A new member of Evolution, maybe even two?

[The Eighties]

When I look at Bryan and The Shield i see 4 dynamic young workers in their prime, and I look at the heels and see a top worker in Orton and a 45 year old Batista who is starting to find a little bit of form in the ring, but Triple H is unlikely to be wrestling regularly and Kane is well past his best.

I expect Evolution to be around through the summer and while they present a great heel threat for the new faces, they also offer an opportunity to make a new heel or two, the big question is who?

I know Sheamus is a popular shout but to me he's too similar to what is there already, the best stables thrive on having some variety. I know it will never happen but I can't help thinking this would be an ideal chance to turn Dolph heel and get him back on track, it could also be a great way to debut Devitt if he signed. I also see Corey Graves as a possible fit as the groups young gun.

Cesaro would have been a fit but now he's with Heyman I don't see that working, but it could be an interesting way to repackage Drew McIntyre or Sandow who are both DOA every time they head to the ring right now.

I think The Rhodes brothers are probably nearing the end of their run and a heel turn that aligns him with Evolution would be a good option for Cody to get his singles career going again.

I actually wouldn't mind seeing Johnny Curtis ditch the Fandango gimmick and join the group, Triple H and Steph both name dropped him recently as a guy who deserved more than fans gave him.

One last option that I don't personally favour is Barrett, although I'm not sure it's a fit with his Bad News comedy gimmick that seems to have gained some traction with the fans.

 

[SmattyG]

When I first saw the name of this thread, my initial thought was Drew McIntyre. If anyone needs a reboot it is Drew. He has all the tools, but has been saddled with 3MB for long enough. If there is to be a new member, my vote is for Drew.

 

[kadroan]

I'd go with Titus O'Neil or Damien Sandow. They're both at that awkward stage of their career where you can tell they can be solo stars but they need something to do.

Titus is already friends with Batista and he got charisma and about the same age as Batista when he first joined the group.

Sandow, reminds me of HHH. He could use the backing from Evolution to get to the next level as the future.

I figured Titus would be good. I don't think there's ever been a black member of The Four Horsemen, the group Evolution emulates and whenever he breaks from Evolution, could help boost him to fill the void of top black star that The Rock left that Booker T and Kofi Kingston failed to fill.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Drew McIntyre doesn't have all the tools. If he did, he'd be more over than he is. Guys with "all the tools" don't need repackaging. They get over with whatever you give them.

I don't think Evolution needs a new member. I'd like to see them try to recruit Reigns and then Reigns deny them. Put the new generation over by not needing friends in high places to make it (storyline). However, if you REALLY want one, I'd say someone from NXT. Adrian Neville maybe?

 

[Sabutage]

While i do think in other circumstances its good to use younger talent for something like evolution, I don't think adding new members suits the story. Its working out perfectly already,

Its the new generation of the shield that are being put over. They caused so much trouble and forced the egos of Batista, orton and triple to put aside any differences and rejoin. Adding new members to evolution will just cloud that imo.

Plus, the fan in me is loving the original members being back together, making it into evolution 2.0nor something with extra stars with no relation to original evolution would ruin the vibe for me personally.

 

[Reflection]

I think the Evolution-reunion is a one-feud thing, with the purpose of giving The Shield that massive push that every talented superstar needs before solidifying their position in the main event.
The Shield had kicked everyone's ass (with exception of Wyatt Family) and one couldn't think of a solid group that had the ability to give them a run for their money. But now we have a reformed Evolution where almost every guy is a 10-time world champion, and I don't think they need any more members in order to be a legitimate threat to The Shield's dominance. At the culmination of this feud, The Shield will have benefited immensely from it.

 

[MCMG]

I think they need to add someone. Four is indeed a good number and since HHH has other duties; it makes sense to add another member. It should be a superstar who can be elevated by working with these three. There is no point adding another established name.

There are a few names that could work and would really help their careers. The obvious: Ziggler, Barrett and Sandow. Put them in a suit; let them speak sometimes but, most importantly, get them over as a heel and working high profile matches.

