Last time out on Monday Night Raw, Rusev, 'King' Barrett and Sheamus were once again presented as a collective. During the opening portion of the show, the 'Bulgarian Brute' came out of nowhere to smash Reigns, setting him up for yet another Brogue Kick from Sheamus. Later in the show, Barrett intervened in a match between Rusev and Reigns. It was slightly confusing to see Roman fend the trio off, albeit with the aid of a steel chair. It may have been better to establish Barrett, Rusev and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion as more of a threat. Strength in numbers needs to be their motto, using the mathematical advantage in a similar fashion to that of Reigns in The Shield. The only difference is that Sheamus is the centrepiece. This coming week, Triple H should fully introduce the rebranded line up of The Authority. It's fine for Rusev and Barrett to play second fiddle to the WWE Champion, but they should also be treated as important cogs in the machine. WWE may have already hampered their own story, letting Reigns overcome the odds so quickly on Raw. That can't happen again before TLC.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
