WWE News: Backstage Talk Of Reuniting The Shield At Upcoming Pay-Per-View
The Shield made a major impact when they debuted at the Survivor Series in 2012. The trio of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns interfered in the main event for the WWE Championship between CM Punk, Ryback, and John Cena, allowing Punk to retain his title and become only the seventh wrestler in the history of the company to hold the WWE Championship consecutively for one full year. The Shield had arrived.
The Shield quickly became one of the greatest factions of all time, and they were immediately thrust into the spotlight thanks to the main event interruption and the bookings that followed. Their WrestleMania matches weren’t much to write home about as it was difficult to put together quality teams of three that could legitimately challenge The Shield’s cohesion. But their clashes with The Wyatt Family and Evolution brought out all-time classic rivalries that provided some of the most compelling content of the era.
In what is widely considered the last great heel turn that we’ve seen in the WWE, Seth Rollins turned his back on his partners by attacking Reigns and Ambrose with a chair the night after Payback in 2014. After being billed as the architect responsible for building The Shield, he deconstructed the team to join Triple H and The Authority, giving all three former members the opportunity to shine as singles competitors for the first time on the main roster.
Ever since The Shield was dissolved, fans have clamored for a triple threat collision, pitting Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose against each other on the grand stage of a marquee pay-per-view. When it finally happened at this year’s Battleground, it still left a lot to be desired due to the fact that Reigns sat out the entire promotional buildup because of a suspension he received for violating the WWE Wellness Policy.
Meanwhile, the brand extension landed Reigns and Rollins on Monday Night RAW, while Ambrose was shipped off to SmackDown. It marked the first time in almost four years that the threesome wasn’t at least performing on the same show. And even when the opportunity presented itself with the brands combining for SummerSlam, all three were kept apart for their individual singles matches.
However, that may not be the case the next time that situation arises. According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter(via Daily Wrestling News), there have been internal discussions centered around the idea of reuniting The Shield once again. It should be noted, though, that the reunion would only be booked as a one-night deal, most likely taking place at an upcoming dual-brand pay-per-view like Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble.
There have been no plans to trade Reigns, Rollins or Ambrose to the other show, so the expectation would be that the former Shield brothers would collaborate in a big spot at ringside, or at the very least, in a segment backstage. The reason for the talks is because all three are now working as babyfaces, even though there remains quite a bit of backlash directed at Reigns, and Rollins is still in the process of fully completing his face turn. In addition, Ambrose made some inroads into turning heel this week by attacking John Cena after their main event on SmackDown, and the move was received as such by a traditionally smart-mark audience in Philadelphia.
There have been two specific instances of the WWE teasing a reformation of The Shield since the stable broke up. The main event of last year’s Payback featured all three former members along with Randy Orton in a fatal four way match for Rollins’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The guys from The Shield teamed up to perform their signature triple powerbomb on Orton through the announce table. Rollins, the heel, wanted the partnership to continue, but babyfaces Reigns and Ambrose didn’t allow it to last long.
Then in October of last year, The Shield’s rivalry with the Wyatt Family was renewed for one night as the factions battled in the main event. That night’s RAW also featured Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker in what was a massive effort to boost ratings heading into Hell In A Cell.
Reuniting The Shield at this year’s Survivor Series would certainly be poetic considering their memorable debut. Ever since the brands were split, there have been numerous conversations about booking cross-promotional matches or segments at the four major pay-per-views. That notion was kick-started at SummerSlam when Brock Lesnar of RAW faced SmackDown‘s Randy Orton. A Shield mini-reunion would certainly add intrigue to whichever show WWE chooses for a shield reconciliation.
[Featured Image by WWE]