Drew McIntyre would be an interesting choice. He is still young and does have a lot of potential. Taking him from 3MB to Evolution is a massive step but I think it would be great for him.

My preferred choice would be Cody Rhodes. He has a lot of ability in the ring and the potential is there. He has history with Orton and The Authority. The Rhodes brothers are going nowhere so they may as well have Cody turn on Goldust. Aligning himself with Evolution would be great for his career and it will give him greater exposure. We know he will deliver in the ring and matches with any member of The Shield or Bryan would be fantastic.

 

[Sheamus' Suntan]

IF Evolution lasts more than a month before imploding completely and HHH doesn't pedigree Batista after 6 weeks, then what needs to be remembered is this; Evolution was originally formed to get 2 new guys into a position where they could be pushed to the moon. That was the sole purpose of Evolution, which is, if I'm right, where the OP has got this idea from.

If Evo is to last until, let's say, Mania, which it could. All three men could well be full time for the next good while and it'd be a great way of playing out Evo, then YES, 1 more youngster should be added. Not 2 as that's overkill on the faction. 1.

That 1 should be someone they plan on doing an awful lot with from NXT. I kind of think it could be Bo Dallas. I mean, let's look at it. WWE must be sure that Dallas will flop on RAW. The crowd from NXT and RAW are very different, and his gimmick, while a good gimmick, will flop unless he has "others" to help him back up his claims. He could go on and say the crowd LOVE that he's a part of the biggest group ever (The crowd would hate on it) and that the crowd LOVE him. His ego could even go so far as to end up with him stating that he's bigger than Evo. It'd be a good quick hit to get him in, build him up, etc.

There isn't really anyone else I see that's THAT pushable off of being added to Evolution.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm thinking that Evolution might not be around for long and that their reunion against The Shield is a one time thing. However, if the idea is for them to stick around, then maybe a couple of new members could be Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. I know that people have been expecting The Shield to break up for months now, and a break up is still supposed to go down at some point in the future with Reigns as a babyface singles wrestler while Rollins & Ambrose stay a heel tag team. However, MAYBE this is how it'll happen.

Considering that WWE has been portraying The Shield as being back on the same page, I'm still thinking that they're gonna have Rollins & Ambrose just suddenly turn on Reigns out of the blue to go for the shock value. The problem with that is that Ambrose & Rollins have already gotten physical with Orton and Batista, not to mention the beat down from last night. A simple solution could be that Triple H simply made them a private offer that they just couldn't refuse, something that was simply too good to pass up.

If that's not the way they're going and Evolution does stick around, I could see them going after someone like Alexander Rusev. Rusev is a big, physically impressive powerhouse that, in the limited time we've seen him, has shown a surprising degree of agility and speed. True, he isn't exactly well known but, then again, neither were Orton and Batista when they joined Evolution.

 

[TDFG]

I'm not sure if Evolution needs another member, HHH won't wrestle as much & will probably be a manager type figure, Batista & Orton will be main-eventers. I don't see the need for them to have a mid-carder or tag-team added to Evolution.

 

[Sabutage]

I think the Evolution-reunion is a one-feud thing, with the purpose of giving The Shield that massive push that every talented superstar needs before solidifying their position in the main event.
The Shield had kicked everyone's ass (with exception of Wyatt Family) and one couldn't think of a solid group that had the ability to give them a run for their money. But now we have a reformed Evolution where almost every guy is a 10-time world champion, and I don't think they need any more members in order to be a legitimate threat to The Shield's dominance. At the culmination of this feud, The Shield will have benefited immensely from it.

