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What's the story?
WWE has issued a statement on Dean Ambrose's departure and has confirmed that he will leave the company after WrestleMania 35.
The report comes a day after Ambrose gave notice that he would not renew his contract with the promotion, which will end his nine-year run with WWE.
In case you didn't know...
Ambrose signed with WWE in 2011 through the company's developmental system, FCW which was later re-branded to NXT.
He debuted on the main roster alongside Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns when the trio interfered in a WWE Championship match at the 2012 edition of Survivor Series.
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The heart of the matter
WWE released the following statement regarding Ambrose's decision to leave the company:
“Dean Ambrose (Jonathan Good) will not be renewing his contract with WWE when it expires in April. We are grateful and appreciative of all that Dean has given to WWE and our fans. We wish him well and hope that one day Dean will return to WWE."
The news was originally reported by PWTorch early Tuesday morning that Ambrose decided not to re-sign after Raw due to creative frustration. PWInsider reported that the contract WWE offered Ambrose was for five years, but the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion declined.
His rumored departure caused many to speculate whether the news was a work or false, but many have argued that it was due to creative frustration.
Ambrose's popularity was at an all-time high following the breakup of The Shield, with many fans advocating for him to beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 31.
Reigns would be the wrestler the company booked to face Lesnar at the event while Ambrose was in the opening match of the show competing for the Intercontinental Championship.
Ambrose would finally win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship two years after Rollins and Reigns had multiple runs with the belt. However, his championship reign only lasted three months before he lost it to AJ Styles at the Backlash pay-per-view in 2016.
What's next?
The rumors amongst fans are that Ambrose will leave the company for All Elite Wrestling or to return to the independents, but that is pure speculation
Expect more news on Ambrose's departure as we get closer to his contract expiring.
