6. He Has Beaten All Three Members Of The Shield...
While Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins may not have formed the dominant trio known as The Shield until their debut in November of 2012, all three competitors provided stiff competition to their fellow wrestlers in FCW and, later, NXT. They were young, determined individuals who would stop at nothing to prove to management that they belonged at the top of the industry with the main roster Superstars. No one knows that better than Kruger, who was tasked with taking all three on throughout his FCW title reign. Ambrose was one of three men that Kruger defeated to win the FCW Championship, which was quite the feat considering how favorably the company viewed the future United States champion. After all, he was involved in a hot program with William Regal and had a very good match against the veteran competitor on television. Ambrose was always one of the top developmental prospects and beating him meant a great deal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mpNIADJv14 Reigns, known then as Leakee, presented a different challenge for Kruger. He was a competitor capable of matching Kruger's strength, even if his experience was limited at the time of their meeting. Kruger was able to retain his title against the man that would go on to perfect the Superman Punch but it most certainly was not easy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMVYWdpl5KY Rollins proved to be Kruger's greatest challenge. The South African scored a controversial win over the future "architect" of The Shield following interference from Cesaro in an FCW Championship bout. The tainted win created questions about whether Kruger could legitimately defeat Rollins and in February of 2012, those questions were answered when Rollins ended Kruger's second title reign.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