I agree it should be a one time thing but I'd really like to see it dragged out for a solid 2 months, not just a few weeks to the ppv. Imo They need to have evolution dominate for a while, show some of their from the vault destruction, even have them beat the shield at extreme rules before the shield make their rightful comeback and devolve evolution.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

I'm thinking that Evolution might not be around for long and that their reunion against The Shield is a one time thing. However, if the idea is for them to stick around, then maybe a couple of new members could be Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. I know that people have been expecting The Shield to break up for months now, and a break up is still supposed to go down at some point in the future with Reigns as a babyface singles wrestler while Rollins & Ambrose stay a heel tag team. However, MAYBE this is how it'll happen.

Considering that WWE has been portraying The Shield as being back on the same page, I'm still thinking that they're gonna have Rollins & Ambrose just suddenly turn on Reigns out of the blue to go for the shock value. The problem with that is that Ambrose & Rollins have already gotten physical with Orton and Batista, not to mention the beat down from last night. A simple solution could be that Triple H simply made them a private offer that they just couldn't refuse, something that was simply too good to pass up.

This was very much my thinking as well. I don't think that all three members of The Shield remain babyface for long - particularly if Roman Reigns versus Triple H is the end game. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see one or both of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to join The Authority/Evolution at Extreme Rules, further stacking the odds against Reigns. The idea of Dean and/or Seth making up the 'future' aspect of Evolution makes perfect sense as well. Either way, I don't imagine that this iteration of Evolution is something that we'll see beyond the summer, but if it's more than a one off then I think we will see Dean or Seth complete the stable.

 

[chicagokmc]

As long as HHH has enough in him to wrestle in just 1 feud, even it goes a couple of months, they don't need anyone. It dilutes Evolution being this clique'ish type of group and more importantly I don't see the logic in introducing new people to the storyline. Don't forget, it's not just Evolution. It's Evolution powered by the Authority. They have bodies in Kane and even NAO to throw in as cannon fodder. And as you saw Monday night, they can even toss in half the heel roster if they feel like it.

 

[Sabutage]

This was very much my thinking as well. I don't think that all three members of The Shield remain babyface for long - particularly if Roman Reigns versus Triple H is the end game. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see one or both of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to join The Authority/Evolution at Extreme Rules, further stacking the odds against Reigns. The idea of Dean and/or Seth making up the 'future' aspect of Evolution makes perfect sense as well. Either way, I don't imagine that this iteration of Evolution is something that we'll see beyond the summer, but if it's more than a one off then I think we will see Dean or Seth complete the stable.

I dont particularly like the idea of this, but thinking about how they seemed to focus on reigns at the end of raw, it could be in the works. Or maybe its just because reigns and triple are both seen as the leaders. Still, I dont think ambrose or rollins becoming part of evolution would work for me, maybe just turn on reigns and become a two member shield for the authority? Although then you lose the whole outnumbering nature of the shield. Or maybe just become a standard tag team or solo stars, but then you lose all their momentum from the storyline... God its so confusing lol.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I don't really see the need for a 4th member at least initially. If they keep them together for a length of time, then sure... but for now I'd leave it as is.

You can't bring back Flair with this group, even though it would just be in a managerial capacity, because he simply doesn't fit anymore. Triple H, Batista and Orton all get good heel heat. There isn't a single guy in the group that gets cheered despite trying to be a heel... so throwing in anyone that might mess with that dynamic hurts the entire group. That would be Flair (he's beyond the point where the fans would want to boo him).

Any of the IWC darlings that the fans want to see get the rub would be in the same category... and from a booking standpoint it wouldn't make sense that any of them would want to team with Triple H anyways, since part of his Authority gimmick is that he's the guy that holds back the guys that the fans (IWC) want to be pushed.

Plus finally, I don't think Evolution today is a place to put someone to get them over. If you did go for another member, it needs to be someone who already got themselves over. If it turns out to be anyone, I like the idea of Cody Rhodes. He's already established himself and gotten himself over. He fits the group dynamic. When he's a heel, the fans have no problem booing him. He's the next stage of the evolution of a famous wrestling family, and he can carry the load in the ring.

