Why is the most viable member of the Shield getting the smallest push?

[Creepy Old Man]

Never heard of him before he hit the main roster, so save your "indie" angle, trolls.

For me WWE were right when they put most of the focus on Ambrose at the beginning and gave him the US title. As far as I can hear, Ambrose is every bit as over as Reigns. He's vastly superior on the mic (mid 90s Bret Hart humiliates Reigns as a talker), and significantly better in the ring (three cool Reigns spot moves can't carry a 30 minute pay-per-view main event). Sure, Reigns looks like a film star, but Ambrose himself has a strong female following (at least online) and is hardly an ugly guy despite the whole scuzzy, "lunatic" styling. When suited and booted at the Slammys he looked great. With some airbrushing he'd look superb on posters.

I like Reigns, but he's a million miles from a complete main-eventer, and I think a backlash could be imminent if this unfinished product is pushed down our throats. Ambrose is already there and could be the Roddy Piper of this generation. If Ambrose has any rookie tendencies in the ring, his mic skills completely render them an afterthought.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Roddy Piper of his generation? I agree. Well liked, occasional headliner who'll never become the man.

Reigns isn't a great all-rounder, but neither is Ambrose. That Rollins though!

 

[WarroBODFan]

I don't really see how Ambrose isn't getting a "push". Just because it's not a main event push like Reigns is getting (and even then, I think they'll take their time with him before giving him the strap), it certainly doesn't mean he's being overlooked. Rollins and Ambrose feuding has the potential to be one for the ages. There's a reason why they didn't go with the match at Battleground and are clearly waiting for an epic Summerslam bout instead. As for Reigns, I don't have a problem with them testing the waters with him at this level. Whether he's ready or not is a matter of opinion, but I don't feel it's indicative of WWE not seeing bags of potential in Ambrose.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'm seeing it differently. Plainly, management made Dean the "leader" of Shield at the start, apparently before determining he wasn't as effective as they hoped he'd become. To me, his facial expressions and threatening manner come off as rather ridiculous; he has too much of a baby face to keep up the impression he's trying to leave and I'm continually reminded of a 3rd grade bully shaking down younger children for their lunch money.

All this isn't to say he's not any good; it's just that Reigns has the look of a monster.....while Rollins seemingly came out of nowhere to merit his own push. They've passed Dean by.

I agree with WWE's decision to feature Ambrose less than the other two, which isn't to say I think he shouldn't be working for the company. But after the program with Seth Rollins is over, what do they do with him? Personally, I think his future will involve a solid place in the midcard. IMO, if the company decides to push him hard, they'll find he won't measure up.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

All 3 are getting equal pushes but there is a certain "push" based on past guys for each of them. Rollins has MITB, that means they expect him to be champion and he will basically get Edge or Punk's push as a result... many reigns, most quite short.

Reigns is being given the Goldberg/Brock push... being positioned as a monster and tearing through the upper mid card, bypassing the midcard titles. Many reigns but longer over time than most.

Ambrose is being given a hybrid... Remember during the Shield days he was the one with a belt, and the 3rd or 4th longest reign ever for said belt... now he is being positioned to be the new Austin... and it is working VERY well indeed. When he wins it it will be massive, just as it was for Austin. He is arguably best placed of all 3 interms of fan support, potential AND the talent to actually carry it off...and deep down WWE and Vince know it...

Only one belt means only one champ at a time but it is very clear where this is going... for all the talk of Brock jobbing out to Reigns at Mania it's wrong... WM31, if things continue as present will be headlined by The Shield in a Triple Threat, for the title... Rollins will be champ having ended Reigns first erm.. reign..., with Reigns and Ambrose challenging... Ambrose may come out on top or Reigns... but they are clearly heading this way...

When was the last time you could say 3 guys who all debuted together, could potentially all headline Mania together etc... It's never happened and it's a masterplan...

