Who Does it Better? Episode 1: The Shield

The Shield reunion 2018
Which Shield member does it better?

Fans have their own individual definitions about what makes a good professional wrestler. For some, ring work is the highest priority, while for other fans, the wrestler's ability to be an entertaining talker matters more. For some fans, the wrestler's appearance matters a lot, while for others, it matters less than a charismatic personality or the ability to be an elastic performer capable of meeting all of those needs.

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In this series, we'll compare and contrast WWE's superstars in all of those categories to come to a conclusion about who exceeds who. You're invited to make your own comments.

We'll start with the three members of The Shield. The Shield's reunion after SummerSlam got a lot of people buzzing - in both positive and negative ways. The three members of the Shield have arguably been WWE's most important full-time roster members of the past decade, as they've spearheaded the next generation of performers and have always been present in major storylines ever since their debut at Survivor Series 2012.

Which one of them is the best professional wrestler, though?


Round 1: Ring Ability

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All three members of the Shield are good professional wrestlers. Each of them can be trusted to go in the ring, but when looking back at their overall body of work, one name stands above the other two, and this year has made it more obvious.

Seth Rollins has always been regarded as the best ring worker of the three, and this year, his body of work stands peaks apart from his peers, in all fairness to Dean Ambrose being out for most of it.

This category is a race for second place. In this, the distinction gets harder. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose have both had their share of stinkers. They've also had their share of very good matches. However, Roman Reigns' recent body of work has been poor, while Ambrose had a very good run in the tag team division last year and has been off to a great start since his return. He's also far less prone to spamming signatures and finishers.

Verdict:

1st: Seth Rollins (+3 points)

2nd: Dean Ambrose (+2 points)

3rd: Roman Reigns (+1 point)

Round 2: Charisma

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Charisma is a malleable thing. Sometimes it's evident when a person talks. Other times, it comes through in a person's mannerisms. Charisma isn't just about being liked, but it's also about being memorable, connecting with people, and getting them invested in you.

None of the Shield members are exactly overflowing with charisma, but Dean Ambrose has had the most memorable personality of the three of them.

Seth Rollins comes in second place. While he's not as unique a character as Dean Ambrose is, he's had an organic connection with crowds that makes them want to cheer him, to the point that his return from injury two years ago was widely criticized because he didn't turn babyface. That babyface connection has been fully forged this year.

Roman Reigns' personality, or lack thereof, has been criticized ever since his push to the top of the card began four years ago. His lack of a character and failure to evolve past the Shield has hurt his ability to inspire devotion in fans, and while crowds are certainly invested in him, that has come because of his booking more than him.

Verdict:

1st: Dean Ambrose (+3 points)

2nd: Seth Rollins (+2 points)

3rd: Roman Reigns (+1 point)

Round 3: Talking Ability

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This one was never in doubt. Dean Ambrose was always regarded as the best promo man in the Shield, which is why he was the one doing most of the talking when they first debuted. It's unfortunate that he's been mostly silent since his return.

Neither Seth Rollins nor Roman Reigns are renowned for their ability to cut promos, but the former hasn't been nearly as robotic and monotonic as the latter. Seth Rollins can be bland on the mic, but that's his worst. Roman Reigns' delivery as a babyface has been a constant source of criticism and he arguably has some of the worst promos of all time to his name.

Verdict:

1st: Dean Ambrose (+3 points)

2nd: Seth Rollins (+2 points)

3rd: Roman Reigns (+1 point)

Round 4: Look

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Appearances matter, especially to Vince McMahon. It's because of this category that Roman Reigns was noticed so much by the chairman in the first place. He has a look that demands attention and one might mistake him for a Spartan in 300.

Reigns was always going to win this category, but who comes in second? Last year, it would have been Seth Rollins, but Dean Ambrose has gotten himself into phenomenal shape during his injury hiatus. Now he legitimately looks like a lunatic waiting to beat somebody up. Seth Rollins has the most generic look of the three, so he comes in third.

Verdict:

1st: Roman Reigns (+3 points)

2nd: Dean Ambrose (+2 points)

3rd: Seth Rollins (+1 point)

Round 5: Versatility

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Last, but not least is the ability to be versatile. How do the other four categories come together to paint an overall picture, and how flexible can the performers be with their skills?

At first glance, Seth Rollins might be the complete package, given his mixture of talent in the ring, good look, and passable skill on the mic, but his run as a cowardly heel champion in 2015 suggests otherwise. Seth Rollins' skills don't come together well to play a heel.

In contrast, Roman Reigns is being ill-served by his booking. He's a natural heel and his weaknesses in his character and talking ability would be solved by a heel turn, though he can also put on matches to a degree befitting a babyface if only they wouldn't be overbooked to try and get him sympathy.

Dean Ambrose, though, is the most versatile of the three. He can play the heel or the babyface very well. He can deliver heel or babyface promos at his leisure and has the look and skills in the ring to play either role. Many fans are clamoring for him to turn since it's been such a long time since we've seen a heel Dean Ambrose, but he still excels as a likable babyface.

Verdict:

1st: Dean Ambrose (+3 points)

2nd: Roman Reigns (+2 points)

3rd: Seth Rollins (+1 point)

Conclusion

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1st: Dean Ambrose - 13 points

2nd: Seth Rollins - 9 points

3rd: Roman Reigns - 8 points

It might be a surprising conclusion, but Dean Ambrose excels in the most places when it comes to being a great professional wrestler, even though he's been the least pushed of the three Shield members. The fact that he's maintained his popularity through doldrums such as his feud with The Miz suggests his power - compare with Rollins' underwhelming WWE Championship reign and the numerous bad angles involving Roman Reigns over the past few years.

There's no doubt that improving his look helped Ambrose's standing as well. His most glaring weakness as a professional wrestler was thus solved.

Seth Rollins has had a revelation of a year and found his stride as a babyface, where he was always meant to be. Unfortunately, his second reign as Intercontinental Champion has taken a backseat to the Shield reunion, which is preventing him from shining brightest where he does best - wrestle in the ring.

Roman Reigns continues to be booked poorly, with a ton of smoke and mirrors with every match now. If only he would turn heel, he would probably explode, as his promos would likely improve, and his delivery would better fit that role. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon continues to try to put a square peg into a round hole, failing Reigns and the audience.

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