ESPN report on the Shield

ESPN have posted an article in regards to the Shield:

Who’s next? Next Jordan? Next Gretzky? Name a sport, and for every prospect that shows flashes of promise, fans and media alike compare them to the greatest to have ever played, hoping they’ll be the next ones to take their sport to new heights.

Wrestling fans debate similar topics, wondering when the next wave of special superstars will come to push (and powerbomb) WWE forward, ushering in an era of heated rivalries between talented athletes in the ring and on the mike.
Years from now, I say Elimination Chamber 2013 won’t be remembered for the surprise win of Jack Swagger or the scary dominance of Mark Henry, but as the show in which The Shield showed the wrestling world that they are not only who’s next, they’re the hottest three performers in the industry right now.

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns proved that they can do more than hang with three of WWE’s most popular stars (John Cena, Sheamus and Ryback) -- they completely stole the show at Sunday night’s pay-per-view, outperforming main eventers The Rock and CM Punk, while showcasing a variety of double- and triple-team moves unseen in recent memory.

Top it off with a shocking ending that saw Reigns obliterate Sheamus through the barricade, then spear Ryback in the middle of a Shell Shock for the win, and you had a night that will be looked back on as the match when The Shield proved they were here to dominate the top of the card for years to come.

For anyone who’s known me on the board they’ve known that I’ve been banging the Ambrose drum for a long long time, you type Ambrose fanboy into Google and you’ll probably see a picture of me salivating over his promos about fannypacks from Zeus. I have to say as well I was apprehensive about him debuting, it felt it was never going to happen, the nixed feud with Foley never came off due to Foley not being happy over the use of his family being mentioned in Ambrose’s tweets and it went a full year since his match v Punk at NXT.
And then the Shield appeared at Survivor Series. Ambrose wasn’t debuting alone but as part of a faction. Mixed feelings tbh, yes finally he was getting airtime but like many was this the new Nexus? Too many cooks spoiling the broth etc, flattering to deceive and all fading into nothingness pretty quickly.
But quickly those apprehensions have been quashed. Each member certainly doesn’t appear a spare wheel, each brings something different to the table, each assists the other by hiding their flaws. For Ambrose’s lack of OMG ring moments you have Rollins taking bumps off ladders and Reigns spearing Sheamus through barriers, for Rollins’s awkwardness on the stick and Reigns IN YOUR FACE shouting it’s complimented by Ambrose’s hooks and instant meme level quips. And through this group identity, through this 3 piece jigsaw WWE have created a buzz about a stable that’s not been seen in wrestling since the Outsiders walked down the steps in WCW.

I believe in the Shield!

hate to burst your bubble but its only 1 article on ESPN lolz dont really mean so much all its getting is small bit of publicity.

Hero wrote:And through this group identity, through this 3 piece jigsaw WWE have created a buzz about a stable that’s not been seen in wrestling since the Outsiders walked down the steps in WCW.

No way is their "buzz" bigger then what Nexus had on their debut.

After the very initial trashing of the ring though and DB's firing for choking it quickly lost the impetus once they got into the feud with Cena. It was only through association with Cena and the rub from that they remained in the spotlight, the group as individuals were pretty much blank canvasses of character and personality.
Whenever the Nexus appeared each and every week their rep lessened from the initial entrance, each and every time the Shield appear their rep improves. The Nexus quickly became Barrett & Co, yet in the Shield every member works for each other and they're a fluid cohesive unit.

Hero wrote:After the very initial trashing of the ring though and DB's firing for choking it quickly lost the impetus once they got into the feud with Cena. It was only through association with Cena and the rub from that they remained in the spotlight, the group as individuals were pretty much blank canvasses of character and personality.
Whenever the Nexus appeared each and every week their rep lessened from the initial entrance, each and every time the Shield appear their rep improves. The Nexus quickly became Barrett & Co, yet in the Shield every member works for each other and they're a fluid cohesive unit.

So true. The Nexus were also squashed the minute they came to Cena.

Nexus created a big initial buzz on their debut but it was all downhill from day one for them. They never improved on that first showing. The Shield on the other hand have got better and better and better and their stock is rising. Individually and collectively they are impressive but I just hope there isn’t a surprise reveal of the ‘real leader’ of The Shield. I’d prefer them to stay as a 3, they don’t need a big name draw to help them, they are doing just fine as they are.

I very much agree, when they first debuted their was a collective 'Who?' from the IWC over Reigns especially as it wasn't Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) and there was a steady clamour for him to be brought in as a 4th member. I think the group doesn't need a leader nor any more members, by doing so you dilute the product.

I've said from the beginning that while I've always been a big fan of Ambrose, I feel Reigns is the guy the WWE will look at making into a huge star, he's got the look, the pressence and is a fantastic athlete, he's naturally charasmatic without being loudly obvious with it.

I think Ambrose could be a big star too and even Rollins but I think they might to do it the hard way

Reigns also has a really good name. ‘Roman Reigns’ just sounds cool, it sounds main event. I can definitely see him being pushed the same way as Batista.

Unfortunately all good things come to an end and when the group does eventually disband I can see Rollins as the one most likely to be regarded as the weak link and the one to turn face.

I really really like the Sheild, they compliment each other really well, Rollins is a pure wrestling workhorse, Ambrose is a great talker and has real eye catching mannarisms and physcology in and around the ring, Reigns just looks badass and puts a real exclimation point on everything.