 

[Reflection]

Ambrose is in a great position right now. He is a main-eventer despite not being a main-eventer. He is certainly above Bray Wyatt and Cesaro right now, who have dropped from the main event scene to the upper mid card and mid card respectively. He is also above the two titles and the people competing for it- from Sheamus to Del Rio to Miz. Even above Rusev and Swagger. He is just a notch below Rollins. There's nothing to complain about.

I don't get the Reigns hate either. He doesn't do 30 moves per match like an indie wrestler, but neither does most major main-eventers. He is extremely fit and can easily "go"- get beat up or do offence for a long time in a long match, as he proved in the fatal-four way match. Do you think they just brought in a random badass-looking guy from the street and put him in the main event? He must have been very well tried and tested before becoming such a huge investment. As for his promos, his is a badass character; He doesn't need to cut promos every week like Cena or Triple-H- who are among the best in history in that field.

 

[MartialHorror]

I suspect that the Shield was always intended to put all three over as individuals. Initially, it seemed like Ambrose was the leader and the most important, but then Reigns started getting more mic time and was stealing the show...but then, once they turned face, it was Rollins who suddenly seemed like he was doing most of the talking. I thought that was really cool, as most stables primarily end up only pushing one of the group.

Reigns is getting a top spot, but Ambrose and Rollins aren't far behind. If anything, Rollins is getting the biggest push right now as he can technically still go for the gold (even though I don't see him using it any time soon, unless they plan on making him lose). I doubt Orton will be another contender for quite some time, and since Reigns is feuding with him, I don't think that battle is any 'bigger' than Rollins Vs Ambrose right now.

I actually think Ambrose will ultimately win the feud because he seems like he's been on the losing end of most of the brawls. My problem is that both he and Rollins are being treated as idiots, although "Battleground" seemed to bring out the worst of them. Ambrose attacking Rollins before their match still makes no sense to me and Rollins leaving before the big championship match while Ambrose is exiled from the arena is arguably even more ******ed...wtf does he think that briefcase is for?

I'm honestly wary of Reigns being pushed as a Championship contender right now and would rather the other two get there first, as they have proven they can deliver great SINGLES matches and keep the audience invested. Reigns is still a gamble and his 1 on 1 work hasn't been very impressive. But they're all awesome and they're all getting pushed, so currently I am more pleased than not.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Roddy Piper of his generation? I agree. Well liked, occasional headliner who'll never become the man.

I had to laugh. Roddy Piper was a household name who headlined the most important wrestling pay-per-view of all time. No, he wasn't the face of the WWF, but he's one of the biggest icons in wrestling history. Ambrose will likely never scale those heights, but could become one of the industry's biggest stars.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

If you don't believe that Dean Ambrose can reach Roddy Piper's heights then why are you so confused as to why he isn't getting a bigger push right now?

Whether Ambrose is the most viable remains to be seen. Right now he is in a great program that gets ample time. He has barely been an exclusive singles competitor for what, two months? Do you really I think he would excel in Reigns' spot right now? Do you think Reigns would excel in Ambrose's current program? A guy like Ambrose needs time, there may be some "women" on the internet that think he should give them another bastard but that doesn't make a main eventer. Ambrose needs more time and a proper build. If he does ok, he will get the spot you think he currently deserves. Until then I am just going to enjoy what he is doing.

 

[TheBadGuy92]

Im personally happy with where Ambrose is. He's currently feuding with the future WWE champion, he gets his mic time, he gets tons of air time. He's in a refreshing former best friend now enemy program, which is reminding me alot of the old HBK, HHH stuff.

Even if he doesnt come out on top of the feud (which he shouldnt since Rollins needs the credibility as MITB holder) hes still going to outshine Rollins and by this time next year their feud should be over the title with or without Reigns in the picture

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Ambrose is great right now but if Bryan was an underdog then he is more of one... not cos of his size but cos if they push him right he will "blow it" at least once... he will get THAT close to the title or the big win and blow up, get DQ'd or something... when he eventually does go into that spot the crowd will then erupt for him...

 

[Creepy Old Man]

If you don't believe that Dean Ambrose can reach Roddy Piper's heights then why are you so confused as to why he isn't getting a bigger push right now?

