Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose had a
remarkable first few months on the roster. They started off strong by sharing
screen time with John Cena, CM Punk and Ryback. The first two were the
company's biggest names and at that point 'The Big Guy' looked like he was
going to amount to something.
Their in-ring debut match came at the TLC pay-per-view in
a winning effort against Team Hell No and Rybers, which was big for several
reasons. Not only were the trio winning their first match but it was happening
on pay-per-view against the de facto number two face and the tag team
champions, who were one of the most popular acts in the company. It was a big
vote of confidence from WWE and set them up as a dominant force. It gave the
three men the chance to win fans over and that’s exactly what they did.
Outside of the kayfabe world of wins and losses The
Shield were helped in other ways. JBL came up with the evocative 'Hounds of
Justice' moniker, which has stuck and been embraced by fans and the group
themselves. They were given the enigmatic crowd entrance routine, which had
lain dormant long enough to feel fresh and special. And they got ring gear
which helped them stand out. The protective vests and army boots combo has
given The Shield an identity and contributed to them creating a connection with
fans.
As 2013 began they involved themselves with The Rock at
Royal Rumble (never a bad way to get guys over) and won six man tag matches,
one of which saw them opposite the ring from megastar John Cena, at Elimination
Chamber and WrestleMania XXIX. The April 22nd RAW saw them defeat
The Undertaker, Kane, and Daniel Bryan and the following week they dropped Team
Hell No and Cena. They would remain undefeated in six man outings until May 13th,
when they lost by DQ to Cena and Team Hell No.
 |
| These three would tear it up in the King of Trios |
The important thing to take away from these various six
man tag mentions is that there were no bad performances amongst them. The
Shield established themselves as guys who could face any three guys on the
roster and have a great match. Their winning helped but it was the high quality
that caused fans to take them seriously and therefore view them as stars.
The spring and summer saw the trio succeeding in areas
other than multi-man bouts. Ambrose had a very enjoyable singles debut on the
April 26th SmackDown in which he lost to The Undertaker by
disqualification. At Extreme Rules he dethroned US champion Kofi Kingston (and
still holds the championship now). And when Money in the Bank rolled around in
July it was Ambrose who represented his gang in the battle for the blue
briefcase.
With treatment like this it's no wonder Ambrose was and
is viewed as the group's leader (although to the best of my knowledge this has
never been stated as the case by The Shield themselves). WWE have indirectly
acknowledged he's the best of the bunch by making him the member who most
frequently wrestles solo. His status as the group's main promo man has
furthered the image.
This is not to say that Rollins and Reigns have been left
in Ambrose's shadow. The pair unseated Team Hell No in an exciting tussle at
Payback and won a sort-of-rematch with Bryan and Randy Orton at Payback. While
they were relegated to the pre-show to tangle with the Uso brothers at Money in
the Bank they did sneak in a run-in on the main stage. And the battle they had
with Jimmy and Jey was enjoyable.
The autumn months saw them do some of their finest work
as far as making the tag team titles mean something is concerned. At Night of
Champions they downed the popular Prime Time Players in what was probably the
finest match of the latters’ collective career. Battleground saw them lose a
non-title bout, a pre-cursor to their championship-losing effort a week later
on Monday Night RAW. They’d carried the belts with pride and given us such
worthwhile matches that the belts changing hands meant something.
On top of all of this the three were routinely drafted in
to tangle with various popular faces, most often Daniel Bryan, throughout the
year. This role has become particularly prevalent since they were promoted
on-screen security for the McMahons. Matches such as Ambrose v Daniel Bryan
from the September 9th RAW, Reigns v Bryan on September 16th,
Rollins v Goldust on the October 23rd Main Event are all
particularly enjoyable, and the three had a cracking showing in a gauntlet
match against Bryan on August 26th. The trio have done excellent
work establishing themselves as exciting wrestlers with bright futures who produce
great work no matter who they're facing.
The popular question seems to be what's in the future of
Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns. I can imagine all three will crack the main event
at some point because they're all talented enough. Reigns, though currently
fine as a heel, seems like a natural WWE babyface. He's good looking and has a
large physique. That's what the promotion looks for. I can imagine him working
well as a good guy.
Ambrose is one of the most natural heels WWE has. His
sneering face and jerky, eccentric body language are made for the role. What
really cements it is his promos. Ambrose is one of the most effective bad guys on
the roster when equipped with a microphone. He'll be invaluable when it comes
to furthering stories and encouraging people to rally behind good guys as a
solo bad boy.
Of the three Rollins has the most work to do. A year ago
he was clearly better in the ring than the hesitant Reigns, but they've become
equals across the course of 2013. Not having the kind of look WWE equates it
main event status means Rollins will have to rely on wrestling's famed
intangible qualities and promos to progress. The latter has never been his
strength but he could get better, and I think he's got enough "it
factor" to succeed. I just don't think his rise will be as quick as those of
his pals but I do think he’ll get to the top.
The success of The Shield in their debut year shows how
well audiences can take to newcomers when they're presented correctly. I hope
WWE knows and understands what they've achieved and replicates the approach in
the future.
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