Hello…?
… Is this thing on?
Welcome back to ‘Under the Spotlight’, everybody! It’s been a while, just over a month to be specific, but we’re back in business and things shall remain this way at least until the end of the summer.
While I was out living life and gallivanting around mainland Europe for a week and a half, not to mention dealing with the travesties of finishing up in school and what not, I wasn’t exactly keeping the closest eye on all the happenings in the WWE over the latter half of the month of June. But now that I’m free as a bird, I’ve been able to catch up on all the action (and I don’t even have a WWE Network subscription. Skill or what?).
So today, just as a way to ease myself back into the process of writing for you lovely people on a weekly basis, we’re going to talk about one of the biggest moments to occur in the summer of 2014 already, with Seth Rollins going all Rockers on his former Shield brethren.
Perhaps the biggest talking point to come out of the WWE this year so far was the implosion of The Shield, where Seth Rollins, just 24 hours after a clean sweep against Evolution, turned his back on Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns in one of the more shocking heel turns of the last decade.
We knew that the three men would eventually go their separate ways, in fact we were expecting it to happen before WrestleMania XXX, but I think what shocked me the most was that Rollins was the man to finish off the Hounds of Justice. Given the differences between Ambrose and Reigns earlier in the year, which even led Rollins to desert them in a six-man tag-team match against the Wyatt Family after Elimination Chamber, I figured that Ambrose would be the man to break up the group, but I was wrong, and I’m quite happy I was!
We are in the midst of what is undoubtedly going to be the most exciting rivalry of the summer, where a crazed and psychotic Dean Ambrose is looking for revenge against the Authority’s newest lapdog, Seth Rollins, for stabbing him in the back. Had the roles been reversed, and Rollins was out for blood, I don’t think the delivery would’ve been quite as enthralling as it is now.
Dean Ambrose is a pure wizard when he has a microphone in his hands, and the fact that his only intention in life is to fuck up Rollins’ attempts to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase has, and will make for excellent television. The man is incensed, and the only thing that will make him feel good is knowing that he is the cause of all of Seth’s problems, which is exactly what we want to see.
The Shield’s split is already starting to benefit Ambrose, as we see him coming out of his shell a little bit more as the weeks go by, and since he has the crowd in his back pocket with every line and every landed right hand in the face of Rollins, the sky is the limit for Dean Ambrose’s potential as a singles competitor. Do not be surprised if the ‘Lunatic Fringe’ is holding championship gold once again before next summer, because I think an Intercontinental Championship reign is in his very near future.
Take nothing away from Seth Rollins either! ‘The Architect’ has proven time and time again that he can step it up whenever he gets in the ring, whether it’s one-on-one or if he has a partner by his side. And his speaking skills have vastly improved in the last couple of years too, with him perfectly portraying the new ‘A+ Player’ that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are always looking for, wearing the suit, tie and pony tail, acting like a member of a modern-day Evolution.
And after winning the coveted Money in the Bank briefcase in a gruelling Ladder Match, not only will Seth’s name go down in history as one of the only people to win said match, but he now has a chance to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship any time, any place. As we’ve seen before, it can happen on a simple episode of Raw or Smackdown, or it can happen at a high-stakes PPV like SummerSlam.
I have no idea when they intend to have Seth Rollins cash in his briefcase but I‘ve also got no doubt that he’ll come out of it with the titles over his shoulders. Somehow I doubt things can go down the road of Damien Sandow’s reign as ‘Mr Money in the Bank’ for two years in a row.
Finally, let’s discuss the man that most people expect to be the “Next Big Thing” in the WWE. Roman Reigns is quickly becoming a fan favourite amongst men, women and children in the WWE Universe, and for good reason. He’s big, strong, good-looking, part of a long and illustrious wrestling lineage and most of all, knows perfectly well how to knock a man’s teeth out. Fortunately for him, he’s already been fast-tracked to the main event scene, as he will challenge John Cena, Kane and Randy Orton for the Championship in just a few weeks at WWE Battleground.
Somehow, considering the fact that Cena is currently the Champion, and he’s rumoured to be defending the gold against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, I don’t see Reigns capturing the titles any time this year, but the simple fact that he’s been considered for main events at such an early stage in his career is phenomenal.
It’s not like it was with Ryback either. ‘The Big Guy’ was in the WWE for about four or five months before he got his main event push, and the only reason people liked him was because he could lift two people at once and had a mildly addictive catchphrase. Reigns, on the other hand, has been in the WWE for almost two years, and just the sound of his music makes the fans go wild with anticipation. The guy is over like hell with the fans, which is why I think, just like with Seth and Dean, the destruction of The Shield isn’t quite going to do Roman Reigns any harm.
When I went to Miami in 2012 to see WrestleMania XXVIII, the first match I saw at Fan Axxess pitted two then-NXT Superstars against each other, those Superstars being Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Rollins picked up the victory after what he now calls the ‘Curb Stomp’. Fast forward two years, and those two “rookies”, along with Roman Reigns, are some of the most popular names in the WWE. There’s something quite inspiring about that, if you ask me. Sure, it can all change in the blink of an eye, as we’ve seen with the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Sandow, but I’m living in the present, and right now, all three members of the once-dominant Shield are in perfect spots in the WWE.
Despite what a lot of people may say, the WWE can often get things right, and I’d say The Shield is the perfect example of that. The guys were laying waste to the WWE roster for a year and a half, and now they’ve gone their separate ways and as of yet, nobody has been thrown under the bus. Sure, that could still happen, it has only been a month after all, but a good start is half the battle. And in my opinion, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns could potentially be three of the biggest stars in the company for the next ten years or so. Believe that, and believe in the… oh…
That’ll do it for today, boys and girls. Log back onto SLTD Wrestling next Sunday at 12pm to see me put someone or something else under the proverbial spotlight. If you want to give the column the warmest welcome back that you possibly can, go ahead and share the article on Facebook and Twitter, and leave a comment down below whether you agree, disagree or just want to leave some constructive criticism for me. It’s always appreciated, so don’t hesitate to share your thoughts!
If you just can’t get enough AOB in your life, go ahead and follow me on Twitter @AdamOB_SLTD, where we can discuss wrestling, my writing or anything at all!
Be sure to take a look at all the fine work by George and Greg, who despite having to keep the site running, have made their grand return to the realm of weekly writing too! Finally, there’s a whole host of other stuff on the site to keep you occupied, SLTD Radio, the MFX Podcast and other articles by our band of merry men here, so be sure to look into it!
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you all again next week!
Self-Professed Conversational Wizard.
Admin, Editor and Writer for SLTD Wrestling.
Creator of 'Under the Spotlight'.
Studying Computing in Games Development.
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