**MERGED** The Shield Discussion - Matches, angles, etc (Keep It In Here!!!!)

[steve storm]

i agree i don't think they need anybody else they're strong enough as it is and don't need someone to be their "leader". if they did add another member then it should be someone from nxt and not someone already on raw/smackdown roster. the shield is the best thing WWE has done in a long time and hopefully they'll keep them strong and dominant for months to come.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Only one man would dare breathe new life blood into The Shield:

Spoiler

Lonestar!

All kidding aside, really, no one should ever be added to them. To me that would signify the beginning of the end, as often when stables get away from original members it's because they're struggling to add new dimensions. Then again, they're becoming a one trick pony, so maybe it's necessary.

IF anyone were to be added, I don't think it's anyone on the current roster. It really should be someone brought up from NXT that would fit along side them well. It would also stay truer to their stable since when they broke in they were fresh out of NXT.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

Not tag champs...not one of them as WWE Champion: but what if the faction itself...was WWE Champion. It would be something totally new, and I can see a lot of pros and cons to such a bold move. I think it would have the potential to spice up a grossly traditional main-event-title scene...and produce a kind of big-ticket heavyweight clash in a "Cena v. The Shield for WWE Title" match at a ppv or ppvs during the summer months.

The main issue with it would be that they probably shouldn't hold onto the belts for too long...and once they lost the belt, I think a lot of their heat would go away too. It's really hard to get hot and stay hot in WWE today, but WWE have kept The SHIELD quite relevant on a very consistent basis since their debut.


Thoughts?

 

[JDX]

Yes! I had this exact idea too and thought to myself this is half stupid and half extremely interesting. There are a lot of pros and cons to consider too:

Pros: Gives an unusual push to 3 new guys but doesn't root them down as failed experiments when they lose the title and later break up. They would probably end up in the upper mid card and after a while they could all move back to the main event as singles stars.

Allows Cena to lose a match clean but not really.

Other people like Ryback, Punk, even Brock can be added to the mix in terms of the actual result of the match.

Makes the chase for the title mean something again (basically it'd be like Aces and 8s holding the belt but a much better version)

Cena doesn't have to win it back (Survivor Series: Elimination tag match for WWE title - Cena, Punk, Ryback vs The Shield with the last man remaining as the sole champion so if the team that wins has more than one person left, they have to keep fighting until only one is left)

The only question for me is when they win it. My preference would be for either Payback or Summerslam which leads to the biggest con and an iffy pro

Cons: If they win it at Summerslam, Cena would have to be champ for 4 to 5 months. Yuck. Iffy pro: If they win it at Payback and lose it at the Survivor Series that would be around a six month reign which might be a touch too long

Ryback would probably have to be put into a supporting role again and that would only further damage him.

The logic isn't totally sound because even though Cena's not a master strategist, he's not an idiot either. Who would put themselves in a three on one match for a title you've been working to get back for over a year (then again, it is super Cena I'm talking about so... yeah).

WWE's desire and go to solution- Cena always wins in the end. The chance of having him beat the Shield the first time out or losing it then regaining it all by himself might be too great to resist for WWE.

WM 30 looms off in the distance but it does dictate certain things. UT vs Cena would be perfect for the venue but it can't be for the title even with the new design and if they wanted that match the title would become secondary again.

I would love to see this happen but only if the angle itself and the aftermath was well planned and executed but WWE doesn’t have good track record when it comes to those things.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

I wouldn't be opposed to it because we've never seen it.

I think it would be a great idea for a gauntlet style match rather than a 3-on-1 handicap match.

But i'd give it a shot.

 

[Thedancingheel]

Now that would be a stellar idea, I would tune in every week just to see how the shield could possibly top themselves as champions. A long title reign for the faction would be a breathe of fresh air but WWE have proven they prefer reruns over something quite interesting.

 

[The Butcher]

Eh, I'm just not a fan of the idea of three men holding and defending a singles title. The "Freebird rule" for the tag team championship works because the tag championship is made for multiple holders and only two of the three men in the team can actually defend the belts. The WWE Championship, however, is designed for one man to carry it. Call me a traditionalist, but I think that's the way it should stay. Add to that the fact that up to this point, The Shield are pretty unstoppable even when they take on three Superstars, even with guys like Cena, Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show on the opposing team. I couldn't believe that any single wrestler could stop them, and if someone were to, the booking would have to be spot on for me to buy it.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

You mean applying the "Freebird Rule" to the WWE Championship where any member of the group can lay claim to & defend the title?

