Lets get the obvious one of The Shield out of the way, as WWE is currently in the process of strapping a rocket to the back of Roman Reigns and preparing to push him to the moon. Reigns comes from an awesome lineage (they remind you that he's The Rock's cousin every other week) and has already smashed some all time records. His background in the NFL means he moves quick for a big guy, he has a good repertoire of moves, and he's packing arguably the best spear in the business. Like, ever. On top of that, he has the image that we know Vince likes... Big, tall and ripped. And yet, for all his good points, Reigns is the one in The Shield that I feel the least comfortable about. WWE has a history of putting big guys on the main stage and peaking them way too soon (i.e. Brock Lesnar, Batista, Ryback) so that after their initial push, there's nowhere to go but down. Maybe it's something about them also being cast in a babyface role that contributes to their downfall, big guys tend to work best as heels because, most of the time, its too hard to buy into the notion of a powerful giant as the sympathetic one fighting the odds. Especially when they've been showing the level of dominance that Reigns has. The other thing to bear in mind is his weakness in character. In his current role as part of a unit, Reigns seems to function well playing off of the other two. But while Ambrose and Rollins both had characters and gimmicks before The Shield, the same can't really be said for Roman, and I have difficulty picturing his character once the fallout of the stable is over. Reigns is undoubtedly over with the crowd right now, and bear in mind he's still relatively inexperienced. If WWE use him right and don't aim him too high too fast, he'll be around for years to come. Maybe not the top of the mountain, but definitely a solid foundation. He's a promising talent, one I'd hate to see head back to the NFL
Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.
