Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, as shown here in this WWE.com photo, comprise The Shield.NEW SMYNA BEACH -- They're not quite yet on the level of the NWO, but the Shield is making an impression in the WWE with back-to-back-wins in the WWE's Sunday night Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and again on Monday Night Raw.
First up for Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, AKA, the Shield, was the trio of John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus in the Elimination Chamber. The Shield prevailed in its first set match. With Cena now focused on CM Punk and the Rock, it was Chris Jericho who pulled a bickering Ryback and Sheamus together for a mega match with the Shield on MNR.
Jericho, the most experienced of the ring combatants as a former 6-time champion, was on fire with Ambrose, but the leader of the Shield kicked out of a pin and turned the tables for the win while Sheamus and Ryback were outside the ring. Ryback, who earlier cried out, "Feed me Shield," has definitely lost his edge and the momentum as the next big thing in WWE.
That label now belongs to The Shield, the hottest commodity in the WWE. It will be interesting to see if The Shield expands. The bet here is Ryback turns on Sheamus, Jericho, et al, and signs on with Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns.
Much like Hollywood Hulk Hogan did with The Outsiders, Hall and Nash, to form the NWO. Jericho knows The Shield is a powerful force, noting ahead of time that he loved the WWE, the only company he's been with since 1999, and that he wants this force stopped for the sake of the roster.
Like the NWO, which recruited the likes of Randy "Macho Man" Savage, the "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase, Sting, the Giant (Big Show) and others, it's feasible to see The Shield grow its stable.
Imagine Sheamus and Randy Orton joining the ranks of The Shield. This is the excitement WWE fans have been waiting for. Like Jericho, Ambrose is the smallest of the trio that battled Monday night.
This is his squad and the WWE is Ambrose's and those of his Shield teammates for the taking. Will the WWE Universe be big enough for The Shield?