WWE Raw: The Shield is In Need of a Purpose
By John Brown
The original purpose of The Shield was to be “hounds” to fight against injustice. Unless the “injustice” was the heat Roman Reigns was getting from live crowds, there doesn’t appear to be any injustice in sight for the Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns to resolve. The time has come to ponder why they are fighting together again.
Since debuting at Survivor Series 2012, The Shield earned the moniker of being dubbed “The Hounds of Justice”, as they were always determined to exorcise the WWE of the injustice they saw taking place. Whether they were perceived mercenaries of CM Punk, enforcers or opponents of Triple H, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns always fought together with a purpose. As exciting as it is to see them together again, The Shield needs to find a purpose for reuniting after all they have been through since Rollins waffled Reigns and Ambrose back in June 2014.
The term “shield” implies protection, a first line of defense before vulnerable parts are exposed. When The Shield first arrived, they defended the title reign of Punk, then would go on to defend the WWE from the injustices caused by John Cena and the continuance of opportunities he was being afforded. They would then go on to defend the continued clout of Triple H and The Authority, and would then defend the WWE from the very same faction before the infamous heel turn by Seth Rollins.
The Shield has always served as a metaphorical shield to someone or something since their debut. There have been hundreds of factions grouped together simply to dominate their respective companies, but what made The Shield so captivating is the fact they served as the initial line of defense for a greater authority or ideal. They accumulated championships along the way, but that never seemed to take precedence above ensuring justice.
This now raises the question, “Who or what are they shielding now?” Seeing the The Shield united as one again after all that has developed between the three members has been fun, but the absence of apparent injustice leaves the impact of their reunion waning.
In fact, once could hypothesize that the only thing being defended is the remaining chance of producing a legitimate babyface Roman Reigns.
It seems to be apparent that Kurt Angle is heading towards a showdown with Triple H. Therefore, the evil authority has its worthy adversary. Bray Wyatt is not a threat at the moment, Braun Strowman is a babyface, Samoa Joe does not appear to be causing any sort of injustice to take place, and The Miz and his Miztourage have already proven themselves to be inferior to the “Hounds of Justice”. All worthy antagonists are currently occupied, and all available ones are not in the same league as The Shield.
Next: Predicting All 30 Royal Rumble Entrants
Again, it is difficult not to enjoy the re-formation of one of the most decorated factions in WWE history, but there needs to be an apparent purpose. All rumors have pointed towards Roman Reigns facing Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania. Without a clear reason for getting back together, the Shield reunion may only be remembered as a Hail Mary pass from Vince McMahon to get Reigns over in time for fans to accept his defeat of Lesnar.