The Shield had a memorable run during their first year on the main WWE roster. Fans knew right away that you had some special players here but even these fans may be surprised at the member being singled out for superstardom by WWE brass.
[adinserter block=”1″]As soon as Dean Ambrose opened his mouth on RAW, most fans and experts immediately pegged Ambrose as the rising star of the group. He has the talent and certainly has a plethora of experience on the independent wrestling circuit. Some even predicted a future WrestleMania headliner for him. Surprisingly he is not the apple of WWE management’s eye.
Seth Rollins certainly has a bright future ahead of him. Many fans are familiar with his independent travels and reign as Ring of Honor champion Tyler Black. In the few moments he has had in singles competition, he has shined just as his fans thought he would before he entered the WWE. Shockingly he is not the “A-player” of the group.
Roman Reigns is the chosen one according to recent reports on F4WOnline.com and is set for a monster singles push sooner than later. The seeds were already planted this past Monday night. Reigns glared at Ambrose when Ambrose made a comment about being the only champion in the group. Reigns also noticeably looked disgusted when Randy Orton hugged Stephanie McMahon. It would appear that the wheels are currently in motion to separate him from the Shield.
Dave Meltzer elaborated in the newest Wrestling Observer what he has been reporting on F4WOnline.com podcasts regarding the company’s affinity for Reigns.
“… Reigns, who they see as the closest thing to a second coming of his non-biological cousin, Dwayne Johnson. Reigns speared both Usos at the same time and pinned Jey. They did a couple of teases here. The first was during an Ambrose promo, he mentioned how he was the only champion in the group. Later, at the end of the show, when Stephanie, HHH and Orton were doing a group hug, Reigns was in the background and seemingly none too happy.”
I have to be honest that while I certainly see the appeal of Reigns’ “look” that WWE management would have, I think he is far off in regards to his in-ring talents. Ambrose and Rollins are obviously miles ahead of Reigns inside of the ring but he has one thing that they will never have and that is the “look.” With all due respect to Ambrose and Rollins and I know I am going to hear it for this one, I just don’t see either of those two guys as top stars. Rollins has the in-ring ability to be that guy yet I don’t think he’ll ever get that opportunity. Ambrose could talk his way to the top but I think there is a ceiling on where he can go.
Pairing Reigns with those two have allowed the WWE to hide Reigns’ inabilities and allow his strengths to shine. I just can’t see Reigns going 25 minutes with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, or John Cena on pay per view and producing a great match. That said I thought those same things about Batista early on and he proved me wrong.
[adinserter block=”2″]This is unfortunate for a lot of fans out there hoping that Punk and Bryan would be that next “guy.” It is evident that the company doesn’t see it in them and is looking elsewhere to build to the future. Getting the guy right is one thing. Booking him properly is another and nothing the WWE has done in the last few years leads me to believe they can elevate anyone from mid-card to top guy in this current climate, including Roman Reigns.
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its Bryan..they started this storyline for Bryan….Reigns beats him up almost every week, you really think the fans would choose Reigns over Bryan.? Bryan is the chosen one by the fans, and Bryan has the push…..Bryan has to be the next guy, he's the closest thing there has been.
There's one thing I learned from wrestlers who are IWC sweethearts. They may get some time in the spotlight but it's only a matter of time before the rug is pulled under them. That's why despite the other two SHIELD members being seen as more talented overall, Reigns was the one destined for greatness.
-Rollins is a less freaky Jeff Hardy.
-Ambrose is a modern day Roddy Piper. Problem is, today's casual audience fear bagpipes.
-Reigns is related to The Rock. Seeing Reigns destroy people with his power game is fun, but most important of all, like Batista, he's a macho meathead. WWE jizz over macho meatheads.
All IWC fans can do is hope their sweethearts get at least one World title reign each. That's asking a lot but stranger things have happened.