For years now the WWE Universe has been dealing with the Cena conundrum as it relates to the WWE main event and the WWE title. As Cena himself has put into most of (if not everyone of) his promo's the fact remains that some of us love him and some of us hate him. Now we could argue about whether Cena the character has become stale till the cows come home, but for arguments sake lets just say that the problem with Cena now a days is that the 15 time champion is really due to a lack of real stars in the main event picture. In the past two PPV cycles we have seen a turn and development of a great faction that has disbanded and in many ways worked it's way up to the main event picture. We have Roman Reigns who has had two PPV main event matches for the WWE WHC, Seth Rollins who has the Money in the Bank briefcase and Dean Ambrose who is hot on Seth's tails for revenge and to prevent him from becoming the WWE WHC.
So what does the future hold for these three men who have arguably been booked as one of the strongest stables in wrestling history? Do any of these three men have what it takes to really take the ball and run with it to become the next big thing in the WWE? We will address these questions and much more as we look at each individual player in this article.
Roman Reigns
We have seen many a big man come and go in the WWE, some excel and others flop. Guys like Matt Morgan, Lex Lugar, Psycho Sid, and Luther Reigns have had some success as big men in the WWE but failed to have longevity. So what makes Roman Reigns stand out from guys in this category? I spend a great deal of time on the subreddit squared circle and the feeling about Reigns seems to stand divided. Some of the arguments come in what he lacks. "He isn't great on the mic" and "He isn't great in the ring" tend to be the top two reasons fans believe that he isn't ready for the main event or title scene. It has long been one of my ideas that when it comes to a WWE superstar it's less about giving them an opportunity to get themselves over and more about how you market the brand that they represent. The brand that Roman represents to me is a long legacy of Samoans that have been apart of wrestling and have had their place but never really made it to the main event.
Part of what works for Roman is the fact that he is Samoan and with the exception of The Rock, most Samoans never really worked the mic or had in ring work that propelled them. But that never stopped any of them from getting over or getting heat with the fans in the ring. To me Roman needs to follow the path of one of the greatest Samoans with limitations in Umaga. Umaga didn't kill you with drop toe holds, and catch as catch can moves in the ring. He didn't get your attention because his mic skills were so crisp, but he was looked at as a threat and a dangerous man in the ring. Roman has that same appeal, how ever Roman has one of if not the best looks a Samoan has ever had. He is a guy who all fans can get behind and if he was booked as the Messiah of the Samoans it could give us a great set up for any future feuds, and ultimately the feud we all want to see against his relative The Rock.
Now this is by no means a blueprint for how to get Roman over, he still needs to work on his mic skills and learn how to incorporate wrestling moves so the match has meaning and a story behind it. However it's not uncommon for Roman to be booked as a monster with high impact moves. The problem at this point seems that not ever audience finds that appealing. From show to show you can tell that the fans either go into a frenzy when it's high impact time, or show little reaction. What Roman really needs right now is to look more like a monster and find himself in feuds outside of the main event until he is over to the point we are begging for him to win the title.
Seth Rollins
Aside from the fact that Seth crushed the dream of the Shield continuing on a dominant run, you don't hear much criticism about the ex-architect of the Shield. Perhaps the most over of the Shield is the guy who is supposed to be the guy we hate for breaking the Shield apart and gaining the Money in the Bank contract. So what makes Seth stand out?
Most would say he is the best all the way around. Best in the ring, best on the mic (although Ambrose fans would debate), and the best at leaving us with something memorable from a match. His track record in the WWE speaks for itself. He has the daredevil heart of Jeff Hardy, that has left us talking the day after a PPV searching to find a gif of the move that drew our attention. It's hard to criticize anything about Rollins, the only thing that I absolutely can't stand of our current incarnation is that awful ring gear. But really as soon as he starts talking or the bell rings I could care less.
The most appealing aspect of Rollins is the fact that he feels fresh. You will hear comparisons to CM Punk, Hardy, and other superstars but the fact remains that Rollins is unlike any superstar before and has a unique quality about him that makes you respect what he is able to do. Like most main event guys, it will come down to the story for Rollins. We have looked into Rollins heart to see that he is a smart, athletic guy who will do anything to get to the top of the WWE and that is the type of canvas that can be used to paint a beautiful picture for any superstar (I'm looking at you Shawn Michaels).
Dean Ambrose
You want comparisons to Dean Ambrose? You can't handle Ambrose comparisons! But seriously the intensity that Ambrose brings to the ring has us feeling a bit nostalgic for Brian Pillman, Steve Austin, and Jake the Snake Roberts. Somewhat a composite of the aforementioned Legends, Ambrose brings the shock value we have been missing for too long. Most times you hear Ambrose speak you are drawn to believe that this guy is about to lose his mind. In ring Ambrose is called "unconventional" by the commentary team but is essentially a brawler who does have the ring skills to tell a story. That story usually results in one of two endings; Ambrose held it together to get the win, or Ambrose lost control and lost.
The story's that Ambrose has the potential to give us are unlimited. Here is a guy who at his core could be a good guy or bad guy and do the exact same things. There is a subtlety about how Dean is able to get his point across that very few people can pull off in the WWE. He is the bad boy that we find ourselves drawn to when our lives become boring and we want to experience that chaos by proxy knowing that at some point it will bleed into our lives. So is this wild card really destined for the main event? Who cares! I love Ambrose and anything he puts his hands to, he is a guy who can carry a story and doesn't need a title or big fight to give a big fight feel. But with someone who has such ability expect to see Ambrose thrown into a main event and title shot when the WWE knows they need to shake things up. Out of all the three members of the Shield Ambrose, to me, is the most interesting and able to draw. That is important in this business so I think it's safe to say that Dean Ambrose will become a staple on WWE t.v.
Closing Remarks
The Shield breakup has given us three outstanding talent that could all easily enter the main event but they are just a small part of a group of guys who are being groomed for greatness. Honestly my personal issues with their success are all superficial. I can't say that I like any of there theme music, I feel like all three need an overhaul in that department but who knows if what they have now will grow on me. I'm not really a huge fan of the ring gear they have sported since the break up and I hope as time moves on they can each find something that enhances the character and doesn't come off so forced. All in all Shield may not be a kayfabe force anymore but in reality the three guys who made up this faction will certainly take the WWE into it's next era and that has to be good for business. In future article I'm thinking about going in depth with other superstars. Who is the next top guy in WWE and who will be the standouts in the future. Only time can tell until then I'll try to keep my speculations and interesting as possible but for now I still believe in the Shield.
