2013 Pro Wrestling Thread

Especially when you're old and have years of ring wear on your body. Besides anything about booking, I bet guys like Nash and Steiner didn't feel physically up to the full-time WWE schedule, especially after years of the easy reduced date WCW sked.

 

One thing I hate about the WWE is that you don't see long-lasting teams and stables anymore. They're put together to break up and create a feud. The fact that Hell No has been together almost a year seems amazing, although the genius of their act is that they've been teasing the break up the whole time.
The Shield seems like it's perfectly positioned to break this trend, though. They've got a Four Horsemen vibe, where there's clearly a guy who's going to break out and compete for the big belt (Ambrose/Flair), and Rollins and Reigns are the tag team and second-level guys (like Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson were). It makes them a threat to anybody on the card, not just top guys like Cena and Punk. If WWE has the discipline to buck their trend, they can have a lot of great feuds with that flexibility.
The flexibility with the roles should also let them keep the group together for a long time. I know there were more Horsemen than the originals over the years, but did Anderson or Blanchard ever turn on Flair or each other? Seems like the internal feuds with that group were usually focused on the fourth spot.

 

Anderson only turned on Flair around '95 or so after, if I'm remembering right, they broke up over a feud with Vader. I think Flair and Anderson had 1 or 2 matches, but that was it.

 

Thing with the Shield is that it'll be Roman Reigns, not Ambrose, that WWE wants to give the monster push to. He's part of the Anoa'i family and cousin to the Rock. Plus he has the look down pat (kinda like a Samoan Edge in the face, actually). Ambrose will get over on sheer will, much like Daniel Bryan did. Seth Rollins will probably be a mid-card face, somewhere between John Morrison and Justin Gabriel on the success scale. His shot at success apart from the Shield will be if he gets a long match with Bryan or Punk and can do something with that, because clearly he's a great wrestler, just a little lacking in personality right now

 

Really? It seems pretty clear that Ambrose is the one being positioned to be the leader of the group and the first to step up to the big stage. His whole Heath Ledger/Joker thing is very unique and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he was in the picture for one of the two big belts by the Rumble.

 

I'm also thinking Ambrose as a top guy, because they gave him the US title, while the others got the tag belts. Plus, when they speak, he's usually the one that goes first.

Rollins actually reminds me of Edge a bit in terms of in-ring ability and persona. He's not outlandish, but, given the right character, can end up huge in a few years. It may take a little while, though. Edge really didn't get out of the mid-card for about 5-6 years.

Reigns is kinda intriguing. He reminds me a bit of Batista, in that he's the quiet one, but, given the right subtle build, may end up being a main event babyface. Or, after this run, he may end up being a very large Alex Riley.

 

I think the reason Ambrose comes off as the leader now is because he's a lot further along in his promo skills. They've been trying to sell them as an all-men-are-created-equal unit, but as pointed out, the guy who talks most of the time is the leader, whether they intend to or not.

That said, noticed that Reigns gets protected to a degree that the others don't. Ambrose and Rollins have been pinned or submitted. Reigns, as far as I can remember, has not. His spear has more often than not either been the finishing move or the momentum shifter in their matches.

Ambrose is running with the ball, but unless Reigns screws up or is injured or turns out not to be any good, he'll end up getting the biggest push of the three.

 

I'll be amazed if Ambrose doesn't win Money in the Bank.

 

I wonder if they'd be as bold as to let The Shield win both Money in the Bank matches.

 

Agree to disagree on which will get the biggest push. I'll be shocked if it's not Ambrose. That said, I do think they have big plans for Reigns too. He's a monster and he has an air of mystery around him. I like his potential if he can be even decent on the mic.

 

They'll both get pushed, but it'll be Ambrose who gets pushed over the moon.

 

I think you guys might be forgetting two big factors that go into who WWE likes to push that Reigns has in spades:

1. He's got a family heritage. WWE loves them some second and third generation Superstars. They may not sustain the push, and if they're not over, they'll fall by the wayside (Ted DiBiase, the Usos). But they'll definitely get the opportunity.

2. He's a homegrown product. WWE is more willing these days to sign and push guys who spent years on the indy circuit, but it took an awful lot of work by CM Punk and Daniel Bryan to clear a path. Still, given a choice between a talented guy who spent the last three years in ROH/DGUSA/Japan and a guy who they signed to a developmental deal at 22 and spent the last three years in NXT/FCW/training, it's going to the guy they think they made good.

I think Ambrose deserves to be the most pushed now, because he's the most polished of the three. But I don't think they're ready to establish a leader, because once they do, the next step is that someone gets jealous and the breakup talk begins. WWE sees the US and the tag titles as being about the same, so all three got to win a belt on the same show. Once once of them wins MITB, that person is clearly established as the No. 1 guy and the dynamics of the group change accordingly.