This same man is now signed to WWE under the name of Dean Ambrose. He currently competes in their developmental league and on house shows. If you're an NXT viewer you may be wondering why you've never seen him on the show. The answer is simple: Ambrose is a favourite of WWE management and a top contender to be the next man promoted to the main roster and so has been held off of NXT.
As with Seth Rollins (formerly Ring of Honor's Tyler Black) you have to wonder why WWE have waited so long to introduce Ambrose to television. He wrestles well, has the WWE Look™, and gives intense, relatable promos. He is the sort of man WWE's barren mid-card desperately needs.
Part of the problem could be that the main roster is already heavy on heels. The Miz, Wade Barrett, Antonio Cesaro, Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow have all suffered barren periods this year for that very reason. The last thing WWE's writing staff will want to do is introduce another man to the roster when they don't have enough material for the performers they have.
That could be their reasoning but in fact nothing could be further from the truth. The misuse of Miz and company has been the result of the writing team being overworked, not a lack of minutes on TV. RAW and SmackDown alone tally five hours a week. Throw in Superstars and Main Event and you reach seven. WWE needs all the characters they can get working on television to fill this time.
One of the many men currently being overlooked in WWE's developmental system
Furthering the case for Ambrose getting a spot on RAW or SmackDown (or both) is the fact that the company planned to call him up earlier in the year. An online feud between the former Dragon Gate star and Mick Foley was put together (which you can read about here), with the plan being to introduce Ambrose to TV via conventional means and gradually begin acknowledging his existing gripe with 'The Hardcore Legend'.
No stranger to hardcore matches himself Ambrose would have proven an ideal opponent for Foley. The two exchanged some barbs online via Twitter and Foley's blog. The general gist was that Ambrose blamed Foley for dozens of young wrestlers ("a generation" according to him) destroying their bodies while imitating his stunt-filled 90s outings.
The whole thing came to an abrupt end when Ambrose tweeted something mentioning Foley's kids. The former WWF champion's immediate response was to state that the programme was off as he had told Ambrose that the one topic off-limits was his children.
It's still not clear whether this was a genuine gripe raised by Foley or a quick and easy way of calling off an angle thast was being scrapped for other reasons. Whatever the case, Ambrose's talents deserve to be showcased. If not on RAW it SmackDown then on NXT until a more prominent position opens up. What's the point in having someone that good under contract if you're not going to make any use of them?
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