SK Exclusive: The Shield will reunite or feud later this year
What's story?
Seth Rollins almost moved to SmackDown Live during the recent "Superstar Shake-up." However, according to our sources, the WWE opted to keep him on Raw and moved Dean Ambrose over in the process to keep the door open for a potential Shield program or reunion later on in the year.
In case you didn't know...
Seth Rollins remained on the Raw brand after last weeks "Superstar shake-up" along with Roman Reigns. They were joined by their former Shield colleague Dean Ambrose, the current reigning Intercontinental Champion.
The heart of the matter
Seth Rollins was touted as a potential trade for AJ Styles. Styles was originally supposed to trade places with Roman Reigns, but the decision to keep him on SD Live ultimately came down to how the WWE wanted to handle Roman Reigns.
The WWE decided that SD Live was still the B show and believed that they couldn't have the trio of Reigns, Orton and Cena on the blue brand at once. Once it was decided that Reigns was staying on Raw, the Styles move was practically dead.
However, there was late consideration given to trading Rollins and Styles. The WWE was said to be keen to still have Styles on Raw and have Rollins off it when Stephanie McMahon returned because the writers feel they like they have fully concluded the Seth Rollins/Triple H/Stephanie program and preferred to keep Rollins and the Commissioner apart.
In the end, the WWE opted to keep all the Shield members on one brand, feeling that they could potentially do something with the trio later on in the year. Therefore, Rollins and Styles, remained as they were and Ambrose and Owens were traded.
What's next?
Current plans for Seth Rollins will see him continue his feud with Samoa Joe. The match will take place at the Raw’s next PPV, Payback. The match was originally set to take place at WWE Fastlane, however, it was cancelled due to Seth Rollins’ injury.
Dean Ambrose currently doesn’t appear to have a program on Raw, but Roman Reigns is locked into a program with Braun Strowman and is currently off-TV selling injuries from Strowman’s attack last week.
Author's take
Despite winning against Triple H at WrestleMania 33, Seth Rollins certainly isn't set for a big year on Raw. With Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns the likely plan for WrestleMania 34, Seth will have to tread water as a main event guy who can not go any higher than his current position.
Unfortunately for Rollins, he seemingly has no chance at a run for the Universal Championship, a spot that a lot of talented and popular performers find themselves in on Raw. Dean Ambrose is also one of these performers.
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns is the guy that everything appears to centre around, and the WWE will continue to prioritise his career at the expense of all its other performers.
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