Dean Ambrose is leaving WWE.
Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch reported late last night that Ambrose notified WWE management that he’s leaving the sports-entertainment organization when his contract expires in April.
WWE.com confirmed the news on Tuesday with the following statement:
Dean Ambrose not renewing WWE contract when it expires in April
Dean Ambrose (Jonathan Good) will not be renewing his contract with WWE when it expires in April.
We are grateful and appreciative of all that Dean has given to WWE and our fans. We wish him well and hope that one day Dean will return to WWE.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, Ambrose informed WWE officials of his decision to leave on Monday. His decision comes after WWE offered him a five-year contract worth a little over seven figures per year. Vince McMahon met with Ambrose and was unable to convince him to accept the offer.
One source categorized the move as Ambrose being able to “do what he wants” since he doesn’t live an expensive lifestyle and made a lot of money during his time with WWE.
Though Ambrose is leaving WWE shortly after WrestleMania 35, it’s possible that the creative team will write him out of storylines before then. Keller believes that could explain why he was eliminated from the Men’s Royal Rumble Match by NXT wrestler Aleister Black and then did a clean job to Seth Rollins on Raw.
Sources say Ambrose has been frustrated with the creative direction of his character for a while and reached a breaking point recently. He indicated to management over the weekend that he’s not interested in contract negotiations and made it clear that he’s not trying to get more money.
One of his colleagues on the roster, when asked last night about Ambrose’s demeanor lately and if there were any signs of discontent, said, “He’s pretty much impossible to read.”
The colleague added that Ambrose “hates hokey shit” and since so much of his character got portrayed as hokey in the recent years, he’s not surprised that would have built up frustration leading to a breaking point.
Top WWE officials and a small circle of Ambrose’s friends knew about his decision, but it wasn’t well known among most of his colleagues until after Raw ended.