Hmm...well it's definitely something that's never been done before with a singles championship, at least to my knowledge, and that's something that you can't really say about a whole lot of things in pro wrestlng. If you've been watching it as long as I have, you've pretty much seen it all.

The WWE has done a great job making The Shield look strong throughout their time in WWE. If done right, it could be a great concept and could ultimately be used, at some point in time, to split them up whenever WWE felt the time was right to do so. It could also be entertaining if it's something that WWE doesn't do very often at all. I'm talking about not doing it again for years, if ever again, which is a distinct possibility as WWE isn't heavily into factions these days as far as the entire group being serious threats. Most factions, whether it be SCUM in ROH, Aces & Eights in TNA or Nexus in WWE, tend to have a few real stars while the others are mostly just supporting players. Off the top of my head, the last faction I saw WWE book as strongly or stronger with every member as a whole was Evolution.

I don't think this will happen but I wouldn't mind seeing how it played out. At the same time, however, one major criticism many would have is that Roman Reigns simply hasn't paid his dues or is generally well known enough to be WWE Champion. To my knowledge, he's only been wrestling for a little less than three years. His entire career has been spent in FCW/NXT and as part of the main roster for the past 6 months. They'd say he only got it because he's a member of the Anoa'i family. But, even without that, someone would find something to bitch about, even if they had to make it up just like with every other thing that goes down in wrestling, so that wouldn't be all that big of a deal to me.

 

[BigLuther]

I really like the idea because you're right, it would be different and something we haven't really seen before. The execution of it would have to be VERY well-planned and carefully done though. A concept like this could fall apart without the right planning. But I love the idea of them truly being together as one and not having a leader. If one had the WWE Title and two had the tag belts, that instantly creates division. Having them all as WWE Champion and then rotating each one of them to work matches while having the other guys around could be a lot of fun. Opens up lots of possibilities.

 

[Trill Co$by]

It worked with Lay-Cool and the Diva's & Women's titles. So why not with The Shield and the WWE title? Personally I think that these three would fit the bill perfectly and it would be nice to see who the Shield picks to defend against which type of opponents. For example, if Mysterio or a highflyer is the challenger, do they choose someone like Rollins who could match his abilities or do they go with Reigns who would be a physical power house?

 

[The Butcher]

It worked with Lay-Cool and the Diva's & Women's titles. So why not with The Shield and the WWE title?

I don't know if this is the best way to sell people on this. Sure, Lay-Cool sharing the Women's/Diva's Championship worked, but the Diva's division and the WWE Championship scene are far from equal. The Shield as WWE Champion could similarly work, but there's a far smaller margin for error than there was for Lay-Cool. Following that thought, The Shield are still very new. There are three high-upside careers at stake, and screwing the pooch on an experimental angle could set all three back.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

You mean applying the "Freebird Rule" to the WWE Championship where any member of the group can lay claim to & defend the title?

Hmm...well it's definitely something that's never been done before with a singles championship, at least to my knowledge, and that's something that you can't really say about a whole lot of things in pro wrestlng. If you've been watching it as long as I have, you've pretty much seen it all.

The WWE has done a great job making The Shield look strong throughout their time in WWE. If done right, it could be a great concept and could ultimately be used, at some point in time, to split them up whenever WWE felt the time was right to do so. It could also be entertaining if it's something that WWE doesn't do very often at all. I'm talking about not doing it again for years, if ever again, which is a distinct possibility as WWE isn't heavily into factions these days as far as the entire group being serious threats. Most factions, whether it be SCUM in ROH, Aces & Eights in TNA or Nexus in WWE, tend to have a few real stars while the others are mostly just supporting players. Off the top of my head, the last faction I saw WWE book as strongly or stronger with every member as a whole was Evolution.

I don't think this will happen but I wouldn't mind seeing how it played out. At the same time, however, one major criticism many would have is that Roman Reigns simply hasn't paid his dues or is generally well known enough to be WWE Champion. To my knowledge, he's only been wrestling for a little less than three years. His entire career has been spent in FCW/NXT and as part of the main roster for the past 6 months. They'd say he only got it because he's a member of the Anoa'i family. But, even without that, someone would find something to bitch about, even if they had to make it up just like with every other thing that goes down in wrestling, so that wouldn't be all that big of a deal to me.

No, not Freebird Rule. That's been done before. THE SHIELD is the champ. They all hold it. They all defend it. So, it would be THE SHIELD v. Cena or Orton or whoever. So, in traditional eyes, it's viewed as a 3 on 1, always (unless it's a triple threat, for example...3 on 1 on 1).

