WWE Rumors: Dean Ambrose Could Be Headed For A Big Fall At ‘SummerSlam’ 2016, Missing A Key Chance To Rise In The WWE

The WWE rumors are pointing toward a big fall for Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam 2016, with reports that he will fail to defend the WWE World Championship against Dolph Ziggler after backstage tension kicked off a feud with the creative team.

Ambrose started the controversy last week when he appeared on the Stone Cold podcast and made some critical comments about the WWE’s creative decisions, which Sportsrageous pointed out is actually a direct criticism of Vince McMahon and Triple H.

As far as WWE backstage drama goes, this may be one of the more tame cases. What Culture noted that Ambrose’s grievances against the WWE weren’t particularly sharp, instead pointing out his disagreements with the set-up of his WrestleMania 32 match against Brock Lesnar.

“Whilst Ambrose didn’t exactly throw the creative team under the bus, his frustrations were obvious to see and the overriding assumption is that issues with creative means issues with Vince McMahon and Triple H.

“Ambrose also referred to a ‘laziness’ when it came to his WrestleMania 32 match with Brock Lesnar. Officials were reportedly unhappy that the Lunatic Fringe aired his grievances so publicly, although it would be fair to say that putting him on a ‘warts and all’ podcast may not have been the best idea in the first place.”

But the criticism reportedly left the WWE’s CEO upset with Ambrose, the Daily Wrestling News noted, which has led to growing rumors that the WWE will stage an upset at SummerSlam 2016 where Dolph Ziggler emerges as champion.

THIS SUNDAY it's #TheBeast @BrockLesnar vs. #TheViper @RandyOrton at #SummerSlam! @WWENetwork #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/at0ucGKadH

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) August 18, 2016

If the WWE rumors are true, the SummerSlam 2016 fall could come at one of the worst possible times for Dean Ambrose. The WWE has been in a bit of a transitional period, with longtime stars John Cena and Randy Orton on the way out and their likely heirs apparent — including CM Punk and Daniel Bryan — cutting their careers short before they could take over the spotlight on their own.

That has left the WWE with a very muddled picture beyond Cena at the top Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted.

“The best headliners as far as compared to the average within the market this year, besides Cena, have been Seth Rollins (who doesn’t make the difference Cena does, but makes far more of a difference than anyone else) and A.J. Styles (who makes a more minor positive difference) as well as Bray Wyatt, who does better on top than either Reigns or Ambrose.”

Forbes noted that beyond the obvious star power of John Cena, it’s “pretty much anyone’s game” in terms of the future of the WWE. The report went on to note that Dean Ambrose appears to be already falling down the ladder.

“What’s also interesting is that Bray Wyatt, the victim of many start-and-stop pushes, is more of a draw than Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, who have gotten much better booking overall than Wyatt has,” the report noted.

The biggest party of the summer is almost here… https://t.co/MStTxhM1Ix

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 18, 2016

"We both know you don't like pressure … you can't handle it!" – @TheDeanAmbrose to @HEELZiggler, #SDLive pic.twitter.com/cOzHF5gvWO

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 17, 2016

So the WWE rumors pointing toward a SummerSlam loss for Dean Ambrose could signal that another up-and-coming wrestler may instead be the one getting a chance to shine over him. Insiders believe a loss at SummerSlam would be a major blow to Ambrose, who has been seen as a clearly larger draw than the 36-year-old Ziggler.

As Booker T said on WrestleZone Radio (via 411MANIA), Dolph Ziggler is nowhere near a contender in the WWE.

“Ziggler’s stock has gone down in the WWE, so that match right there is almost like a Champion vs a number 8 contender or a number 10 contender,” he said. “So you have to weigh that match a certain way. But Brock Lesnar Randy Orton match, that’s almost like a Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz match. There is no title on the line, but the intrigue, you gotta pay money to see it.”

Fans will have just about another day to find out if the SummerSlam rumors are true, but it may take longer than that to flesh out the full consequences for Dean Ambrose’s WWE career.

[Image via WWE]