If you look at Evolution as Triple H's Four Horsemen, which it essentially was... then think about the new members of that group who worked. Barry Windham joining worked perfectly, because he was a guy that had already proven himself and that extra rub from the Horsemen put him to the next level. Paul Roma didn't, because they put him in the group to get him over, which devalued the entire concept of an elite group.

Like I said up top though, I don't think anyone is needed depending on how long it goes for. The three originals work well together. They're up against the Shield, another group of three. When Bryan gets thrown into the mix with the Shield, Evolution can turn to Kane as the defacto fourth. And even as a group of 3 with Orton and Batista carrying the ring work, since Triple H will only wrestle occasionally, you can still use them as a tag team to also elevate the tag team division (in fact, I'd make Orton and Batista the tag champs soon and have them feud with the Shield over them).

 

[Eddie Menuek]

I dont particularly like the idea of this, but thinking about how they seemed to focus on reigns at the end of raw, it could be in the works. Or maybe its just because reigns and triple are both seen as the leaders. Still, I dont think ambrose or rollins becoming part of evolution would work for me, maybe just turn on reigns and become a two member shield for the authority? Although then you lose the whole outnumbering nature of the shield. Or maybe just become a standard tag team or solo stars, but then you lose all their momentum from the storyline... God its so confusing lol.

Again, I can't see this being a long-term thing either way, so it's not like you're throwing Dean and/or Seth into Evolution and telling them that that's where they'll be for the next year of their careers. But if this storyline is built for Roman Reigns to blow up as many of us believe that it is, then it doesn't make much sense for him to be one third of the strongest stable that we've seen in the company in years. There needs to be adversity standing in his way and it doesn't get much more perfect than his two brothers turning their backs on him for The Authority.

In terms of whether Dean/Seth are officially members of Evolution or just aligned with The Authority, if you're talking short-term then I don't think it makes a great deal of difference. It would just logically tie into the ethos of Evolution for Triple H to recruit two of the hottest young stars in the business.

 

[Animeboy010]

Cody would get lost in Evolution just like in Legacy, besides I feel Goldust should turn on his baby brother. and Cody wins MITB Match. This way the WWE can focus on building him as a top babyface star again like they did in Summer 2013... I think they should repackage Drew McIntyre as a young Orton. and have Orton/Triple H mentor him.. something like that.. So fans start taking,him seriously again and over time forget he was part of 3MB..

 

[The Eighties]

To cover a couple of points, obviously if Evolution are just going to work the next couple of PPV's and be done than I agree that no members need to be added, but if they stay around until at least Summerslam I think adding another good worker who will be active regularly would make sense, plus the concept of Evolution should logically see the group pick a guy to be the future as opposed to the guys the fans are currently choosing as the future.

I put the possibility of 2 in the thread title purely because I'm unsure how much Triple H will do. If he wrestles in the way Flair did within the group then cool, but if he goes into JJ Dillon mode then I'd round out the group to 4 with Haitch as their boss, but in truth looking at his conditioning and knowing his passion for wrestling I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Triple H have a very active 4 to 6 months.

Lastly, and no offense to those that suggested it, I hate the idea of Ambrose and Rollins turning on Reigns and making him the sole focus of what then becomes a 5 vs 2 war. The crowd have gotten behind The Shield strongly from the moment they turned and even Ambrose is doing better as a face than I thought he would. I don't think killing that unity is a good idea, I think there is a lot still to do with a face Shield and it's too soon to flip any of them. I think we all know Ambrose will be a heel long term, but he's so crazy I don't see him as a fit with the style of group Evolution is, and to me Rollins future lies as a face. I don't see any reason why The Shield can't have big singles matches and even win a title while still staying a unit.

 

[Animeboy010]

I don't really see the need for a 4th member at least initially. If they keep them together for a length of time, then sure... but for now I'd leave it as is.

You can't bring back Flair with this group, even though it would just be in a managerial capacity, because he simply doesn't fit anymore. Triple H, Batista and Orton all get good heel heat. There isn't a single guy in the group that gets cheered despite trying to be a heel... so throwing in anyone that might mess with that dynamic hurts the entire group. That would be Flair (he's beyond the point where the fans would want to boo him).

