Roman Reigns: Dean Ambrose's WWE exit was a shock

Roman Reigns has admitted he was shocked by the news of Dean Ambrose's decision to leave WWE.

Reigns returned to WWE television last week after almost five months out due to leukaemia treatment, a period in which Ambrose took the unusual step of publicly announcing his intention to leave the company when his contract expires.

The pair have been team-mates in The Shield throughout their main-roster run and will team up at Fastlane on Sunday night alongside Seth Rollins to face Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin in a six-man tag match.

The timing of Ambrose's announcement caught Reigns off guard but he did hint that it was something his old friend has been planning for some time.

"I think I actually read it on Twitter so I didn't take it too seriously," Reigns told reporters. "I've always known Ambrose and he likes to stay unpredictable and march to the beat of his own drum.

"I know one thing, he just wants to be happy. He's kind of been preparing for when he doesn't have to rely on anybody. We've been lucky enough to be on a crazy roller-coaster ride over the last few years and secure ourselves.

"It still is a big shock and we haven't had much time to talk about it because we've been on the gas pedal since I've been back.