Perhaps I’m being a little presumptuous about this, but color me concerned for the state of The Shield as it stands right now. In less than two weeks the team of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose will face John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus at the Elimination Chamber PPV. The trio has often been compared to the Nexus since their debut, having spent the majority of their time attacking top stars (and Ryback) with the numbers game always in their favor.
Unfortunately for The Shield, the length of time that’s passed since their initial push and debut is significantly less than that of the Nexus. While the Nexus fizzled after SummerSlam and could not rekindle their heat even after “firing” John Cena (for all the good that did), The Shield is now in a considerably more difficult situation. They have to face retribution at the hands of three wrestlers who, for all intents and purposes, have not had the best of luck as far as the last four months are concerned. With Wrestlemania on its way, the company will obviously put more emphasis on John Cena and Sheamus and push them since they’re more well-established and likely to draw at the Grandest Stage of Them All. Yes, Blair, I realize I called Sheamus a draw; at least that’s the company’s apparent mindset. The Shield, both as a team and as individuals, have not had enough time in a televised ring to grant them a more substantial push (especially around this season) and as such this seems to point to the likelihood that they will lose at the PPV.
A victory IS a possibility, but with all these factors stacked against them I can’t imagine how they’d defeat the winner of the Royal Rumble, Smackdown’s alleged top star, and the one guy they’ve bested for months this close to ‘Mania.
So what happens after they finally lose a match? My guess is a continued feud with Ryback at Wrestlemania, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for any of them. In my honest opinion, though, I feel The Shield would have been more effective had they debuted AFTER Wrestlemania with little to no risk to their push.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
