How has the Shield story been handled?

L@RISANO

R.I.P Mustang Sally :( :( :(
Don't have much time, but I have been thinking about this lately...

Many of us were shocked when Seth Rollins stabbed his brothers in the back post-Payback and I am sure, we all wanted him to get what was coming to him, in terms of a proper beating that a Traitorface like him should get.


So, as we examine how the stories of the 3 guys have gone until now; Do you guys think the SHIELD Break-Up story has been handled as well as it could have been?


From my POV;
I understood from the Reigns and Ambrose promos after the break-up, what they set out to do. Ambrose after Rollins, whilst Reigns went after the other guys in order to get to HHH.

Now, Reigns has beaten Kane, Orton and Rollins already, which means after injury, his sights should be set on HHH and ending the Authority, once and for all.
However, my main gripe with his Singles push has been aired on here quite a few times, in that, the lack of continuity in his push, and the lack of interaction with Seth and Dean really hurt his push in a big way and the writing disconnected him from them quite a bit. Given that he was portraying the Main Face vs the Authority, some interaction with the other 2 would have helped his push and his momentum big time.


As for Ambrose; his push has been handled rather well since he got handed the real Babyface making Money feud with Traitorface himself. It was going brilliantly until his return from Cinderblock smash at NoC, where he has had to basically take over from Reigns and booking probably was changed somewhat to make up for that(given Orton and Kane's lack of importance since NoC). Whilst I haven't minded Cena being a part of the Seth Rollins chasing pack brigade...I do agree when people say it has helped in cooling the animosity built up between Ambrose and Rollins since the break-up, and that is a minus for Creative. That said; a well-booked HiaC match will regain some overness for the feud, no doubt.
Needless to say, it is Dean Ambrose who has been the Real Winner since the break-up.


Seth Rollins' push has been well-handled also. Right now, whilst it does seem he is being 'overshadowed', it is apparent he is Foe no.1 for the 2 Top babyface guys, and that has meant that Orton and Kane have been afterthoughts. Needless to say, last RAW, Orton was given some importance by.....indeed, having his own Animosity with Seth Rollins.
I think as long as Seth is booked to do Heel stuff more often, is booked strong enough and remind us of his traitor act post-Payback, his Heel run will be a rousing success and could land him in the Top Heel spot post-Mania 31.


So, again the question;
Do you guys think the SHIELD Break-Up story has been handled as well as it could have been?
 
I think overall it has been handled fantastically. It shows so far that there really was no weak link among the 3. All 3 show that they can handle being in the main event. Sure, Reigns is still green as far as being 'the guy' but he still has the main event presence to him. Ambrose/Rollins is hotter than ever even after a few months. But with Reigns and Ambrose battling The Authority with Rollins, everybody has been elevated to the next level.

To be nitpicky, there were a few things that I did not like. The hatred between Rollins/Ambrose has ignited one of the best feuds in a long time, but I didn't like how Reigns got a clean win over Rollins on Raw a few weeks ago. It kind of makes Ambrose look smaller considering he's been chasing Rollins for a few months. I think it should be Ambrose coming out of the crowd and not Reigns. I'm sure there's a few other details.

Overall, with all 3 being elevated to major players right now, the way the Shield as been handled post breakup has been excellent.
 
No complaints overall as far as I'm concerned. What I was most worried about was WWE ultimately singling one of them out for elevation while using the other two as essentially sacrificial lambs in order to accomplish that. For instance, there were initially reports of Reigns turning babyface while Ambrose & Rollins stayed as a heel tag team. There were also reports of keeping The Shield together and replacing Roman Reigns with another powerhouse wrestler, one that was named was Mason Ryan. Obviously, none of these scenarios went down and the group breaking up came about in a way and during a time when nobody saw it coming.

There's tons of potential in all three of them, anyone who had any grasp about what makes a good professional wrestler could see that after the group had been around for a few months. While they've been on their own, we've had the chance to ultimately see what we needed to see as far as their potential futures: see what they can do when it's just them out there without back up from the others. Some might agree and some might disagree but, for me, the two clear stars of the group are Ambrose and Rollins. They're just further along than Roman Reigns, which isn't surprising when you consider that both Ambrose & Rollins are veterans of over a decade in pro wrestling. Whether it be in the ring, on the mic, connecting with the audience or as an on screen persona, they're just a lot stronger than Reigns in my eyes. That doesn't mean that Reigns can't continue to improve as time goes by, he's come a long way in only a handful of years in the business, but I could see Ambrose & Rollins main eventing in the near future. Reigns MIGHT have the better look but, at this point, that's the only real advantage he's got. If WWE wants to have Reigns ready to be the one who takes down Lesnar, he's gonna have to kick it up a few levels upon his return because he ain't there at this point.
 
