When it Reigns, it Pours

On the Terrific, Awesome, Bombastic

Monday Night

SHIELD Reunion

This Monday Night WWE killed it with an exciting episode of RAW, the go home show to Sunday's Money in The Bank PPV. 

Billed as a PPV with noteworthy Wrestlemania Main Event Dream Matches, the latest offering of the MiTB looks to be a riot. 

Aj Styles vs. John Cena is 15 years in the making! The MiTB match is small but stacked with top class challengers looking to break the ceiling!

Finally the world is just inches to getting that much anticipated top class PPV singles match between; Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, no less for the WWE World Heavyweight championship. 

It's a match truly 2 years in the making!

And on Monday Night it went to a whole other gear as Dean Ambrose hosted his former SHIELD mates in an electric Ambrose Asylum talk show segment. 

While Ambrose played trickster to the duo, we got some rising tension not just building towards the monumental title match but also the inevitable clash of the titans of the three former stable mates. 

As usual, despite his abandonment of the fans; Rollins came out to a rancorous roar amidst Ambrose's venomous hate filled introduction marked by his sardonic wit. While Ambrose's bro for life, came to a spat of boos. 

A spat of boos that continued despite Rollins relished statement that he stabbed his brother in the back. 

You just have to imagine how badly WWE and its creative has fucked up Roman Reigns, that he gets booed for an event where in he was the victim. 

Since before the segment, WWE presented video packages of the SHIELD highlights that began with their infamous introduction in 2012 and ended with that cold hearted act that Rollins committed on his former brothers. 

So I'd like to take you back to that event and the snowballing effect it had on the careers of the three men that are now legitimately the cornerstones of WWE's new era. 

The SHIELD debuted at Survivor Series 2012 and went on a two year tear of the company in which it dominated in six man tag matches, beating some heavy duty teams including The Wyatt Family and and the reunited Evolution.

In the midst of all this, all three members became champions with Ambrose securing the United States Championship and keep this in mind; Roman and Rollins becoming tag team champions. 

On June 2nd 2014; the inevitable happened! The SHIELD broke up as Rollins, the architect destroyed his own supposed creation. Planting steel chairs across the back of his two friends and joining Triple H's Authority, to secure his position as the future of the company.

A heinous act bar none, Rollins bought in but the fans and his former mates knew he sold out. 

While yes the situation would have been two broken friends against one conniving traitor with the ruling power behind him; would have been a bit convoluted. WWE decided to make a huge mistake that I think till this day, is what affects Reigns standing in the eyes of fans. 

It's a subtle but powerful action that is masked by all the haters claiming Roman Reigns isn't worthy. Yes, he isn't a top class wrestler yet and neither is he top class on the mike, but when asked to step up; Reigns has been on many occasion, stellar!

But the subtle action is the follow up to this betrayal. While Rollins basked in his new found status, Dean Ambrose completely broken, deranged and now going by the 'Lunatic Fringe' chased his former friend through hell. 

What did Reigns do? 

He set his sights on the WWE World Championship instead. 

It just didn't make sense. While yes, it pit Reigns as the more emotionally stable of the two characters, it endeared Dean to the audience; as a victim underdog who couldn't let the betrayal side. 

Look at every promo Dean delivered in the midst of his two feuds post betrayal against Rollins, the core drive of the character comes out; a man who loved his brother like anything, only to see it torn down.

Reigns only entered the picture when need be; when Ambrose was out with an injury or when Rollins managed to steal Reigns world title from him. Never once did the betrayal affect him and it eventually made Reigns look both stupid and selfish. 

It took away from the Big Dog's mystique among other mishaps by WWE Creative. 

Reigns, SHIELD's Big Dog was neutered the day he decided that steel chair to the back meant nothing to him. Now he's paying the price for it. 

It's why this two years in the making match has found a tepid response. 

Sure fans will say it's also because Rollins returned from injury to a huge ovation but quickly turned down the fans, allowing Reigns to remain top face despite fans complete disregard of him. But that was a superb move as it maintained character consistency but also the situation [of no Authority] allowed Rollins to evolve but still remain the same conniving traitor from 2014. 

That character consistency shown through with Ambrose's introduction of Rollins and subsequent harsh teasing of him, that hides his deeper wounds. 

Onto Dean Ambrose, the only man to not be a world champion among his SHIELD brethren stole the show on Monday Night as the host. As Stephanie McMahon put it clearly; Ambrose made the show all about himself. He teased his involvement in his two brothers title match, via the Money in the Bank contract. 

I'd urge WWE to save that match for Wrestlemania 33 and not just on any PPV. 

Anyways while Dean was the MVP of the segment, Roman Reigns wasn't far behind. 

Yes that Roman Reigns!

After nearly two years, Reigns cracked and presented a fine promo that highlighted the pain caused by Rollins breaking up not their group, but a brotherhood.

Now this is a Wrestlemania worthy Main Event!

Kudos to Reigns, he held his own; presenting that he has since evolved as a performer even though if slowly in comparison to his quick fire push to the top. Reigns was a highlight through out as for a moment he lost himself in the SHIELD's reminisce of their glory days as well as the pain he reflected in remembering how many times Rollins has screwed him over against the fact that it was Rollins who was more of his partner and even mentor that his good brother Dean Ambrose. 

His teased dissension and regard for Ambrose's claims to the title were also on note. 

In a moment that found the rarely laid out Roman Reigns, laid out; he reminded us why at one point he was tracking big ovations before the brass cut his wings. 

Let's face it, whether we like it or not; Roman Reigns is the next if not already, the face of the WWE. Now we just need creative and Vince McMahon to allow him to do what he did this past Monday, cause on this night he truly proved to be...

...The Guy!