Believe it or not, SummerSlam was the first WWE event in some time which made me legitimately frustrated. While some shows are certainly mediocre, it’s rare that something takes place that irritates me to such a degree that it affects how I feel about the entire show. However, after Sunday’s WWE Championship match between Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler concluded, I legitimately found it hard to get back into the flow and enjoy the rest of the show. The match itself wasn’t terrible, but it exemplified a complaint I’ve had about the “Lunatic Fringe” for months now, that Ambrose rarely rises his in-ring game to the highest level in moments that call for it, and it’s becoming a major problem.
Many criticized the choice to place Dolph Ziggler in the main event spot against Ambrose when Ziggler won the opportunity, however, in the weeks prior to SummerSlam, Ziggler did some of his best work in years. WWE did a wonderful job of telling the story of Ziggler being willing to blur the lines of good and bad in the weeks leading up to the match, emphasizing the desperation Ziggler constantly carries, and in my opinion, Ziggler validated the choice to put him in that spot. Let’s face it, Ziggler’s in-ring work has never been questioned, but his persona has been questionable at times. However, Ziggler held up his end of the bargain this time, and brought a major level of aggression and intensity into SummerSlam. Unfortunately, with the exception of a bit of pre-bell shoving, Ambrose’s intensity level resembled more of his hazy podcast appearance with Steve Austin than a champion looking to establish his dominance on a new brand.
It’s curious how Ambrose criticizes Brock Lesnar for his implied laziness (a statement few would argue) when Ambrose himself depends so heavily on the same sequence of moves on a constant basis. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has an established repertoire, and it’s important to maintain that. But with Ambrose, all too often when Ambrose headlines a PPV, we get the same match we’d see in the second hour of RAW. Sadly, this is nothing new for Ambrose as dating back to his separation from The Shield, Ambrose has consistently been, well, “eh”. In fact, I’ve found only two exceptions to this “Ambrose Rule”, two opponents for which Ambrose appears to be willing to innovate and experiment. Those opponents are Seth Rollins, and Bray Wyatt, both of which have had fantastic matches with Ambrose, and both of whom are no slouches inside the squared circle themselves. Apparently, Ambrose is only interested in bringing out the best of his ability when he’s in the ring with someone he’s sure will make him look amazing. Otherwise, Ambrose falls into the same routine, failing to help elevate his opponent, and for me last night was the final straw. Ambrose and Ziggler were in a situation where there were at least two other main events with more expectations than their match, and had an opportunity to steal the show and ensure everyone was talking about SmackDown. Instead, when the night was over, they were overshadowed by the color of a title belt. I put that solely on Dean Ambrose.
Now, I will acknowledge that there is potentially a light at the end of the tunnel. During the feud with Ziggler, Ambrose has begun to display some heelish tendencies, and a potential switch to the dark side would most likely revitalize what seems to be an extremely complacent Ambrose. However, last night made it clear to me that Ambrose certainly didn’t heed the advice of “Stone Cold” a few weeks back, when Austin basically called Ambrose out for being complacent and not striving to be the best. A true top competitor would have been motivated, and even a bit offended by those types of comments from a WWE legend and hall of famer, however, it seems Ambrose simply ignored them. While everyone wanted to debate the true star of The Shield, one thing is clear: Seth Rollins would have lost his mind if Austin said that to him, and he would have been right to do so. For someone who wants to consider himself the face of SmackDown, Ambrose needs to start living up to the title he’s carrying, and the reputation he wants to be granted, and begin to wow us on a nightly basis.