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I know that a lot of purists were enraged that The Shield match went on last at WWE Fastlane 2019. I mean the WWE Championship hasn't really been the most protected title in the company. It has been showcased as being inferior to the Universal Championship, considering it hardly ever gets to main event a pay-per-view event. But I digress.
The fact of the matter is that The Shield reunited last week on RAW. And many have said that this will be the last time that the Hounds of Justice ride together. Three brothers who have ruled and dominated WWE for such a long time stood together for a final stand at Fastlane.
Many predicted that Dean Ambrose would turn on The Shield again during the match. This would potentially set up a Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose match at WrestleMania 35.
So why did the big turn not take place?
#5 Feel good moment with Roman Reigns
Very few people in the history of any business have achieved what Roman Reigns has. He's stared death in the face and told it to go to hell. It would have been a grave injustice to have Dean Ambrose turn on The Shield and rob the WWE Universe of what should have been a fantastic feel-good moment.
Maybe the turn will happen down the line. But sometimes the need of the hour is a celebration, giving people a chance to smile and be jubilant instead of being cynical and a wrestling purist all the time. By having Roman Reigns and The Shield pick up a win, so many souls suffering like Reigns did have a hero that can guide the way for them.
Reigns is a legend. Hence, I'm glad the turn did not happen.
#4 Dean Ambrose's heel turn was a bust
A lunatic's character should have transitioned seamlessly into heel territory, isn't it? But somehow, when Dean Ambrose went heel, WWE ruined his run. They scripted some really bad segments for him that took away any momentum that he had as a bad guy.
When Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose faced each other to blow off their feud, the audience chanted 'boring'. While the two men should have taken each other head-on, they went on to have a technical contest instead that wasn't really a mat masterclass either. Is it any wonder then that the audience did not buy into Ambrose as a heel?
WWE may still have a sour taste in their mouth from Dean Ambrose's heel turn and must have decided to pull the plug on yet another turn from the Lunatic. It does make sense if you think about it.
#3 WWE has different plans for Roman Reigns
Of course, one school of thought thinks that Dean Ambrose would be the ideal opponent for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. But then, WWE wants Roman Reigns to take on Baron Corbin at the show.
This is a likelier possibility than the Reigns-Ambrose match since the two men are also scheduled for Live Event Matches after WrestleMania 35 concludes. If you remember, Baron Corbin was the one man who was happy that Roman Reigns had to depart WWE for a period owing to Leukaemia.
I know that a lot of members of the WWE Universe may not be too happy to see Baron Corbin take on Roman Reigns at the show. But if that is indeed the plan, then Vince McMahon wants to give Corbin a big rub through Roman Reigns.
Knowing how well the two men work against each other, I know they'll tear the house down.
#2 The Shield still has unfinished business on RAW
I know that this was advertised as The Shield's last ride. But the fact of the matter is that it is not, and The Shield will team up again on RAW before WrestleMania. Therefore, there was no point splitting up The Shield when it is perhaps the most over faction on the entire red brand.
This was almost certainly the last pay-per-view that the Shield will be on, if Dean Ambrose is indeed leaving for greener pastures. This could be supplemented by the fact that Renee Young may be out of WWE as well soon. As mentioned on the first page, the WWE Universe needed a feel-good moment more than a swerve at this point.
But we'll hear the six words that signal the beginning of The Shield's arrival followed by the heavy metal chords that we know so well again on RAW. That's a certainty.
#1 To not dilute the Brock vs. Seth feud
Did you incidentally forget that Seth Rollins is supposed to take on Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35? I will not fault you if you did so. This is because WWE has hardly focussed on the feud at all, ever since Seth Rollins won the big one. And having Dean Ambrose turn heel would have just diluted the match and distracted from the feud.
ALSO READ: 5 things we secretly found out at WWE Fastlane 2019
Seth Rollins would have had to focus his attention on Dean Ambrose. And this would have potentially been a bigger talking point than the Universal Championship match. The hype around the big Universal Championship match would have potentially died.
In many ways, with no heel turn, the match was just an ordinary showcase match for The Shield. Well, the WWE Universe was into it and sometimes, that's all that matters, isn't it?
Voice off in the comments section.