There are maybe five guys in the history of the business who met or exceeded the heights Piper reached. Ambrose probably won't get there, no. Vastly different time than the mid 1980s.

 

[MeisterMan]

I am a huge Reigns fan, but I love Dean Ambrose and the program with him and Rollins, but I have to be brutally honest. Ambrose, IMO, is going to get the main event scene. But he will never truly win the big one. Flame me for saying that or whatever but there's something about him that will put him in the position of John Morrison or as of right now, Zack Ryder for his career. I'm not saying he won't come close (screw job, money in the bank cash in, vacancy, injury, etc.) but with the gimmick he carries, and his particular moveset (scrapper, technician,) it just doesn't strike me as somebody who WWE will trust to win the strap, or someone the fans will get behind as World Champ.

Never say never though. Mick Foley, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Daniel Bryan, etc...names

 

[Aquaman6686]

I don't see any of them as any more viable than the others, they all have strengths and weaknesses.

Roman Reigns is incredibly intense in the ring, has a great look, and to me combines the raw athleticism of The Rock with the in-ring aggressiveness of Triple H. But, he couldn't talk his way out of a paper bag and has a lot to improve on his in-ring abilities.

Dean Ambrose is a good talker, but his facial expressions are absurd and he tends to slur his speech a lot. I don't know if he's a heavy drinker or if he has a minor speech impediment, but listening to him talk always makes me want to laugh because he sounds so silly. His in-ring work is decent, but nothing special.

Seth Rollins has the overall best wrestling abilities of the three, but I find his mic skills sorely lacking, and his attempts to look like a "tough guy" are just laughable.

 

[Mudlup50]

I think Aquaman makes a very good point, they all are good in some regards and poor in some and I think that's partially why the Shield was so good for them, they all balanced each other out.

On to the point, I'm thinking we can't tell which one is gonna main event for the longest now. Reigns is obviously being seen as the break out star but until Mania we don't know how he's gonna stay over. Rollins having MitB is great but as we saw with Sandow that doesn't mean you're gonna main event. And of course Ambrose as a crazy guy looks good now but is it main event good? R Truth tried something like this before and it got him to the main event but had him vanish later ><

Point of all that being, right now they all are prepped well but all 3 are in spots someone else has been before who ended up dropping off the main event pretty quick

 

[smokescreencooper]

I think Ambrose will get his big push after mania nest year.

all three of the shield are main event worthy

 

[SpoodBeest]

To them he's just a nice little hand to have on the roster to make other people look good. He doesn't have that precious main event look like Reigns does to justify pushing him like that and for whatever reason they thought Rollins was a better investment to win MITB.

After this feud with Rollins is over, Ambrose's position as an upper midcarder will slip and he'll have little to no direction that keeps him at a Christian level. For whatever reason they don't see value in him as a main event level performer despite him having all the tools to succeed in such a position. Honestly there is more money in him at the top of the card rather than Reigns but WWE will do what they always do.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

I think Dean Ambrose is probably in the best position out of the 3.

Roman Reigns is in the Ryback position. He's over and the crowd is firmly behind him, but Roman is stuck in limbo. They want him to be a top face, but John Cena has that spot booked, so they're going to make Roman into the guy that can beat everyone except the guy on top. And that's going to ultimately ruin him. He'll be a midcard heel by the same time next year when WWE says "his push failed". All because they weren't willing to pull the trigger when it was time to hit the bullseye.

Seth Rollins has been pegged as the Authority's heel. In other words, he's a chickenshit heel who won't ever be able to win a match on his own. Kane helped him win the Money in the Bank briefcase. Seth is going to keep losing, and winning via shenanigans, and he'll never be viewed as a legit badass. Triple H should know better considering he was one of the last heels to be booked as extremely dominant without needing bullshit to win. Seth's not going to be a top guy anytime soon unless WWE pulls a 180° and has him straight up win his matches.