Booking for Rollins was the hardest out of the three. He was the sole heel and had to overcome the affection that everyone had for him during The Shield days. Hitting Ambrose and Reigns with a chair was just the start but the momentum has continued. He was in one of my favourite stables of all time and I want to punch him in the face. Job well done.

Ambrose has been a success too. Sarcastic, cool-guy has been done before (Punk most recently) but he is doing a wonderful job. Indeed, having him feud with Cena was just the cherry on top. It wasn't an obvious step for a babyface but it was very smart. They want him to really exploit a certain group of fans and him feuding with Cena will improve the chances of that.

While views on Reigns are split, I've thought he has done pretty well. He has a lot less experience than the other two in that he isn't as good in the ring and isn't polished on the mic but people (myself included) love the guy. Look tough and say effective, meaningful things is a great gameplan for him. Add putting him with wrestlers who are better than him in the ring and we have a great combination. Also, they (unless I'm being forgetful) kept him away from heels like Cesaro and Wyatt where the crowd would be split.

They have booked each guy in a smart fashion. Playing to their strengths and, for the most part, keeping it simple. A bit of a generalisation here but; get Reigns over with the kids and women; get Ambrose over with the 18+ males and ensure that EVERYONE wants Rollins to get his head kicked in. So far, so good in my eyes and I'm certain all three can be top stars in the company for a long time to come.
 
No complaints overall as far as I'm concerned. What I was most worried about was WWE ultimately singling one of them out for elevation while using the other two as essentially sacrificial lambs in order to accomplish that. For instance, there were initially reports of Reigns turning babyface while Ambrose & Rollins stayed as a heel tag team. There were also reports of keeping The Shield together and replacing Roman Reigns with another powerhouse wrestler, one that was named was Mason Ryan. Obviously, none of these scenarios went down and the group breaking up came about in a way and during a time when nobody saw it coming.

There's tons of potential in all three of them, anyone who had any grasp about what makes a good professional wrestler could see that after the group had been around for a few months. While they've been on their own, we've had the chance to ultimately see what we needed to see as far as their potential futures: see what they can do when it's just them out there without back up from the others. Some might agree and some might disagree but, for me, the two clear stars of the group are Ambrose and Rollins. They're just further along than Roman Reigns, which isn't surprising when you consider that both Ambrose & Rollins are veterans of over a decade in pro wrestling. Whether it be in the ring, on the mic, connecting with the audience or as an on screen persona, they're just a lot stronger than Reigns in my eyes. That doesn't mean that Reigns can't continue to improve as time goes by, he's come a long way in only a handful of years in the business, but I could see Ambrose & Rollins main eventing in the near future. Reigns MIGHT have the better look but, at this point, that's the only real advantage he's got. If WWE wants to have Reigns ready to be the one who takes down Lesnar, he's gonna have to kick it up a few levels upon his return because he ain't there at this point.

I think with regard to Roman Reigns;
IF they go through with the Brock-Roman showdown, regardless of how the crowd reacts...and say, perhaps the crowd doesn't back Reigns in an overwhelming majority....maybe, a Heel run post-Mania(after Beating the Beast Incarnate, of course) might be a good option to take.

After all; with Ambrose, Cena and also Bryan to return. Whilst Orton might turn face soon also...that might leave Rollins as the only Top Active Heel. Turning Reigns into a Monster Heel hell-bent on destruction(basically beat Brock and take over his role shortly after) and giving him an extended run, might be a better way to get him a more organic babyface reaction at the right time.


Of course, if he returns, wins the Rumble and gets the required Babyface reaction, then there wouldn't be a need for a Heel run at all.
 
To me both Ambrose and rollins have been booked quite well. Both have been entertaining and seem to have enough character depth to keep things as close to fresh as anyone currently can.

Reigns on the other hand im not so sure...
He's superman shtick reminds me of someone although I can't quite put my finger on it.

To be honest his push feels more like ryback's too much to soon without enough layers to survive his first inevitable run in with bad booking.