At this moment in time Reigns look best at this moment in time based on his quiet charisma and the fact he's an absoloute beast, though I don't know who remembers him from FCW and NXT, I didn't see him as something really special, and it is possible that he is excelling within the group and may struggle to stand on his own two feet, for example see Hernandez from LAX.

Ambrose I think will make it big, as he's just to flipping good to be kept down, plus (and I didn't realise this until Cole pointed it out the other night), at 6'4ft and 225lbs he's deceptivly big.

I agree of the 3 Rollins is the one I could see struggling most.

I can see Rollins ending up a run of the mill face mid carder.
I can see Reigns ending up a little like Kane, in and around the main event picture and having various face and heel runs.
I can see Ambrose doing a Punk in a meteorical rise to the top. May take a while though.

I think its far too early to really tell though these are just early thoughts.

Rolling reminds me of a cross between edge/Jeff hardy,definitely going to be a top babyface imo.

I believe in The Shield.

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:Ambrose I think will make it big, as he's just to flipping good to be kept down, plus (and I didn't realise this until Cole pointed it out the other night), at 6'4ft and 225lbs he's deceptivly big.

Weird. Wikipedia (reliable source!) Has Ambrose billed at 6,4. Reigns at 6,3 and Rollins at 6,1. Hmmm. Personally i'm not so sure Ambrose is actually 6,4.

What is promising though is that Rollins is 26 and Ambrose and Reigns are 27 years old so time is definately on their side.

#BelieveInTheShield

Am I the only one who thinks Ambrose looks about 40?

I think he looks older than 27 but I think 40 is a bit of a stretch imo

I think they all have main event potential.

Rollins has a clear style that could be turned face and was very over on NXT. Reigns is a powerhouse and just looks the business. Ambrose will only be letdown by the standards of face he meets. Anyone with half a brain should make a good feud with him, but if he gets stuck with some of WWE's idiots then he could find his momentum stalling. The positive being he would always have the potential of having a suddenly memorable feud if it clicks

Very much agree there Chris, he needs to have feuds with guys in which the whole pyschological promos mean something, it's all very well him coming out and delivering an awesome promo but for then Kofi Kingston to basically ignore it and jump around like a rabbit in heat destroys the point of it.

How about Dean Ambrose feuding with a face Chris Jericho?

Ambrose v Orton would be a perfect first fued.

TheBrahmaBull wrote:hate to burst your bubble but its only 1 article on ESPN lolz dont really mean so much all its getting is small bit of publicity.

Could you stop being such a negative nancy all the time? Its killing the vibe.

You could find that Ambrose brings out the best of some of the faces too. H is right, Ambrose would play well against Orton's popularity and also his intensity. He could maybe do the same with Sheamus. I'm not sure why I keep bringing him back to HHH in my head, I just would love to see him go over HHH. It would be high profile, a lot of talking time and a big push.

Shot 21 LCFC wrote:How about Dean Ambrose feuding with a face Chris Jericho?

Could be decent. Loved the way Ambrose sold the walls of Jericho on Monday.

I always thought Seth Rollins would be the breakout babyface of the group but I'm starting to think that we might see Roman Reigns get a Batista/Evolution style storyline when the time comes for them to eventually split up.

After skimming through all these comments, there's hardly been a whisper of Seth Rollins name! I can see similarities between him and other superstars like CM Punk that have plugged away with at it, it will only be a matter of time before Rollins makes it to the top too.

For me, this is the guy that's the future of WWE, he's got the look, can command an audience no matter if he's a face or a heel, and has a move-set that he can mix up. I actually got into Ring of Honor in the early summer of 2010 where Seth (Tyler Black) Rollins was the current world champion, he was by far the most entertaining champion I've seen in the past 3 years with some amazing matches against the likes of Austin Aries, Roderick Strong and Davey Richards, as well as turning heel cutting promo's about jumping to WWE with the championship belt. So yes, he's probably one of my favorite wrestlers & has been since seeing him perform in a little indy promotion back in 2010.

Seth Rollins is the one I'm tipping for the future.

I'm tipping all three tbh, I can see all of them making it to the very top and by starting together it makes the rivalries even better when they eventually go against each other.

Weirdly of all the members of the Shield, Ambrose has been the least impressive for me. I really like Rollins, I like his look, I think he's good on the mic and the most interesting style in the ring. Reigns is a best, he's what I want from my powerhouses, he's a bit like Sheamus in that regard or Brock Lesnar, quick but powerful.

Perhaps Ambrose is being suffocated by being in a group so hasn't been able to show off his individual flair as much but he's actually my least favourite for the moment.

Am I the only one who would like to see them stay as a team the whole time they're in the WWE, obviously having singles feuds and title reigns but at the core still being the Shield...I understand this isn't how the WWE works and at one point could even see them in a triple threat match against each other.

I just think they work too well together to split them up, they're so fast paced and aggressive, I love it...the only downfall is the fact to keep this going you'll probably have to keep putting together teams to fight them like Super Cena or the team we saw on RAW.

I hope WWE keeps the Shield going for a long time, I certainly believe in them and would like to see Reigns get a singles title with Rollins and Ambrose getting the tag at the same time, giving them an even bigger push all at once.

While they wont go on forever, I hope they find a way to keep them together for at least a year. How do they do that though? They need a direction and suitable storylines rather than just attacking people randomly...