Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Aryan Malhotra, and Jordan Chaffiotte will be giving their thoughts on the legacy of The Shield!

"Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta." Those words meant the best of the business were on their way to do battle. With The Shield gone, we'll take a look at the overall impact on Pro Wrestling. Let's discuss...

MALHOTRA: I am also going to go with the obvious answer, Undisputed ERA. It would be a dream and a potentially great match with an electric atmosphere and crowd reaction, and a chance to really put over the UE. Ambrose could be pinned by Cole to establish Era as a strong faction in the eyes of the main roster fans and to send Ambrose off after a great fresh matchup.

ALLSOPP: For purely selfish reasons it would be The Undisputed Era (minus Roderick Strong) and I would have them absolutely decimate The Shield and take out Ambrose in such a fashion it justifies his absence. The Undisputed ERA are one of the best things about NXT and I feel the brand needs to be built around them but this would be an amazing way to establish them on the main roster in a torch-passing moment.

CHAFFIOTTE: My first instinct is a hodge-podge team of rivals past. Guys like Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, and Randy Orton have long-standing history but it's hard to come up with three cohesive members. Instead, a fresh matchup would be ideal. These three guys have a lot of reverence for the business, which means at least as a team, you go out on your back. Use this opportunity to put the Undisputed Era or Mustache Mountain over. We could introduce the mainstream audience to one of these incredibly talented teams and set up an opponent for Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins in the process.


CHAFFIOTTE: This is an interesting question because we hold so much love for a faction that really wasn't together that long. They were brief and glorious. Which means I actually had to think about this for a minute. Most of the first to come to mind were post-betrayal. I'd have to give the nod to The Shield vs. Evolution, the match right before Seth Rollins' epic heel turn. Not only is it an excellent match, with hindsight, but there are also multiple moments that feel like it was Rollins' audition for the Authority. Knowing all that would follow only makes this match that much better.

MALHOTRA: vs Team Hell No and Ryback (TLC 2012). The was the first ever match of the Shield so of course, it holds historical significance. But the TLC match in the ring was also a classic. The intrigue of seeing how these 3 guys do in their first match after the huge debuts and seeing them go all out in a really fun match stands out to me as their best- with its chaos, broken weapons, intrigue factor, and significance.

ALLSOPP: The Shield vs The Wyatt Family (Elimination Chamber 2014). This was the perfect trios match and showed just how good The Wyatt Family are as workers. It was already established just how good The Shield was and everything about this match clicked and it ended up as my 2014 Match of the Year. Everyone had time to shine and every part of the match meant something and creatively it was great to see The Shield fall to a worthy team so they didn’t feel as one dimensional as they threatened to be.


ALLSOPP: Having witnessed the evolution of The Shield from newcomers to dominant superstars means it is incredibly hard to accept Ambrose is now leaving. A part of me hoped it was an elaborate work and it would result in people appreciating him more but alas that is not the case. I genuinely cried as the show went off the air as collectively The Shield have all meant a lot to me contributed to so many happy memories. To know they possibly won’t stand together again hits me hard and is very bittersweet.

I feel Ambrose is going to take a sabbatical from wrestling and evaluate where he is in a years time. Hopefully, he will feel re-energized and return to WWE as an ass-kicking maniac but at the end of the day, I just hope he finds happiness and comfort in whatever he decides to do next. Thanks for the memories.

CHAFFIOTTE: Let the past die, kill it if you have to.

WWE and everyone on their roster need to be looking forward not back. I hope Ambrose finds success in whatever he does next, but I am grateful that now maybe we can all move on from the Shield nostalgia angles. Ambrose doesn't strike me as the kind of person who changes position after his mind is set on something, so if he does come back, it'll be a while from now.

MALHOTRA: It is a sad thing that Ambrose is leaving and watching the match I kept thinking about the Shield and his own moments that left me hooked and entertained. While there has been a criticism of his booking over the years, Ambrose has been one of the mainstays and featured prospects of WWE since 2012 and him leaving now at arguably his prime in-ring wise is disheartening. But no I do not think this is the end for Dean Ambrose and I think we will see him in a wrestling ring again not too far away. It might be from any time between 2 months to two years but there will be a return, whether in WWE, AEW or someplace else (a CZW return maybe?!) And if it is someplace else, for now, I’m going to say he will make a WWE return too someday, even if that is much later on in his career.