But as for Dean Ambrose... This guy is on a roll. He has shown the most personality out of the 3 which is a big plus. He isn't stuck in the main event scene in Cena's shadow. People think Roman is living the dream, but nope, he'll keep losing those big multi-man main events to John Cena and there's nothing he can do about it. Even if Roman wins the title, he'll still be the #2 guy in all his angles like Orton was during the Nexus invasion, or CM Punk during The Rock return.

But Dean Ambrose is stealing the show. The fans are way behind him. He's showing personality. His renegade-Brian Pillman-style is getting over. If anyone has a chance to tap into that Stone Cold audience, it's Dean. He's also pretty protected, as I haven't seen him lose clean in a while. Dean is one of the top faces, but he isn't in Cena's shadow. Nope, he's doing his own thing, and he's ruling it. That's the spot where Ultimate Warrior, Stone Cold and Randy Savage all had when they got really over. That spot where they are completely isolated from the main event, but they are getting really popular. It's those guys that end up carrying the main events of the future.

I bet that by 2015, Dean Ambrose is in a much better position than Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins, because he's the only one not being set up to fail.

 

[scottyshowman82]

He may be getting what some see as a smaller push but the key word here is push. I think if were one of the 3 men who wore riot gear and beat the crap out of the WWE roster over the past 18 months, you're probably going to sleep with a smile on your face these days. I really have to hand it WWE, as much as I have had my critisms of HHH in the past I really applaud him on the pacing of growing his new superstars. Punk out, Bryan injured, no problem. The seamless transition of the Shield as a unit into single's competition went off without any speedbumps.

Every competitor has their strengths and weaknesses and where these 3 ended up makes sense. Reigns in the big powerhouse with a lot of momentum, put him in matches with Kane, Orton and Cena at the top of card. He remains with the Shield theme and very similar ring gear, fine. There's no need change something that doesn't need fixing. Rollins who a lot of people were worried about made that heel turn and will not be forgotten. He's got the backing of the Authority, the Money in the bank briefcase and can be seen in 5 star matches each week. And as for Dean Ambrose, they just gave him some air and let him be himself and magic happened. Chaos makes a great wrestling show and Ambrose is WWE Chaos in 2014. Ambrose hunting Rollins and messing up his cash ins is fun. Rollins and Ambrose have the goods to make this really watchable and entertaining.

There is not a WWE event that I watch where I don't miss CM Punk and I have much love for the injured Daniel Bryan, but the Shied has done so well in their absense. They have nothing to feel bad about when it comes to their contributions to WWE TV.

 

[Notorious718]

I don't think I would say Ambrose is getting the smallest push. I say that because, from perspective, he's currently in the feud that I'm most interested in. His feud with Rollins has been great and probably the feud of the summer for me. That says a lot considering that both men aren't in the title picture and aren't former world champions (as far as the WWE is concerned anyway). I'm honestly looking forward to their inevitable match at Summerslam more than Reigns vs Orton or Cena vs Lesnar. Mark my words, it might not seem like to you now but by this time next year, Dean Ambrose will be a star. I'd argue he is one now but he'll only get better later down the line.

 

[theblasterkid]

I'm a big fan of Ambrose! The guy comes off as cool as f*** to me. His feud with Rollins is the best thing they have going right now. Even though most think their feud will lead to a Street Fight at Summerslam, I would love to see a ladder match instead with the briefcase on the line.

 

[Dagger Dias]

All three of the wrestlers from The Shield are getting big pushes. I can see why some would think that Ambrose is getting the smallest push, it may seem that way. Roman is already competing in World Championship matches, Seth is one opportunistic moment away from being World Heavyweight Champion himself, while Dean gets the worst entrance theme of the three and (kayfabe) doesn't have a way in to a world title match yet. The way WWE are going about it is smart. Ambrose constantly trying to chase Seth and prevent him from cashing in, stating he will do so all year, highlights the crazy side to him that should keep getting him over. I stand by my previous prediction that all three will be huge stars. Ambrose may not have a way into a world title match right now, but he is still getting a great push. He needed Money In the Bank less than Seth did. Unlike Seth and Roman, Ambrose can still get there. Had Seth or Roman been in Ambrose's current position they might have a larger risk of getting lost in the shuffle. WWE is going about it correctly at the moment.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Three hot up & comers, one title. Result: balancing act. You can't push everyone at once. Only 1 guy can be the Cena. That guy is likely to be Reigns at this point. Doesn't mean that Ambrose will never win the big one though.