 

[TJWWE]

Since The Shield have arrived, they have never lost a match (To my knowledge) and are certainly unstoppable in 6 man tags. We've seen combinations of 3 wrestlers take on The Shield and have lost.

So, this thread is a 2-piece question:
"What combination of 3 WWE Superstars will defeat The Shield?"
"What combination of 3 WWE Superstars do you want to beat The Shield?"

I would personally love to see Old School vs New School with HHH/Rock/Austin vs The Shield. It Would deffiently put The Shield over.

 

[chris21]

Well I thought it was going to be Cena and Rock in some capacity but as there seems to be doubts over whether Rock will wrestle again I'm not so sure now. Can't honestly see who else could? Maybe an old school team as you say but of the current roster (full time) I don't see enough star power. I'll be shocked if Cena isn't involved though. I know he's tried with Sheamus and Ryback but Cena will end up overcoming them I reckon. Who with? No idea.

 

[Tbgator85]

"What combination of 3 WWE Superstars will defeat The Shield?"
Only the combined egos of Cena, Austin, and Hogan can bring them down! (With interferance from the Rock and HHH)

"What combination of 3 WWE Superstars do you want to beat The Shield?"
Realistically.... none. I think they will self implode in time. Or Cena will beat all 3 single-highhandedly while he has 2 torn pecs.

 

[strongbad]

I might be in the minority, but I'd like to see some angle with the Nexus re-uniting. I'm talking only about re-uniting a 3 man team consisting of Barrett, Daniels, and Ryback. Would like to see them go up against The Shield at Survivor Series. The Shield has already beaten Ryback and Daniels, so maybe if they target Barrett down the road, we could be privy to this. Not sure if this could happen, since they are trying to give Ryback a massive push at this time. I think come Survivor Series, he'll be a couple of pegs down the ladder.

No to the old school guys.

 

[Olly]

Dream scenario: Taker is active for the next year, appearing in 50% of Raws and wrestling at least every other month. The Shield would feud with him and whoever he was allied with - Kane and Bryan makes perfect sense for now because Reigns can have a programme with Kane and Rollins can go against Bryan, and Ambrose can be pushed to the skies by taking on Taker. They could mix it up a bit, and others could be included - reveal Heyman as the brains behind the Shield and you can have Punk, Lesnar and Big Show involved (against Bryan, Taker and Kane respectively) while Taker could call in guys like JBL, Rocky and even Christian from the Ministry. This would all build to Ambrose vs Taker at WM30 where the torch would be passed to Ambrose who by this time is more over than Steve Austin.

A guy can dream!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think it's pretty likely that The Shield will win the tag titles at some point in the near future. There's, allegedly, been talk about it happening at Extreme Rules. It seems likely but I think the title change would have more impact if they waited a bit. If THN does take on The Shield at Extreme Rules, Team Hell No coming out with a clear victory could lead to some increased heat for a rematch at the next ppv. As of right now, The Shield has beaten Kane & Bryan in every match in which they've faced off, so a big win for Kane & Bryan will put things on a more even playing field. The key would be to keep The Shield looking strong even in defeat and crank up the intensity of the feud for a follow up match at the Payback ppv. With THN getting a win, The Shield could be looking for "payback", as that's supposed to be the general theme of the show itself.

If they take the titles, I think they're going to do the Freebird Rule in which they all lay claim to being a champ and take turns wrestling in matches. It keeps the solidarity of the team in place without one of the wrestlers ultimately being left without a title. Personally, I wouldn't mind one of them taking to the singles ranks to ultimately get a singles title simply make the group a powerhouse in tag or singles matches.

 

[#TheSkipper]

The Shield have impressed me greatly. Not just individually but as a group. The way they work together is so good that it looks as if they've been together forever. I think it's safe to say that these three men are the future of the WWE. I can easily see Dean Ambrose being the number one heel in the company in couple of years time. I can see Roman Reigns being the face of the company, forget Ryback and his bull about how he wants to take over from Cena, I see Reigns as being that guy. And with Seth Rollins I can see him being the number two guy either as face or heel.

