Sierra. Hotel. India. Echo. Lima. Delta. The six words that instantly bring to mind the most powerful faction in the modern era of the WWE. The six words that represent three of the top Superstars in WWE today.
The six words that remind us of a faction, torn apart from within at the height of their powers by the betrayal of one of their own.
Each member of The Shield brought something different to the trio and together they were three prongs of a well-oiled machine.
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Roman Reigns was the silent muscle, the enforcer if you will. Seth Rollins was the acrobat, the outspoken hothead who did crazy things. Ambrose was the de-facto mouthpiece and the wild man.
Since The Shield broke up in 2014, all three members have been WWE Champion with Ambrose winning his first title at Money In The Bank earlier in the month after cashing in on Seth Rollins who had just beaten Roman Reigns for the title.
This has led to one of the most highly anticipated matches in recent memory being announced for WWE Battleground, the first ever Shield triple threat match with Dean Ambrose defending his newly won title against his former ‘brothers’.
And here are 5 reasons why The Shield triple threat at WWE Battleground will be awesome.
#5 The History & Legacy
The Shield was more than a brotherhood. They were more than just mercenaries. They were a three-headed dragon to be unleashed on the unsuspecting enemy at any given time. They made their debuts as the mercenaries of CM Punk at Survivor Series 2012.
They followed this up by running roughshod on the whole WWE roster, from Hall of Famers to former world champions.
Within a year, all three members held championship gold with Rollins and Reigns winning the Tag-team Titles and Ambrose holding the US Championship, while their undefeated streak in six-man tag matches lasted almost 6 months.
They had epic matches with just about anyone but the ones that really stood out were their matches against The Wyatt Family and Team Hell No with The Undertaker.
The moved on to become the mercenaries of The Authority and attacked anyone who criticized Triple H’s regime before turning on Triple H himself in November 2013. They quickly disposed of Kane and The New Age Outlaws at Wrestlemania XXX which led to Triple H reforming Evolution.
However, Evolution were defeated at Extreme Rules 2014 and The Sheild cemented themselves as the dominant force in the WWE. The trio reaffirmed their spot at Payback 2014 when they defeated Evolution again in the rematch, with no Shield member being eliminated.
The Shield then imploded the following night on Raw when Rollins turned on his ‘brothers’ to align with The Authority.
The Shield had enjoyed a brief but impactful run together, cementing themselves as fan favourites. Since then, the trio has gone down different paths to success with all members holding the WWE Championship.
They will meet each other for the first time ever in a triple threat match at WWE Battleground. It is a main event that could easily headline Wrestlemania.
#4 Roman’s return
WWE Battleground will take place just a few days after Roman Reigns makes his WWE return from his 30-day Wellness Policy violation. This adds an added degree of intrigue to an already hugely anticipated match.
How virulently will the crowd react to Roman? Will Roman return as a heel or turn heel during the show? Will the WWE put the belt on Roman immediately even though they know such a move would likely cause Roman to be booed out of the building?
All these questions highly pertinent add more layers of intrigue to one what is already one of the most highly anticipated matches in the modern era of the WWE.
#3 The upcoming brand split
Battleground will be the held within a week of the 2016 brand split and it’s quite possible that Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns will be split up during the draft. So it is likely that this may be the last chance to have the Shield triple threat for quite a while.
If the trio does get split up, it would be intriguing to see which show the WWE Championship eventually ends up on, and of course, on whose shoulder.
#2 Ambrose’s first title defence
No matter what the WWE management might tell themselves, Dean Ambrose is the most popular babyface in the WWE right now. This was obvious when we heard the monstrous ovation he received when he won the Money In The Bank ladder match, which was followed by an even larger one when he cashed in on Seth Rollins later in the night.
To the delight of almost everyone, Dean Ambrose is finally WWE Champion and Battleground will be his first title defence. Ambrose will defend it against his former ‘brothers’.
We always knew a Shield triple threat for the WWE Championship would be special, but Ambrose defending the titles in the match was something fans never saw coming. While this makes the match even more special, it will also tell us if Ambrose is indeed just a transitional champion as many fear he would be.
Hopefully, he isn’t.
#1 First time ever
Ever since The Shield broke up on the night after WWE Payback 2014, fans have been waiting for a triple threat match between the trio.
Well, that day is finally here.
Dean Ambrose defends his coveted WWE Championship at Battleground against former champions and his former Shield brethren, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. The trio created history at WWE Money In The Bank with all three members holding the championship within 5 minutes of each other.
No matter who ends up winning at Battleground, the match will be a spectacle and a great moment for fans, a moment that arguably should have been reserved for a Wrestlemania main event.
