WWE Bringing Back The Shield Helps Roman Reigns The Most

WWE bringing back The Shield doesn’t just help merchandise sales, attendance, or the quality of Raw; it also helps Roman Reigns get over in the way the company have wanted for years.

When The Shield disbanded and every member of the group was left to go their separate ways, Roman Reigns looked to be — pun intended — ‘the guy’ in WWE. From all accounts, when the group was aligned, Reigns received the biggest reaction out of all three members. He brought a bad-ass feel to a character that was part of arguably the most dominant force in all of Sports Entertainment.

However, after a few years of being on top, the ‘Roman Empire’ was quickly crumbling. Reigns was becoming a Cena rip-off, fast. And the fans noticed.

The downfall of Reigns started when he won the 2015 Royal Rumble. Even in this early stage of his career, the WWE knew that something was amiss. Therefore, to help lessen the blow, they brought back The Rock to raise his hand following the Rumble win in a hope to cement him as a true ‘overcoming the odds’ babyface.

WWE.com

However, as we all know, that didn’t work. And ‘The Big Dog”s push continued, to the fans dismay.

To put it in perspective, Reigns is set to main event his fourth consecutive WrestleMania next year. That’s more than any other Superstar in history, including Hulk Hogan – a man who held all the cards in terms of backstage politics.

More from Raw

• WWE Raw Predictions: Seth Rollins Will BURY Jey Uso
• Three feuds for CM Punk on WWE Monday Night Raw
• Three candidates to take the Women’s World Championship from Rhea Ripley
• WWE Raw Predictions: LA Knight Will Return The Favor To Cody Rhodes
• Why Drew McIntyre turned heel during WWE Monday Night Raw

In the most recent WrestleMania main event, Reigns faced The Undertaker, in what I thought was the last attempt to get him over. In hindsight, this wasn’t the best way to go about doing it. The fans showed their displeasure even before the match began, booing the Superstar heavily.

Following his ‘triumphant’ win — which was more like a car-crash victory — the boos continued. But they were louder and angrier. The fans didn’t just dislike Reigns, they hated him. He took out, and potentially ended, The Undertaker.

Since then, Reigns’s booking has been strange. The  “I’m not a good guy, I’m not a bad guy” line is reiterated. Fans can conclude that he’s a tweener, however, his booking suggests that he is still a clear cut babyface. I would surmise that even the WWE have conflicted views on his character.

Fast forward to No Mercy. John Cena, ‘the [actual] guy’, is presumably passing the torch to Reigns in a WrestleMania calibre match. The WWE were surely thinking this would finally be the turning point; the moment fans finally respected Reigns. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Even the biggest star of this generation couldn’t get him cheered.

Which finally leads to the most recent edition of Raw; The Shield reunion.

To assume that Reigns is rejoining ‘The Hounds of Justice’ for any other reason than to help his otherwise poor reaction is naive. What’s more, as heard this past Monday night, it worked. For the first time a long while, Reigns received a majority of cheers. Yes, he was slightly booed during his speaking segment backstage, nevertheless, it was minuscule compared the fans’ usual hateful reaction.

Confidently, The Shield and Reigns’ reaction should remain the same over the coming weeks and months – positive. This is why I regard the reunion as an incredibly smart booking decision. And it’s also why I think they should carry on the alliance throughout WrestleMania season.

The WWE have finally, after years of trying, found a way to help garner a positive reaction for ‘The Juggernaut’. For the sake of the future of the company, and the future of this very talented performer, The Shield should remain together until at least after WrestleMania.

If the rumours are true, and The Shield won’t be together for long, then I think that could be a massive mistake. Hopefully, the WWE decide against the idea, hear the strong reaction he’s getting, and continue the alliance.

While he’s paired with Rollins and Ambrose – and perceived as a good guy – he should continue to get a positive monster reaction. Moreover, since he is facing off against The Beast at WrestleMania, this could help him no end.

Next: Raw Rankings: The Shield is Back, Kalisto Wins Gold

Just imagine, Reigns capturing the WWE Universal Championship and the crowd conclusively cheering. The WWE could finally achieve their goal of solidifying ‘The Guy’, as, actually, the guy in WWE. As a supporter of Reigns, it would be wonderful to see.