I don’t think it’s too early to be concerned about the Shield. Thus far it would appear that the lessons the WWE creative team got right when the Shield were together have been forgotten now that they’re apart.
[adinserter block=”1″]It’s easy to play fantasy booker without the responsibilities the WWE Creative Team carry but this one isn’t brain surgery. If there is one thing that this writing crew has gotten right in the last year and a half it is the booking of the Shield. Every mistake this team has made when introducing or elevating talent on the roster was avoided with Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose. That is why it is concerning to see that playbook thrown out now that the trio have been split apart.
Let’s go through the team individually and take a look at how their first couple of weeks apart as singles stars is going.
Seth Rollins – Rollins is obviously positioned better than anyone else at this point. He is associated with the top act in the company and appears to be the darling of Triple H on and off camera. Rollins is playing his role to perfection and in the ring, he has been fantastic. Yet a closer look at the booking reveals a few warning signs that need to be addressed quickly.
The biggest WTF moment for me came last week when Rollins gloriously told the fans that he was signed as the first guy in the “B” Money in the Bank match. I watched the promo on Superstars and my first thought was, “Why is this guy so happy? Shouldn’t he be angry?” Rollins’ position was clear and that is mid-high mid-card star and nothing more.
Think about this for a second. Shouldn’t the guy who turned his back on his brothers for the Authority be rewarded with a spot in the WWE world title MITB match? The only reason not to put him there would be personal business such as going to war with Ambrose or Reigns. Yet Rollins is rewarded with a spot in a MITB match to earn a title shot, not the title. Rollins should be angry, fired up, feel betrayed, yet he gloats about that. I look at a guy bragging about being outside of the main-event and I don’t see a guy positioned in a good spot period.
Roman Reigns – Clearly nothing is wrong with the booking of Reigns now that he is in the WWE world title match right? Wrong. The hotshot move of Reigns to the MITB title match thanks to Vickie essentially being drugged is too much too soon. Reigns should simmer, have a slow burn to the big dance, giving the fans a chance to salivate over it. Instead he is shot right to the big dance without having more than a handful of singles matches on television. This one can only go one way and that is wrong.
What if Reigns wins the title, will I think differently? No. Reigns is not ready. Could they protect him? Sure, but when is the last time that anyone got over who was obviously protected? Bill Goldberg and that was over ten years and two decades ago. Losing is probably better for him but what does that say about him in the eyes of the fans? Keep in mind that this also comes at a time when fans still want to see the Yes Movement continue. I am sure those fans who booed Batista will surely be understanding of Reigns taking away their hero’s spot right? Exactly.
Dean Ambrose – Than there is Dean Ambrose, the Shield member once predicted to go furthest after a breakup. Sadly the opposite is happening and Ambrose is going south faster than anyone could have imagined and I don’t get it. This guy has it all. He is arguably the best promo guy in the company (his promo last week on RAW was one of the best all year), he is fantastic in the ring, and arguably has more charisma than any of the other Shield members yet his position is clear. He is a low-mid card wrestler. He’s wrestling in jeans and a t-shirt and getting squashed by Kane (multiple times). This in addition to recently losing the U.S. title in a battle royal. I am almost inclined to think that he has some kind of heat with the office because there is no other explanation for the way he’s been booked recently. He is obviously the odd man out and is about six-months away from doing comedy angles with Santino and Fandango.
[adinserter block=”2″]Maybe I am jumping the gun here because after all, it has only been a few weeks that the Shield have been apart. I am the first one to preach patience when it comes to letting an angle play out so I am a bit of a hypocrite here. Yet my gut tells me that something isn’t right and there isn’t a lot of time left to change it.
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Yeah, you have jumped the gun. All three are in perfect position to be main event players. Of course Rollins is happy. No way he wins the WWE World Heavyweight Title right now. Being in the contract match pretty much guarantees him that title when he’s ready for it. Much better situation than being lost in a match he wouldn’t win.
Reigns is also in a perfect spot. He gets pushed into the big boy match where he wont win but will thrive. He has so many options right now going forward it’s not even funny. He planted the seed to face Cena, Orton, Triple H and Rusev.
And I completely disagree with Ambrose. He gear is what he wore back in the day and it fits him perfectly. He’s only lost to Kane because of the interference of Rollins which elevates his baby face status. Also, he got the best music of the three of them. That’s a big deal. I think all three of these guys are in great spots.
I never thought about Rollin’s not being in the main event, although I was expecting to see a match with Ambrose. I totally agree with your thoughts on Reigns and really with all the younger guys. Being elevated a little to quickly for my taste. Mania is the money match, the future “Cena” of the company should be crowned on the grandest stage of them all.