The Shield might be one of the greatest factions in modern day history, but, they are also not immune to the highs and lows that accompany WWE superstars throughout their careers. Unfortunately for The Shield, who reunited for the first time in two years back in October, they have struggled greatly since then and things only seem to be getting worse by the day.
With that being said, and the mind-boggling bad luck that has followed the Shield over the past few months, here are five examples of why The Shield reunion is an absolute disaster and should be stopped immediately. As always please be sure to leave a comment below telling us if you agree or disagree and why.
#5 Not like the original
WWE might have finally got The Hounds of justice back together and even did it in a very interesting and unpredictable way, but they also took away many of the aspects that made The Shield such a hit in the beginning. For example, everything from entering through the crowd to even appearing together only happened half the time.
Of course, some of this is due to other things that will be on this list, but WWE has also had many chances to bring all three members of the group out like they use to and they just didn't. Unfortunately for The WWE, that was the original aura of The Shield. A group that was a unit and would always accompany and protect each other in a match.
For some reason, however, WWE decided that wasn't as important as trying to sell fans on half backed nostalgia that only works if it existed in its own bubble. Sure, they have the vests, they have the entrance them, but they are definitely nowhere near The Shield that The WWE Universe originally saw.
#4 No momentum
If nothing else, momentum has been a big problem for The Shield since they reunited a few months ago. Not only is this evident by the constant stop and go nature of their current storylines on Monday Night Raw, but also by other things like injuries, bad story ideas and even a viral infection.
With that being said, it still seemed at times that The Shield would be able to get their act together after Reigns returned from the viral infection in late November, especially since he won The Intercontinental title a couple of weeks ago, but the shoulder injury to Dean Ambrose has only derailed the faction further than ever before.
In the end, The Dean Ambrose injury is something the group is simply not going to be able to come back from and is probably a sign that they need to end the reunion right here and now. Yes, they can try again when Ambrose is healthy if they're all still on the same roster, but keeping Rollins and Reigns together would be a disaster at this point.
#3 The Viral infection
Speaking of things that absolutely derailed WWE's chances of starting The Shield reunion off on the right foot, Roman Reigns contracted a viral infection and was forced to sit out for a pay per view to recover. This left Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to team up with Kurt Angle instead, which was cool, but a bummer to those that wanted the reunion.
And yeah, Kurt Angle joined The Shield and got a huge pop in the process. Heck, he even won the whole thing after making The Miz tap out to The Angle lock, but it didn't have the same impact that it would have had if The Shield had actually been able to reunite for the first time in two years.
Of course, this is just another blatant example of WWE using nostalgia to blind fans from the truth of the matter, but it is commendable that they were able to put together such a blockbuster match in such little time. Sure, setting up Bruan Strowman versus Kane probably helped that, but having Angle in the match was a pure genius move.
It didn't serve its original purpose though and that's why it's on this list. Unfortunately for The Shield, WWE then did the reunion a few weeks later on Raw, which was really just a slap in the face to the uniqueness that could have been created here.
#2 It's already served its purpose
Although it is pretty obvious that The Shield reunion is beyond repair at this point in time, WWE can b= rest assured that the angle already served its purpose and was effective in doing so. Of course, that purpose was to put over Roman Reigns in a way that fans originally thought impossible, but by the looks of the crowd reaction, they're really into him now.
Who knows why that is exactly or how long it will last before The WWE Universe ultimately turns on him for the 100th time, but that doesn't mean WWE didn't do everything they could in trying to make this work. In the end, though, keeping The Shield together will not only be a huge disappointment for fans, it will also be overkill at this point in time.
If nothing else, WWE needs to understand that The Shield reunion, no matter how brief it was, helped get Reigns over with the fans and is no longer needed in order for him to be a popular star. They also need to realize that keeping The Shield together would be distasteful at this point and would only serve to be a shell of what it really could have been.
Take the win and go home WWE!
#1 Opportunity to change the landscape
Just like when Seth Rollins turned his back on his brothers and nailed them with various chair shots before aligning with Triple H and The Authority, so too does Roman Reigns have the chance to make the biggest move of his career in The WWE. Sure, the move might turn him heel in the process, but it would be a launching point for a heel role for Reigns.
While fans might not like the idea of turning Reigns heel, especially since it would essentially be having Reigns turn his back on Rollins, it gives Reigns a chance to establish nuclear heat and walk into WrestleMania 34 as one of the most hated superstars of The WWE. It would also give Rollins a chance to enter the title picture and maybe even come out the hero.
For those that don't like that scenario, WWE could redo the original break up, which would get fans behind Reigns immediately, but it would also put Rollins in a heel role once again. Either way would be a great launching point for both men, but keeping them together is only going to hurt them on The Road to WrestleMania.
The reason for this is that while Reigns will finally have his shot in the spotlight and could even win The Universal Title from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34, it also forces the crowd to choose between Reigns and Rollins. in the process. What will make the issue even worse is the fact that WWE will likely have a subservient role for Rollins at WrestleMania 34.
In the end, WWE probably would be wise to redo the breakup and have Rollins turn his back on Reigns again. That way, fans can get behind him even more before the title match and would also make him look like superman by overcoming both superstars to finally win The Universal title.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!