Any of the IWC darlings that the fans want to see get the rub would be in the same category... and from a booking standpoint it wouldn't make sense that any of them would want to team with Triple H anyways, since part of his Authority gimmick is that he's the guy that holds back the guys that the fans (IWC) want to be pushed.

Plus finally, I don't think Evolution today is a place to put someone to get them over. If you did go for another member, it needs to be someone who already got themselves over. If it turns out to be anyone, I like the idea of Cody Rhodes. He's already established himself and gotten himself over. He fits the group dynamic. When he's a heel, the fans have no problem booing him. He's the next stage of the evolution of a famous wrestling family, and he can carry the load in the ring.

If you look at Evolution as Triple H's Four Horsemen, which it essentially was... then think about the new members of that group who worked. Barry Windham joining worked perfectly, because he was a guy that had already proven himself and that extra rub from the Horsemen put him to the next level. Paul Roma didn't, because they put him in the group to get him over, which devalued the entire concept of an elite group.

Like I said up top though, I don't think anyone is needed depending on how long it goes for. The three originals work well together. They're up against the Shield, another group of three. When Bryan gets thrown into the mix with the Shield, Evolution can turn to Kane as the defacto fourth. And even as a group of 3 with Orton and Batista carrying the ring work, since Triple H will only wrestle occasionally, you can still use them as a tag team to also elevate the tag team division (in fact, I'd make Orton and Batista the tag champs soon and have them feud with the Shield over them).

The Tag Titles are meaningless to Orton and Batista their goal should be to be World Champion again..


Also, Cody became Super Popular last year with the fans it would be dumb to turn him heel. He shouldn't beat in Evolution

 

[shafe_41]

I don't see this being a long term thing either as many others have stated. I don't see Triple H being in a long in-ring feud as he has enough to deal with behind the scenes. Orton and Batista (as much as I'm not a huge fan of either of them) deserve better than being teamed with each other in matches against the Usos because there's nothing else for them. Nobody wants to see either of them face Cena again. I actually wouldn't be totally against Batista/Cena because they've always put on decent matches. Orton/Cena is done. Nobody wants to see Orton/Batista. But I'm getting off track...

A new member of Evolution? No. They won't be together that long enough to warrant another member. They'll make the Shield look good and that will be the end of them.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

The Tag Titles are meaningless to Orton and Batista their goal should be to be World Champion again..


Also, Cody became Super Popular last year with the fans it would be dumb to turn him heel. He shouldn't beat in Evolution

Notice I said I wouldn't put anyone else in there. Rhodes is only if they do feel the need to add a fourth. If not him, then someone like him who has gotten themselves over who also won't disrupt the dynamic of a group of guys the fans will all boo.

As for the tag titles being meaningless to Orton and Batista? Says you. I say differently. The end game of a Daniel Bryan vs Evolution angle will be Bryan versus Triple H for the title. You can do Bryan versus Orton, and Bryan versus Batista leading up to it, but neither of those guys will go over and both would just be used to build to that eventual Bryan/Triple H main event (likely at Summerslam). They already tipped their hand with that by having Triple H be the first guy to go after Bryan. He wasn't successful, which would be a reason he's recruited Batista and Orton... to help him get that job done.

So considering that, then the tag team titles become a logical choice. A group like Evolution doesn't work without at least one champion in the mix at all times. So put the tag titles on them, and use their star power and the fact that they're at the top of the card to help elevate those titles again. Just like how they're trying to re-establish the IC title with the tournament right now. Get the show back to a point where each of the 3 major titles has value. Evolution carrying the tag straps helps accomplish that.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

Lastly, and no offense to those that suggested it, I hate the idea of Ambrose and Rollins turning on Reigns and making him the sole focus of what then becomes a 5 vs 2 war. The crowd have gotten behind The Shield strongly from the moment they turned and even Ambrose is doing better as a face than I thought he would. I don't think killing that unity is a good idea, I think there is a lot still to do with a face Shield and it's too soon to flip any of them. I think we all know Ambrose will be a heel long term, but he's so crazy I don't see him as a fit with the style of group Evolution is, and to me Rollins future lies as a face. I don't see any reason why The Shield can't have big singles matches and even win a title while still staying a unit.