Wrestling is capitalism: for someone to make money, someone else has to spend it i.e. if someone wins, someone else loses.

I respect your position OP and agree with you on Ambrose's strengths, but no need to worry right now.

 

[L@RISANO]

Tbh, all 3 Guys have gotten the relevant pushes in order to make sure they have viable initial roles going forward.

Roman Reigns has been portrayed as the "Big Dog" of the group...and the guy that the opponents mark as the Main Danger. Also, the rumours that WWE is high on him make sense that he would continue to chase the Major players of the Authority...which is what made sense with the Promo him and Ambrose did the week after the betrayal.
However, I do feel that post-SummerSlam, even as a huge fan of Reigns whom I want to see succeed, he has to go into Sink/Swim mode in the current push and show more ability with the mic and in the ring(Singles matches to be precise).


Seth Rollins was the one who seemed in danger, but his Epic Heel turn and subsequent siding with the Authority has all but ensured that he will get a title shot at some point and should remain relevant for the forseeable future bar a huge mishap.


Dean Ambrose is the one who is pure gold on the mic. Granted, whilst I do like his brawling style, I am not the biggest fan of his matches thus far. Reigns is raw in the ring, but has his big finish sequence and intensity, but Ambrose lacks that aspect in his in-ring work.
However, having him become a shadow of Rollins and going after him at every turn is a Golden Storyline the WWE has going on. Only the logic at times with regards to Reigns literally not showing any interest in getting his own back on Seth also.


I do hope that all 3 of these guys are amongst a group of 5/6 who can become part of the Main Event by next SummerSlam.


At Wrestlemania 31, especially since Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar has been touted for the WWE title(still only a Rumour/Fantasy at this point), I do hope that WWE go the whole length and have Seth do the MitB cash-in at WM31 itself(Hopefully Ambrose is involved as well somehow) after a brutal match between Reigns and Lesnar(obviously provided everything falls into place) as I don't think Roman Reigns requires a Golden Mania moment, rather the view should be to make sure they continue to push forward this new group of awesome possible Main Event talent available, going forward post-Mania 31...

 

[Beads94]

I'm gonna be honest, I really just don't like Roman Reigns right now.

I loved The Shield when they were around and was saddened when they broke up, but I was optimistic about the three of them being pushed to the top. Rollins is a great wrestler and definitely has World Championship potential. I've always loved Ambrose since he's been on the main roster and I love what he's doing right now with his work on the mic and in the ring. I loved Reigns as well when the stable was still together, his moves seemed to always get the crowd and match going.

Since then though, Reigns has gotten a huge push to main-event status and I've hated nearly everything about him. The superman punch is the dumbest move, how is it different than any other punch or clothesline? For some reason, he has to be on top of every show even if he's been taken out and it looks like a big heel is gonna end the show on top (i.e. Orton, Kane). I was happy to finally see Orton triumph over him this week. Reigns couldn't possibly sell me a match on the mic either. I understand the family says he has "the look", but I don't give a crap about the look.

It seems that Reigns is on pace to win the Rumble and then the title at WM31, and I'll be so disappointed if he does. Ambrose or Rollins have the ability to wrestle a great match and could sell me it on the microphone too. Hell, why not Cesaro, Bray Wyatt (if he actually starts winning matches), or Ziggler? I understand Ziggler would be a fantasy booking, but my point is I would much rather see Ambrose or Rollins headline WrestleMania 31 over Reigns. However, I am optimistic with the rest of you that Ambrose and Rollins will have more success in the long-term as I love both of them and am looking forward to their Summerslam match. Until then though, I guess I'll have to be annoyed through this upcoming WrestleMania season.