Hopefully a year from now we look back at reign currant injury and say it came at the perfect time giving creative a chance to regroup and let him develop into the star they want him to be. Rather than what appears to be their currant plan:

Letting him run with a ball he's nowhere near ready to carry.
 
Oh God where to start here. The Shield and their booking was one of the best ideas the WWE ever came up with. They really didn't have one bad match while they were together. All three of them brought something to the ring. Ambrose the mic skills, Rollins was the high flyer and Reigns the powerhouse. They were the perfect faction, each one covering the others weaknesses. Since the breakup though I have a different opinion than everyone else.

Ambrose and Rollins at the outset couldn't have been booked better. Just the idea of Ambrose lurking in every corner waiting to pounce was fantastic. I think we all were happy that he kept blocking Rollins from cashing in the MITB suitcase, and for a time it didn't look like Rollins would ever be able to cash in. And when you need Kane as a shadow to protect you it's wonderful.

Even with Ambrose having to go and film a movie, that was done perfectly as well. In comes Reigns to take over where Ambrose left off. The only difference was he wasn't stalking Rollins on a continuous basis, he would just come out throw him around the ring, and Rollins would run away, but it kept up the idea that they hadn't forgotten what he did to them.

The fly in the ointment happened when Ambrose returned and Cena was inserted into the feud, for apparently no reason. The focus was shifted from what Rollins did to Ambrose and Reigns and was momentarily put on what Rollins did to Cena. Which by and large should have been kept separate from this feud. Now you had Ambrose going through Cena to get to Rollins, instead of going through the Authority. And the air seemed to seep out of the balloon. Hopefully they can get it back in the next couple of weeks, but I have my doubts on it.

When it comes to Reigns though, he's been the big loser in all of these shenanigans. His booking has been abysmal. Instead of going after the Authority like he promised, remember the promo when he said he was going after Orton and then coming for HHH, where they would have their own game of Throne's, he didn't have anyone to feud with.

He just sort of floated around the main event picture being paired in tag matches with Cena, Sheamus and Cena, Big Show and Mark Henry or singles matches against Rusev. God knows where that idea came from, but anyway he was in multi man main event matches on PPV's but came out of it with nothing to show for his trouble. It just looked like they had this great looking guy but nothing for him to actually do. I do think his injury came at a wonderful time, because now they have time to regroup and decide what to do with him when he returns, and I hope to God it's not another feud with Kane or Orton.

The Ambrose/Rollins feud will go on and both will do well in the end. What happens to Reigns however is another story. It will all depend on what they do with him upon his return.

I would love to see him go straight after HHH, no holes barred, do to him what Ambrose did to Rollins in the beginning. Get the Authority on the run. It would also give Orton the perfect chance to turn face. He could say he didn't sign up for this, and while he wouldn't take Reigns side, he wouldn't do anything to stop him either. That is the only way to really finish the Shield story, destroy the people that destroyed them. It has always seemed like this is an unfinished story, and the writer has writer's block. If they are going to do away with the Shield, then finish this chapter, close the book and get on with it.
 
When you got John Cena breathing down your neck, you know you are a hot product. Since the Shield broke up. Everyone of them has been connected with Cena. Reigns was connected with him during the title shots. Recently there was the Cena/Ambrose affair for Rollins. This shows that the WWE knows that each Shield member is Main Even Caliber that steals the spotlight off of John. I say they've each been showcased very well and it looks like they are the future and they're bringing it to us now!!! Seth Rollins pulling a Benedict Arnold made the Shield members bigger than they already were ( and they were BIG) and I'm glad Ambrose/Rollins are getting people like myself and others excited for their Hell in a Cell match, which is poised to be an instant classic :) !!!!
 
REIGNS: Seemed destined for singles competition not long after the Shield was first introduced. He was the loner, the quiet one, the one most physically imposing. True, the fact he possessed less personality than the others might lead one to think he'd be a subordinate character for a much longer time, but his look portended making an impact on his own.

ROLLINS: He emerged as a singles factor rather slowly; he appeared destined to be more of a spear-carrier than the others, but his personality came through and made Creative decide to feature him as the heel; something that will change over time. The company has handled him perfectly since the split. His alliance with The Authority compelled audiences to jeer even though they like him; a great way to start him off on his own.

