The biggest pro wrestling news story of the week remains the shocking reveal that Dean Ambrose intends to leave WWE when his contract expires in April.
WWE’s statement confirming Ambrose’s exit was so atypical, that it left many fans, and even people who work in WWE, feeling that the entire situation with Ambrose might be a work. Speaking to Busted Open Radio this week, Dolph Ziggler, whose status in WWE is also up in the air as of late, commented on Ambrose leaving the company by saying “[Dean] is always in a prominent role and is beloved by the fans so I didn’t see it coming.”
The leading theory at this point is that Ambrose is indeed on his way out of WWE when his deal expires around WrestleMania time, and speculation is certainly that The Lunatic Fringe might end up in All Elite Wrestling.
[lawrence-related id=876229]According to a new report from PWInsider, there was a “big flurry of activity” backstage at the WWE Smackdown Live tapings this week, as company officials reacted to Ambrose’s likely departure by meeting with key talents.
The report adds WWE officials met with numerous talents whose contracts are expiring within the next year or two in order to try and lock them into new, multi-year deals with the company.
Last year, WWE attempted to lock both Kevin Owens and The Miz into new, longterm deals, and officials have been following suit with other names in attempt to lure them away from signing contracts elsewhere. With Dean Ambrose giving his notice over Royal Rumble weekend, it set off a reaction backstage at Smackdown Live this week which saw officials attempting to lock top talents into five year deals with WWE.
The PWInsider report added that numerous WWE stars were watching in “amazement” as officials scrambled to meet with as many stars as they could, and as of this writing we do not know if any new deals were actually signed.
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