WWE The Shield Main Event At WrestleMania 31: How To Book It
WWE and The Shield have made some glorious music together, but now that the three members of the company’s biggest faction — Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins — have transitioned into singles’ competition, the chance of a reunion is pretty moot, though Bleacher Report hints otherwise.
We don’t deny that, but there is a credible way to get the three of them back in a wrestling ring at the same time, restore the mystery behind the WrestleMania 31 main event, and give all three an epic WrestleMania moment: a triple-threat finale for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Even suggesting that WWE book The Shield as the main event is a bit of a compromise for me since I believe that if Daniel Bryan is healthy, he should be at the top of the card. But the idea I’m about to share is too darn perfect to pass up.
Here’s how we’d book it.
Starting with WWE SummerSlam, Seth Rollins ekes out a win over Dean Ambrose. Then, in the main event, Brock Lesnar beats down John Cena but doesn’t finish him. Instead he begins walking to the back as Rollins comes out to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. At this point, we discover that Lesnar was really just a hired mercenary to get Triple H’s boy — Rollins — the belt. Only problem is, when Lesnar and Paul Heyman have left ringside, Ambrose rushes out and attacks Rollins after he’s cashed in the briefcase but before he’s had a chance to pin Cena.
Ambrose beats down Rollins and pulls Cena on top of his former teammate. 1-2-3, John Cena retains the belt, Rollins’ shot at the title is ruined by Ambrose, and Brock Lesnar continues to play up his Beast persona while feeding off the heat that the WWE Universe gives him for only being a “part-time performer.”
This sets the stage for a slow build that finds Rollins staying heel but rebelling against Triple H for not protecting him from Ambrose. It makes a huge star out of Ambrose, which, most agree, he deserves more than Roman Reigns, and it places Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns on a collision course for the title after Reigns wins his feud with Randy Orton.
Wresting the title from Cena and taking care of the Lesnar situation would be easy at this point. The WWE could have The Shield briefly re-team — under grudging conditions — to injure both Cena and Lesnar in a match that essentially vacates the title. This would give The Shield tremendous street-cred for demanding the three-way. With the time left, you could have them at each other’s throats going in to WrestleMania 31.
From here, it’s anyone’s guess.
Smart money would say Roman Reigns wins the title to become “the new face of the company.” Seth Rollins could win, but having a heel on top at the end of WrestleMania isn’t always the best idea. That leaves Dean Ambrose as the dark horse. However WWE chose to book The Shield in a triple-threat at WrestleMania 31, we’d be there with bells on.
What about you guys? Do you think WWE should get The Shield back together under these circumstances? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
Featured Image: [“The Shield’s fist pose” by Miguel Discart from Bruxelles, Belgique – 2014-05-22_22-35-18_ILCE-6000_2343_DxO. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.]