Firstly, I agree with you on Dean Ambrose and I'm glad that somebody else has brought that up. Having been told for months ahead of his debut that he was going to be the star of the group and the heel of his generation, I'd been underwhelmed by Ambrose's work in The Shield up to this year, in comparison to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. It's taken me by surprise how much the babyface turn has suited Ambrose and made me much more of a fan of his than I was before.

That being said, my main concern about The Shield is that, except for going back to The Wyatt Family, is there anything that they can do as a unit after Evolution? I think that Evolution is as big as it gets for them, and beyond that if you start booking them as single stars that remain as allies then I think that you're taking away some of the sting from the inevitable future split as opposed to if you go through with the split at the height of their power as a team that is being booked as such a tightly knit entity. An alternative approach of going through with the split in the coming months could be to have just one of the group turn heel and side with The Authority. That way the odds aren't so one sided, and going forward we could get a pretty sweet Ambrose/Rollins feud while Roman Reigns takes on Triple H.

 

[wrestler36]

Initially, I was against the idea, but I really like it so some young up and comers can be groomed or pushed. Orton in 2004 was the young hot shot, so 10 years later, he's similar to what HHH was back then. Somebody mentioned Fandango if he dropped the gimmick. I think that would be a great choice. If Mason Ryan gets the call up, he could have Batista mentor him. HHH will take on Ric Flair's role as the legend and leader of everyone. I don't watch NXT, so I'm not sure who they can bring up. I just bring up Ryan because I remember when he used to be on the big roster

 

[The Eighties]

Firstly, I agree with you on Dean Ambrose and I'm glad that somebody else has brought that up. Having been told for months ahead of his debut that he was going to be the star of the group and the heel of his generation, I'd been underwhelmed by Ambrose's work in The Shield up to this year, in comparison to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. It's taken me by surprise how much the babyface turn has suited Ambrose and made me much more of a fan of his than I was before.

That being said, my main concern about The Shield is that, except for going back to The Wyatt Family, is there anything that they can do as a unit after Evolution? I think that Evolution is as big as it gets for them, and beyond that if you start booking them as single stars that remain as allies then I think that you're taking away some of the sting from the inevitable future split as opposed to if you go through with the split at the height of their power as a team that is being booked as such a tightly knit entity. An alternative approach of going through with the split in the coming months could be to have just one of the group turn heel and side with The Authority. That way the odds aren't so one sided, and going forward we could get a pretty sweet Ambrose/Rollins feud while Roman Reigns takes on Triple H.

Ambrose has been channeling some Terry Funk in his face work and it has been surprisingly effective. I haven't been underwhelmed with Ambrose so much as I've been surprised by Rollins ans Reigns. I was not high on Tyler Black in ROH and I firmly believe he is a guy that has added an awful lot through is time being developed by WWE, and all I saw when Reigns was in FCW was a big, good looking guy, but there was no sign of the presence or charisma he has displayed since arriving on the main roster.

To me the biggest reason to keep The Shield together is actually to protect Reigns and allow him to start working big singles matches while still having the safety net of his popular, established group behind him just in case it takes longer than some in WWE want to get him ready for regular big time singles matches.

 

[bioshock]

Ziggler would be a perfect pick to join Evolution, besides him I would add a guy from NXT, or just add two guys from NXT. One being a guy who has a bright future and another who is green. Then let Orton and Batista play that role Triple H did back for the original Evolution. I wouldn't mind a 4 or 5 guy stable, who ever those other guys are would get a great rub/push cause of it.