Earlier this week, we learned that Dean Ambrose has decided not to sign another contract with WWE and while there's speculation that it could all be a work, the signs are definitely pointing to him walking away from the company. Whether he takes a break from wrestling or makes the leap to All Elite Wrestling remains to be seen but if anyone can relate to him, it's former WWE Superstar Ryback.
I recently had the opportunity to talk to him (you can find the full interview by clicking here) and he shared his thoughts on Dean's apparent decision and what he thinks could end up coming next.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time working against The Shield. I've had many matches against Dean and Seth, especially in the Rybaxel period, we used to wrestle them all the time and had nothing but fun. I don't know anything about his situation or how real that but I think it's good for guys to get away. WWE doesn't want guys leaving so they try to lock them into contracts about a year before they expire. There hasn't been any really good viable second option to go to where you can financially make the kind of money that you make in WWE and with All Elite Wrestling, the tide may be turning on that. I think you're going to see a lot more guys start to leave than before. Everyone's in a different situation and walking away from the money is a really, really tough thing. It's a scary thing if you don't really have anything else going on. And no matter how much money you have, it's never enough, especially when you don't have money coming in at that level.
"You know, he had the tricep thing that was a huge ordeal and then a staph infection, but the guy was a workhorse for them for four years straight probably. When you're on the road, you're on the road four or five days a week. When you're home, you're getting your stuff done; you're packing, doing laundry, paying your bills, trying to get a workout, have family time, hang out with your pets, go on a date. You're rushed and it's not it's not a glamorous lifestyle. Dean's probably done very well for himself financially. Sometimes, you just need a break. He's earned the right to be able to say, 'You know what, I want to take a break or I want to see what else is out there.' Go enjoy life and take a year off.
"Outside of my injuries, I love this because I can just relax. I'm still young and enjoy life and I do other things that I wouldn't be able to do if I was there at the level I was. I'm sure Dean, if he does leave, will be allowed to come back. And they don't always like that but everyone in control their own brand and you've got to do what's best for your life. I think part of it when you get out of that wrestling bubble, and you've seen it like with Sami Zayn talking about how he's just enjoying life being away from the road, you don't realize you're missing out on a lot of life. There are amazing times but the other thing with All Elite Wrestling that is very appealing is that the schedule isn't that WWE schedule because living on the road is not ideal, man. It's not a healthy way to live life. It's there you see a lot of addictions and a lot of things happen to guys because we're not meant to live in hotel rooms night after night and it turns you into a walking zombie.
"Any wrestler that's ever done it can attest to that 100%. I feel like I got out just in time so that didn't happen to me and it took a while to break it. I think Dean got a taste of it with this tricep injury being gone for so long. If he is leaving, that could have played a part: 'You know what, there's all this other stuff I'm missing out on right now and, you know, there's other options wrestling wise that I can get my wrestling fix from.' He's a recognized name and brand. He's been there long enough that he can leave and do other things and down the road, if he comes back, it sets up the great returns that are missing from wrestling. That was what I always loved watching when I was a kid. It's like WrestleMania with the Hardy Boys returning; that created a truly epic, emotional moment for them and for everybody there watching it because they were gone for so long. It's good to get away in any way you can and rekindle your career."
It's definitely going to be interesting seeing where things go next for Ambrose because he's one of WWE's top stars and can definitely make an impact on both the independent wrestling scene and in companies like Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Ryback will be making a splash in some of those once he's healed up as well so don't be surprised if these two cross paths yet again.