScoops.com, one of the main factors for Ambrose's decision not to renew his contract with WWE is his lack of creative freedom with his character.

When he was on the independent scene, the unpredictable nature of Jon Moxley is what got him noticed by WWE. Anything could happen with his character and it kept him exciting and fresh.

Since he has been with WWE, he did have some of that edge in his character. He was a good WWE Champion but some of the aspects of his face character were cheesy.

From some of his dialogue to the whole hot dog cart incident, the way he was portrayed certainly didn't make him seem edgy or dangerous.

If WWE hopes to retain his services, they must let him have more creative control. It is unlikely for WWE to do that, but giving a Superstar more say in their character does two things - it makes the character more believable and it keeps the superstar happier.

Ambrose is certainly in the category of top WWE Superstar, so he should have been given more say in what he is asked to do with his character. Since he wasn't, he may likely be wrestling elsewhere in the second half of 2019.

Stay - The inevitable feud with Roman Reigns once he returns

Ambrose and Roman Reigns haven't really ever feuded with each other.

One of the biggest missed opportunities for both Ambrose and the WWE should he leave would be the inevitable feud with Roman Reigns once The Big Dog returns from his illness.

Ambrose didn't seem to turn on Reigns directly, and when asked about his friend by backstage interviewers, he seemed noncommittal, reserved and reluctant to answer any questions regarding the former Universal champion.

But by 'betraying' Seth Rollins on the same night Reigns left due to Leukemia, he indirectly turned on his brother and the Shield.

Once Reigns is given the full bill of health to return, you'd have to figure that two things would be at the top of his list.

The first would obviously be to reclaim the Universal Championship he technically never lost. Like Finn Balor, he had to relinquish the title due to unforeseen circumstances. You better believe he's going to defeat whoever holds the title once his return is announced.

A second obvious thing on his to-do list would be to confront Ambrose about the turn and then likely feud with his former 'brother' over those actions.

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose have always fallen on the same side whenever they have been in the trenches. Only Seth Rollins has feuded with both of his brothers.

While Ambrose likely would have lost in that feud and perhaps that fact turned him off, the truth still remains that a future feud between Reigns and Ambrose would have been huge for the WWE and those two Superstars.

Leave - He would be a bigger star in other promotions

All Elite Wrestling would back up the money truck in order to secure the services of Jon Moxley.

When guys like Jack Swagger, Damien Sandow and Drew McIntyre all left WWE at various points, they were all treated like bigger stars in their new promotions.

Sandow was pushed to a secondary title in Impact before his character became some weird Liberace knock-off.

Swagger is the current Lucha Underground Champion after season four and McIntyre was treated like a big deal during his run in Impact Wrestling. His (McIntyre's) run in Impact directly led to him being resigned by WWE.

Regardless of where he might land (MLW, ROH, Impact, AEW), Ambrose would be one of the top stars in that company. AEW will need superstars who are credible as main-event superstars, and unfortunately for Cody Rhodes, he doesn't check that box.

He might have won the ROH Championship, but his booking in New Japan was that of a secondary champion.

Should both Kenny Omega and Ambrose sign with AEW, they'd already have two main-event stars that could help propel the promotion forward. It would also allow them to build up superstars who might not be 100% ready for the main event.

While Hangman Page might be getting there, he's still scratching the surface of being a main-event star and it would scream of nepotism in a way if he's booked like the top dog.

If you want fans to believe in the credibility of your new promotion, then an outside star like Ambrose would give you that if made the champion.

Stay - More opportunities on SmackDown Live

Ambrose would have a better chance at standing out more if he was moved back to SmackDown Live.

It's arguable, but Dean Ambrose moving to Raw might have been great for the Shield and WWE, but it was the worst possible thing for his singles' career.

When he was on SmackDown Live as technically it's first champion, he was the top dog on the show. He carried the show during the initial stages of the brand split and helped make AJ Styles the star he is today.

Once he was a member of Raw, his stock took a drastic hit. Sure, he was a member of the popular faction once again, but in the hierarchy of the Shield, he's at the bottom of the trio.

A lot of what Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler said during their feud with the Shield was true. Reigns was always the 'top dog' and Rollins was when Reigns wasn't.

Ambrose was always considered for challenging in the main event on Raw but never considered for carrying the show like he did on SmackDown.

If he was shifted back to the blue brand, a lot would open up for him. He could still be a heel, but the dynamic on that show has changed.

Daniel Bryan is back and now a heel champion and Superstars like Andrade, Mustafa Ali, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe all would be perfect for Ambrose to feud with.

And then there is Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev and any number of call-ups from NXT that might land on SmackDown.

When all is said and done, a shift back to SmackDown might have made things more tolerable for Dean Ambrose rather than rehashing the Shield heydays and being the third-most important member of a trio of superstars.

Leave - He might be burnt-out

Perhaps his frustration with his character has led Ambrose to be burnt-out with his spot in WWE.

When Ambrose returned over the summer, it was refreshing to see him since he had been out of action with an injury for almost half of a year.

He looked better and seemed to be refreshed. The feuds with Ziggler, Strowman and McIntyre were okay, but he seemed destined for more than tag team championships.

Once people seemed to question his motivations after the reformation of the Shield, you could sense that a heel turn was inevitable.

His heel turn did happen, but he wasn't allowed to fully explore the heel nature of his character. Instead, he was turned into a germophobic character who wore Bane's jacket.

Ambrose also was turned off by some of the cornier things he was forced to do as a face like with Mitch the plant.

With such a tumultuous last two years, it's no surprise that Ambrose decided not to renew his contract once it expires in April.

He might simply be burnt-out by wrestling since he's done it since his teen years, but perhaps he is finally had enough of the WWE machine.

The WWE is often the final destination for aspiring pro wrestlers, but once there, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle or lost in the gears of the machine.

Both of those things seem to have happened to Ambrose and his last straw snapped. Had a few things turned out more in his favor in the recent past, he might have kept rolling with the punches, but sometimes, a change of scenery is the best thing for someone.