WWE: Shielding the Shield

This time last year, if you had told me WWE would find a way to introduce the characters of Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in such a way that they would make them look like stars, I wouldn’t have believed you. Ambrose and Rollins are neither 7 foot tall nor muscular. They are tremendous athletes, and two of the best wrestlers in the company. Although those qualities are enough to make it big anywhere else in the world, many such people were/are stagnant in the WWE, and so, even for the most faithful fans of these two performers, there was little hope of seeing them dominate the scene. WWE found a great way to introduce a bunch of characters when they introduced the contestants of NXT Season 1, as they had formed a stable known as ‘Nexus’, and during their very first appearance, created shock waves in the industry, but since then, were booked terribly until they disbanded.

During Survivor Series last year, in the midst of the main event match between Punk, Cena and Ryback for the WWE title, three individuals interfered and powerbombed Ryback through the table. The three individuals were Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns. Similar to Nexus, their debut created the biggest impact of the year, and the three individuals made their intentions clear – to bring justice back into the WWE. Since then, The Shield has been booked to perfection, something no one thought could happen in the WWE, and the creative should be given their due credit. And now, The Shield is still undefeated as a team, and is rumoured to capture the World tag team titles at Extreme Rules, which would be the best thing to do going forward.

Now, coming down to individual accomplishments, Dean Ambrose, who is undoubtedly the most talented of the group as well as its leader, faced The Undertaker in the Deadman’s only RAW match in 3 years! Not only that, but after the match ended, The Shield put him through the table, thus kayfabe injuring him till Summerslam! Not only would it have been a great honor for Ambrose to have faced Taker in singles match, but taking him out gives the group the legitimacy of being the most dominant force in the WWE at the moment. And when you add the other list of names such as Cena, Ryback and The Rock, to name a few, whom they took out, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the creative has done an outstanding job with the group. And now, the question remains; how will they be booked going forward?

Ambrose is an outstanding performer, and one of the best talkers in the industry. If you have followed his career, you would know that he’s one of the best heels in professional wrestling. The way he carries himself, and the way he uses his expressions during a promo show how much he understands the business, and the art of cutting a promo. Such people are rare to find in the industry anymore, and I see him becoming the number one heel in the company in due time. It is about time that he carries a singles mid card title like the United States Championship, while the other two carry the tag titles. That would not only elevate the group, but would also make for interesting TV.

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins are, what you call, ‘Internet darlings’, as almost the entire internet community fan base adores both the performers. It will be interesting to see how the WWE uses The Shield from now, and you’d have to think that if the past few months are any indication, then The Shield might soon be the biggest reason to watch WWE. These are interesting times for a wrestling fan, as the void of CM Punk will be filled by other young guns, and The Shield are at the right place at the right time. But if history is any indication, I wouldn’t be surprised if WWE drops the ball with the faction. Only time will tell us what will happen.