Dean Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on Sunday night to win the Intercontinental Championship for the third time in his career.

Rollins' emotions got the better of him. He slapped his former Shield teammate and attempted to make an example of him. As he stood on the ropes to set up for his patented stomp, he allowed Ambrose time to recover.

As Rollins bounced off the ropes, The Lunatic Fringe hit Dirty Deeds for the win.

The clash between the two men was a long-awaited moment that was set up several weeks ago when Ambrose turned his back on Rollins and The Shield.

On the same night that Roman Reigns relinquished the Universal Championship and announced he had leukemia, Rollins and Ambrose beat Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler to win the Raw Tag Team Championships.

Immediately after winning the titles, though, The Lunatic Fringe hit his teammate with Dirty Deeds and viciously attacked him, signaling a heel turn.

Ambrose continued to make life miserable for The Architect in the weeks that followed, and he also explained the rationale behind betraying The Shield.

In addition to taking exception to Rollins and Reigns referring to him as a "lunatic," he expressed his belief that The Shield made him weak.

Ambrose's only experience as a heel on the WWE main roster came when The Shield first debuted in 2012. The group eventually turned face, and after Rollins dissolved it by turning heel, he branched off as a popular babyface.

It was long assumed The Lunatic Fringe would turn heel one day and excel in that role, and he has proved that theory correct thus far.

Ambrose has been aided by the fact Rollins is such a beloved face who the fans are completely behind.

The former teammates have faced each other many times both in NXT and the main roster, but Sunday's match represented a role reversal.

When they first feuded on the main roster, Rollins was a heel backed by The Authority, and Ambrose was a lone-wolf face out for revenge.

Ambrose is still on his own, but this time his intentions are questionable.

It seems likely the pair are destined to do battle for the next several months and perhaps even clash on the WrestleMania 35 stage, but momentum is firmly on Ambrose's side after he left TLC with the IC title in his possession.

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