But what's impressed me more about The Shield is how they've been booked. If TNA want an idea of how a dominant stable is booked, then look at The Shield. They've been booked better than Nexus were, in some ways The Shield's booking is comparable to the way that the original nWo (Hogan/Nash/Hall) were booked. It doesn't matter if you're face or heel, if The Shield want to destroy you then they will. Also ,unlike Nexus and Ace's And Eight's, The Shield haven't been beaten and therefore have kept their momentum. I'll be honest, at Elimination Chamber I thought that SuperCena and friends would beat The Shield and kill them dead like Cena did Nexus, but Creative held off from doing that. I can only assume that Triple H has been behind most of The Shield's booking as the booking doesn't feel like a typical Vince booked group.

Be in no doubt, The Shield are going places. Triple H has tweeted how he thinks that they're the real deal, so he's behind them. The Undertaker has wrestled on TV against The Shield to get them over so he's behind them, which is an honour as these days it seems that 'Taker gets to pick who he wrestles.

Believe in The Shield.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I think it's pretty likely that The Shield will win the tag titles at some point in the near future. There's, allegedly, been talk about it happening at Extreme Rules. It seems likely but I think the title change would have more impact if they waited a bit. If THN does take on The Shield at Extreme Rules, Team Hell No coming out with a clear victory could lead to some increased heat for a rematch at the next ppv. As of right now, The Shield has beaten Kane & Bryan in every match in which they've faced off, so a big win for Kane & Bryan will put things on a more even playing field. The key would be to keep The Shield looking strong even in defeat and crank up the intensity of the feud for a follow up match at the Payback ppv. With THN getting a win, The Shield could be looking for "payback", as that's supposed to be the general theme of the show itself.

If they take the titles, I think they're going to do the Freebird Rule in which they all lay claim to being a champ and take turns wrestling in matches. It keeps the solidarity of the team in place without one of the wrestlers ultimately being left without a title. Personally, I wouldn't mind one of them taking to the singles ranks to ultimately get a singles title simply make the group a powerhouse in tag or singles matches.

No... just no. The Shield's entire shtick right now is that they are undefeated. Not to mention, they've beaten Team Hell No on two separate high stake situations, with two other stars that would technically leave them out matched. They're coming off of a WrestleMania win against Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show. They beat Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback at Elimination Chamber... These guys losing a tag title match this early AND losing their streak would ruin everything for them.

Give them the titles, let them beat Team Hell No in the rematch and then move them keep beating random opponents until SummerSlam. At that time, have them feud with the collective team of Orton, Cody Rhodes, and a returning Ted DiBiase. Legacy is still quite popular with fans, and while not Evolution, it can still work. Have a fourth and fifth member help them win, putting them at a five man team. At Night of Champions, have Seth Rollins or Ambrose win the WWE title, and then like with the tags they defend it under Freebird rules. I suggest Ohno and Leo Kruger from NXT. Ohno has an Ambrose/Rollins style while Kruger adds to Reigns' power. Then make them even more dangerous by attacking seemingly random people. First I'd have them hit Ryback, then Daniel Bryan, then Heath Slater, then Gabriel, and finally Wade Barrett. At Survivor Series, have them beat the reunited Nexus... that's right, a year of being an undefeated tag team. But stay with me.

After that I would have Shield begin to implode from sheer greatness, claiming to have nobody left to beat. And that's when you pull the Team Super Cena card. Have Cena, Orton, Sheamus, Big Show, and a "questionable ally" in CM Punk come together. Have them win at Royal Rumble but only after an imploding during the match by the Shield. From there, I'd separate the Shield slowly, similar to Evolution where they slowly lost more and more members.

But that's just one idea to go with, there are countless others.

--

I don't know if this is the best way to sell people on this. Sure, Lay-Cool sharing the Women's/Diva's Championship worked, but the Diva's division and the WWE Championship scene are far from equal. The Shield as WWE Champion could similarly work, but there's a far smaller margin for error than there was for Lay-Cool. Following that thought, The Shield are still very new. There are three high-upside careers at stake, and screwing the pooch on an experimental angle could set all three back.

There's also the fact that this one would actually make a lot more sense. LayCool sharing the titles never made sense to me because Layla was the one who won the title, and she was the one who defended it most of the time. McCool was just on camera to seemingly please Taker's ego. This time, every member of the Shield would be an equal and would be a believable champion. As mentioned before, it would give a better guessing game as to which member would defend against which opponent.

Also, as it's been proven time and time again, length of time on camera means nothing when it comes to someone winning the WWE title. If it makes sense to give them the title, then give that person the title.

 

[tvcolosi]

Anyone thought about the possibility of Taker leading the Shield? I don't think it makes as much sense after the Triple Bomb of SD... but its an interesting scenario. They mentioned the similarities in their Monday promo..

