Dean Ambrose's WWE contract is now expired, and after deciding not to sign a new deal, "The Lunatic" is a free agent and can go wherever he pleases.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio recently reported that some people have suggeted that Ambrose could retire from wrestling altogether. But he's only 33 years of age and has plenty of wrestling left in him, so that seems highly unlikely at this time.

Mike Johnson of PW Insider Elite audio (h/t Ringside News), also put an end to any speculation that Ambrose could retire. He's unsure when the former WWE Champion will get back into the ring, but the main story here is that Ambrose is far from done his wrestling career.

"I was told Dean intends to wrestle. I haven’t heard a time frame on when he’s gonna get back in the ring, but I assume he’s going to go out and do things on his own whether it be the independents or AEW or Impact or where ever. I have not heard that he’s retiring and he’s done."

Obviously, the popular belief among many is that Ambrose will head to the AEW promotion, where he has close ties with Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho. But for what it's worth, Meltzer doesn't expect Ambrose to go to AEW.

Related: Roman Reigns Pours His Heart Out About Dean Ambrose's WWE Departure

Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling are other options, but both companies have lost some premium talent and don't appear to be in prime shape right now. Plenty of changes are taking place there, and Ambrose could prefer to join something in better shape like AEW or New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Ambrose's decision to leave the WWE came as a surprise to many, of course. Pro Wrestling Sheet first reported the news, with one unnamed superstar saying he had grown tired of portraying a "hokey" character. Shortly after the report came out, WWE.com confirmed in a statement that he had decided to leave once his deal ran up.

What This Means

There was never any reason to believe Ambrose would consider retiring. He's only 33 years of age, is healthy and can still perform at a high level. Ambrose has plenty of great wrestling left in him, and he's only going to add to his storied career elsewhere. It's just not going to be with the company that made him a legend.

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