Picture it, Monday night, and you are on top of the world. You and your band of brothers (So much more painful watching your speech after knowing what happens, Roman) came out of the end of the tunnel at the Payback PPV victorious over Evolution.
But while everybody was crying over the latest trauma from Game Of Thrones, WWE fans all across the world simultaneously screamed “NOOOO!” with the guy you can hear just before Seth Rollins betrayed his brethren. About 50 chair shots later and it was clear that the architect of The Shield had sold his soul to the devil himself.
After months pre-Wrestlemania of teasing a Shield break up, everyone seemed to be back on good terms again. No Reigns and Ambrose in fighting, no worries of who was still a champion, and Seth Rollins didn’t have to tidy up every week on RAW. Sure, they were being attacked by every mid carder on the roster, but once they found a few chairs as equalisers, they weren’t bothered by them any more. Everyone had truly forgotten that Reigns had eliminated Ambrose and Rollins at the Royal Rumble.
That is what made this swerve fantastic. No-one expected it. For once in the WWE, you connected with the characters on anything more than a basic level of entertainment. Most heel turns are teased or at least expected. Stone Cold always had the potential to turn, as did The Rock, because they both tread the tightrope between being a hero and a villain. Shawn Michaels always had a cocky bravado about him, as did CM Punk.
Seth Rollins was the ultimate good guy. Even when The Shield were attacking everyone in sight, there was almost a feeling that Rollins was never as bad as the other two. Out of the trio, he was the least likely to turn back. But it was good that he did. What made it even better is the way Ambrose and Reigns sold it perfectly. Reigns had obviously been watching videos of Rampage Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva and Rampage’s tutorial of how to fall through a rope when getting knocked out. Ambrose’s face told the whole story, but Bart and Lisa from The Simpsons can show you that again.
Everyone semi expected it of the other two. Dean Ambrose strikes a character that can be unpredictable, even psychotic at moments. Much like Brian Pillman in the Attitude Era, he is very much considered to be a loose cannon. Roman Reigns is the powerhouse. How many times have strong guys turned heel to face and back again a million more times over? Ryback, Mark Henry, Titus O’Neil, The Big Show, Big E… The list could go on and on.
Where did that leave Rollins after the three go their separate ways though? Rollins was seen as hard working, a great seller and athletically gifted. One comparison comes straight to mind with those traits – Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler, the guy who won the World Heavyweight Championship twice, but didn’t get a chance to do anything with it either time. And the same guy that is struggling to even feature on RAW, but gets enough love on SmackDown. As much as I love him, that will probably be his role with the WWE until he moves on to do his stand up. That’s no place for a guy like Rollins.
All three will now likely have their careers cemented in WWE. Ambrose is a king on the microphone and will ultimately go on to be one of the best heels in the business over the next five years. Reigns is a guaranteed WrestleMania main eventer, that much is for sure. Now, Rollins has been given his stamp of approval. He can officially be seen as the new ‘blue chipper’. Randy Orton got the stamp 11 years ago when Evolution first formed. Now Rollins has that honour. Hopefully he can be a twelve times champion like his new stablemate.
– By Dan Lloyd
Do you agree with Dan? What were YOUR thoughts when you watched Raw last week? Share your reactions and thoughts in the comments below.