AMBROSE: He was the unofficial leader at the trio's inception, yet his act seemed to diminish in effectiveness as time went on, at least partly because his fierce facial expressions and screwball manner appeared rather comical after awhile. He came off as the schoolyard bully who winds up getting his head handed to him, to everyone's delight. In that regard, I was surprised to see him installed as a good guy after the break-up of the Shield, although that's bound to change since maniacal approaches play better with heels. Still, in the short term, I believe they've done the right thing because.....well, look at what's going on with him now.
***************

In short, if the goal of a company is to break up a group after their purpose has been served and install them as singles, WWE has done a terrific job with all three members of the Shield. As individuals, they have defined roles, good exposure and the company appears to be giving them solid direction. In none of the three cases is anyone getting more than the others, which is a good thing. At first, it seemed they might be going too heavy with Roman Reigns at the expense of the others, but even before his injury, that had been rectified and all three were well on course.
 
I think it's been about as good as we realistically could have hoped for.

The WWE broke up The Shield at the perfect time, waiting until after they were together long enough & had solid runs as both heels & faces. Also they had that storyline just months before they broke up about Ambrose & Reigns being mad at each other & the team costing each other wins so it made everyone think Ambrose was going to turn on the team in late 2013/early 2014 or maybe even Reigns. Then Rollins was the one to turn on the team months later, that was truly awesome.

Ever since then I can't really disagree with much that has been done with them except for some small things here or there.

Reigns: I really would have liked to see him feud with Rollins (& Ambrose for that matter too), I hope it still happens at some point. Besides that it just sucks he is hurt but it seems to be somewhat of a blessing in disquise since it is almost helping Ambrose/Rollins & I don't think Reigns was ready for the rumored position he was going to be put in anyways.

Rollins: The only thing with Rollins is I wish they would either make him "thee guy" of The Authority like Orton was essentially or just have him go out on his own as Mr. Money in the Bank. Being Mr. MitB & also semi-associated with The Authority is just starting to get old & seem pointless. Either they back him 100% as the next "prototype, perfect champion" like they once coined Randy or he should just go solo & be a cocky, chicken shit heel like I.C. Champion Shawn Michaels in the early 90's.

Ambrose: My only issues with Ambrose have all had absolutely nothing to do with the performer, he is EASILY the best thing going on the current roster (especially with Lesnar & Bryan away right now). If anything I just wish he had better material to work with & WWE backed him more like they were backing Reigns. Apparently they don't even see him as a main event player let alone the next face of the company, which is just ridiculous to me. But beyond that it's all the ketchup carts, exploding MitB briefcases, jumping out of presents, etc. All the extra childish stuff really. I have a ton of respect for guys like Austin but do you really have to even try that hard as a performer when the script calls for something like driving a beer truck in the arena & soaking the Chairman with beer? If Ambrose had that kind of material he would be knocking it out of the park even more than he already is.
 
It was good, I cannot help to think that if Reigns wouldn't had been injured Ambrose push might have been somewhat screwed up, but that's just a whole ton of if so who cares.

Oh the three the only one I really couldn't care less about is Reigns, big guy that punches other guys and then does his two moves and wins, yawn. Does he at least have a cool gimmick/personality? Nope. I'd say give him a motorcicle and a native american sidekick and make him be the Lorenzo Lamas of WWE, but now that gimmick has been taken by Baron Corbin (which honestly seems a lot more interesting than Reigns, god his finisher is so damn cool)

Ambrose I like, he's good at playing the maniac, fun on the mic and has great mannerism in the ring. He seems to now and then have still a bit of a problem with WWE-psychology but it's not really a big issue and it will just fade away with time.

Rollins is honestly the one I prefer, he plays a delightfully hatable heel, he's really amazing in the ring when they let him go at it (so basically only on smackdown :p) an has the stupidest hair ever (and he makes it work). I can easily see him be top heel of the company in a handful of years if creative handles him well. Also the curb stomp is probably one of the best heel finishers in a while, simple but vicious looking and quite iconic.
 
The Shield's story has been handled very well. Someone had to be the reason for them to split up in the first place, and Rollins being the one to turn heel was a good choice. Roman was getting a big push regardless and Ambrose might have been too predictable as the traitor. Now with his Money In The Bank push and having joined The Authority, Seth's on his way to stardom. All three of them are. The Seth VS Ambrose feud has been a feud of the year candidate and truly showed the potential both have as main eventers. I've enjoyed seeing the direction all three are taking and with the small exception of wishing Ambrose had better entrance music, I've had zero issues with how The Shield's members have been handled since the split.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
174,848
Messages
3,300,881
Members
21,726
Latest member
chrisxenforo
Back
Top