Barring a change of mind from the former WWE Champion, Dean Ambrose is set to leave when his contract expires after WrestleMania 35, as WWE confirmed in a statement back in January.

As the clock ticks on Ambrose's time in WWE, the promotion has repaid him by giving The Lunatic one more big push on his way out. WWE ended Ambrose's lackluster heel run and turned him babyface again, reuniting with long-time friends and Shield counterparts Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

The Shield defeated Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre at Sunday's Fastlane pay-per-view, seemingly marking the end of a remarkable era. If that was truly the last time the iconic stable competed together, well, it was sure the perfect ending for this beloved trio.

For WWE superstars who don't plan on re-signing, it's common for them to receive early releases - or for the company to simply not utilize them much. It's a different case with Ambrose, thoughh.

According to freelance writer Tom Colohue, WWE hopes they can convince Ambrose to stay, but the "last tour" storyline is about two things: They're quite positive that he's leaving, and that they want to reward Ambrose "for being professional in their eyes."

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via Sportskeeda

PW Torch initially reported that Ambrose was planning to leave WWE when his contract expired. One unnamed superstar told them that he was tired of portraying a "hokey" character. It's been rumored that he could leave for the All Elite Wrestling promotion.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Reigns himself seemed to confirm that Ambrose was leaving, amid rumors that the Big Dog would try to convince his friend to stay. So unless Ambrose has a change of heart at the very last minute, it's safe to say that The Shield's remarkable run together came to an end on Sunday.

What This Means

Add up all the pieces, and all the signs continue to point at an Ambrose exit. It wouldn't make sense for them to do this "last tour" storyline if he was planning to stay. His contract expires in a month now, and time is running out on WWE in trying to lock up Ambrose to a new deal.

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