Do a 3 on 3 rematch at the PPV, Taker turns because Taker is mad at the goofy character his brother became, and he costs them the tag titles at ER.

Bryan vs Taker could be as good as Punk/Taker was... leading to a final Kane Taker match at some point.

 

[d_henderson1810]

The Shield has dominated WWE for the last few months. They have run roughshot over their competition, and look unstoppable. This three-man force is more potent and more of a threat than a stable like Nexus were.

My questions are:-

Who do you think will finally beat the Shield in a match?
Who would you like to see beat them finally?
When is the right time to have them finally lose a match?

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised to see them remain undefeated, and that they will lose matches only when they break up and wrestle individually, under new gimmicks.

 

[The Butcher]

Who do you think will finally beat the Shield in a match?

It's nigh-impossible to say with a shred of certainty. The way that The Shield has been booked, defeating all-star team after all-star team, it's hard to think of a collection of talent that could beat them three-on-three.

Had things gone differently, I'd have said Ryback without hesitation. He made his mark defeating multiple opponents, was constantly attacked and harassed by The Shield, and seemed to be poised to become a top-shelf babyface.

Things turning out the way they have, however, I'll go ahead and guess that CM Punk will be involved in The Shield's first loss. Not single-handedly, of course; but following my ill-fated WrestleMania prediction, I'll stand by Punk yet again to pull off a major win and further cement his place at the tippy top. Perhaps he divides and conquers somehow.

Who would you like to see beat them finally?

I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again: Mason Ryan and Ezekial Jackson. I know it's the longest of longshots, but it's what I'd like to see. I know a lot of people see those names and think "are those guys even still with the company?" But, in my old school mind, I can envision them with a solid heel manager (William Regal and James Mitchell immediately spring to mind) and becoming the faces of tag team wrestling. Defeating an undefeated Shield for the tag team gold would lend them credibility and get a lot of buzz, plus it gives The Shield an avenue for splitting up. Which leads me to...

When is the right time to have them finally lose a match?

...the fact that none of my hypothetical fantasy booking would happen until at least the fall-- Survivor Series time, perhaps. The Shield should get the tag team gold soon, Freebird Rule it up, and just stay that course. No matter who is lined up to beat them, The Shield should be an absolute monster by the time that comes to pass. Many will complain of same-old, same-old throughout the summer; but the fact that The Shield will be headed toward a year of dominance by the time that they finally lose as a unit will give the team that bests them a big boost.

 

[KBeef]

I really believe Ryback HAS to be involved in some shape way or form in this.

Hes been destroyed and humiliated by them over the last few months.

I say at Extreme rules he loses to Cena and after the match The sheild takes him out for good.

Hes out maybe a few weeks or sneak attacks them for weeks without them knowing who it is, or takes them out one by one.

few weeks go by and Its him and he successfully accomplishes a mission and come back to relevancy.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised to see them remain undefeated...

No one remains undefeated. We also wondered if Nexus would stay unbeaten, especially with their having seven members instead of just three. The problems booking those guys were enormous because where do you find seven good guys to combat them? Creative wound up taking heels like Chris Jericho and Edge and having them join John Cena and his band of merry good guys. Eventually, Nexus started to lose; everyone does, sooner or later.

Of course, Nexus never had to worry about sneak-attacking people who had an equal number of people, because no one did. With The Shield, it's a little dicier because there are often three guys standing there to oppose them. But then, Shield rarely engages when fronted with even odds, right? They like to out-number their prey and, in true chickenshit fashion, often back away when the odds suddenly become even. As shown, it doesn't really hurt their status to be run off by an equal number of guys, leaving them to come down the aisle on another night.

What's tougher to dope out is how they're going to lose a scheduled match. They've had just a few of those and haven't won any cleanly yet; but it's not as if they win strictly by cowardly means, either. They are supposed to be devious, and therefore find devious ways to win. So far, so good.....very effective booking.

I had hoped 3MB was going to turn face and be tossed in there as opposition to Shield. Instead, far from that, 3MB came out there and was easily brushed aside by Shield, which disappointed the hell out of me.

In the end, figure the first true defeat for The Shield will involve John Cena, if for no other reason than these types of programs usually do. Since WWE is casting Shield as an enormous force, it might even come down to C.M. Punk (returning as a good guy) joining forces with Cena and someone else to finally take down Shield in a few months. The idea appeals to me.

But that's the key: the bigger a build-up given The Shield, the bigger opposing force it will require to take them down. By the time Creative is ready to have them lose, it will probably take Cena to get it done.