WWE released a statement in January that confirmed Dean Ambrose's decision to leave the company when his contract expired after WrestleMania 35, but the former WWE Champion may have endured a change of heart.

Citing sources, Felix Upton of Ringside News is reporting that The Lunatic "is no longer leaving WWE after his contract expires" next month. One source even asked "Why would he leave now?"

As Upton also pointed out, WWE had advertised Ambrose for shows after WrestleMania. This included the company's European tour that's set to take place in May. But after this was pointed out by WrestlingInc.com, WWE removed Ambrose from the advertised matches - leading to more confusion among wrestling pundits and fans.

Pro Wrestling Torch was first to report about Ambrose's pending departure from the WWE, with one unnamed superstar saying he had grown tired of portraying a "hokey" character. PWInsider.com later reported that Ambrose rejected a five-year deal that would have paid him seven figures annually.

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via WWE.com

Assuming Ambrose is truly planning to stick around in the WWE after all, it's easily to believe that Roman Reigns will have had something to do with it. Ambrose's long-time friend and Shield counterpart returned to Monday Night Raw last week and announced his Leukemia was in remission.

The Shield - which broke up following Reigns' leave of absence and Ambrose's heel turn - is also reportedly set for a reunion at the upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view. Following a failed run as a bad guy, Ambrose is set to turn face and reform The Shield with Reigns and Seth Rollins. Perhaps that major change to his character will be more than enough for the future Hall of Famer to stay with the WWE after all.

What This Means

Ambrose's contract with WWE expires in just a few weeks, so we should find out soon enough if he decides to re-up or simply leave. But Ambrose and Shield fans have to be thrilled about this news, knowing there's a chance he actually decides to stay. And if that winds up happening, they'll owe a huge thanks to Reigns for helping influence Ambrose's decision.

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