5 reasons why WWE should reunite 3MB

In WWE, 2017 was the year of tournaments, revolutionary women's matches, tag team wrestling, dream matches, and NXT arguably outshining the main product. 2017 was also, unfortunately, the year that Jinder Mahal was granted a 170-day reign as WWE Champion.

On the bright side Drew McIntyre returned to WWE and reigned as NXT Champion for 91 days.

2018 could be primed to be the year of 3MB. The new look 3MB is a faction that fans have been clamouring for since they saw the impressive new physiques of Mahal and McIntyre. Here are 5 reasons why WWE should get the band back together.

#5 They have transformed into superstars

McIntyre didn't climb the mountain in NXT, he is "The Bloody Mountain!"

During their initial run with the company as a group, 3MB was booked horrendously, but their gimmick did them no favours. Coming out in aviators, black leather tights and chaps, and long hair. Slater, Mahal, and McIntyre looked like a group of teenagers trying to be a band, practising in their garage, while getting beat down by the cool kids and jocks.

3MB was jobbed out to any and everybody and used as comedic relief. They lost to Big Show, Mark Henry, and other giants in 3-on-2 and 3-on-1 handicap matches that should have been in their favour. Jinder Mahal, a now former WWE Champion, even lost to El Torito, Los Matadores 4'5" mascot.

Looking at Mahal and McIntyre now though, they look like completely different people. It is as if they gave up on being a band, left WWE, hit puberty, and returned as forces to be reckoned with.

Lately, on Raw, Rhyno has been trying to "toughen up" Heath Slater by putting him in matches against giants, where he's been squashed. What Slater needs to do is start hitting the gym with his former stablemates so they can re-shape him in their image. McIntyre even addressed this in an episode of Talk is Jericho, when he said that he was waiting for Slater to "get jacked".

#4 WWE needs factions

Re-package them if you want, just bring back 3MB

Factions are a stable of professional wrestling, they create gang wars that make you choose sides, they can elevate superstars careers, and they can lead to shocking betrayals, back-stabs, and rivalries. Factions such as D-Generation X, nWo, the Nation of Domination, and more took over shows during the Monday Night Wars.

WWE is severely lacking in factions right now on the main product, with Undisputed Era and SAnitY running NXT. With the Shield reunion floundering, the Miztourage remaining irrelevant, and the New Day being the only 3-man group on SmackDown Live, WWE is in dire need of factions.

WWE took steps to right this wrong by quietly pairing Gallows and Anderson with Finn Balor to finally form Balor Club. Unfortunately with no build up and no story leading to their reunion they could, like the Shield, be running on borrowed time.

Reforming the Three Man Band would create a dominating faction consisting of the former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, and the ever lovable multi-time Tag Team Champion Heath Slater.

#3 Feud with the Shield

3MB vs. The Shield in 2018 would be drastically different than 2012

Remember what I said about 3MB essentially being band wannabes who got beaten up by the cool kids. Well, the cool kids in question are the black-clad hounds of justice Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. In 2012 nobody would be excited about The Shield versus the Three Man Band.

With Mahal and McIntyre being bona fide superstars, and Slater...well Slater still has a big fan following, 3MB vs. The Shield would now be an even fight. This is no longer a group of jobbers putting over the rising stars, this is five main eventers/upper card talents...and the lovable Heath Slater, battling it out to prove who's the more dominant three-man act.

To get this match in the works would require a lot of re-arranging on the WWE chess board. Slater is on Raw, Mahal is on SmackDown, and the currently injured McIntyre is on NXT. When McIntyre recovers he could be called up to the main roster and debut on Raw. Mahal could be traded to Raw, or be released from SmackDown and sign with Raw, or lose a "Loser leaves the brand match", whatever it takes to reunite him with his former stablemates.

#2 All three men are directionless

This is the payoff of the Jinder Mahal experiment?

It has been said that the worst thing that could happen to a WWE superstar is to find out that the creative writers have no plans for them. While it is difficult for the writers to plan months ahead and write storylines for all the superstars on a show that runs every single week with no off-season and the tyrannical and arguably senile Vince McMahon changing plans daily, it is still the job they are paid to do.

While writers can be forgiven for the herculean task they have to carry out, they simply can not forget about the superstars that aren't in McMahon's top 10 priority list. Mahal was pushed to the moon upon being moved to SmackDown, going from jobber to WWE Champion overnight. The booking of Mahal had WWE fans up in arms over an untalented allegedly raided up jobber being shoved down their throats harder than Roman Reigns (who is actually living up to expectations). After reigning as WWE Champion for 170 days, the man that was supposed to draw in Indian viewers was jobbed out to Triple H in WWE's tour of India. Why?

After losing the WWE Championship Mahal was entered in the US Championship tournament, and if he loses it is hard to see where he goes from here. McIntyre, as previously mentioned, is injured. Slater is being squashed week in and week out on Raw. The only one of these three men with any upside right now is McIntyre as he could go after the NXT Championship when he returns, or he could be called up.

#1 Saves Slater's career

In 2016 Heath Slater went undrafted during the brand split

Heath Slater has been with the WWE since 2006, and despite being a bona fide jobber, he has seen plenty of success in the company. A former FCW Southern Heavyweight Champion, FCW Heavyweight Champion, and Florida Tag Team Champion, Slater rose through WWE's developmental ranks.

Slater became a rookie on the NXT TV show (before NXT became its own brand), and was the first NXT rookie to beat a WWE superstar when he defeated Carlito. Slater even defeated Chris Jericho on an episode of NXT. Slater became a member of Nexus, won the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Justin Gabriel, and remains the last original member of the group of rookies that still wrestles for WWE.

Slater has been used as comedic relief for most of his career, and one could argue that he hasn't been taken seriously since his days in the Nexus. Slater has remained beloved by fans despite all the humiliating angles he has been involved in. His recent gimmick of fighting Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar in attempts to be signed to Raw or SmackDown after not being drafted in the brand-split got over huge with the fans.

Slater was destroyed by the two legends as everyone knew he would be but justified his actions by saying "I got kids, I need this job", a line that made fans cheer him harder than ever before. Heath Slater, if nothing else, is a survivor, and will find a way to become relevant again, but a 3MB reunion is the best way to keep WWE from giving up on the now 34-year-old veteran.