The Shield vs The Bloodline - which is the greatest Roman Reigns faction?
Roman Reigns is the biggest star in pro wrestling today. The six-time world champion catapulted an already impressive career into the stratosphere when he introduced the heel Tribal Chief persona to the world. The historic title reign that followed still stands to this day, with The Head of The Table having reigned (no pun intended) for more than 700 combined days with both world championships.
A big part of this legendary championship run has been Reigns' faction, The Bloodline, consisting of The Usos and Paul Heyman. The Tribal Chief's faction has helped him maintain a stranglehold on the WWE main event scene, doing his bidding in various ways throughout most of his feuds as champion.
Reigns returned the favour during his cousins' title unification match against RK-Bro, ensuring that the group holds all world and Tag Team Championships on the main roster.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE BLOODLINE!
The accomplishments of the #Bloodline simply cannot be overstated. Let's look at it from a historical perspective...
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Naturally, the faction's success has drawn comparisons to another wildly successful collective of which The Head Of The Table was a part: The Shield.
On the eighth anniversary of the Hounds Of Justice's initial separation, let's examine each of Reigns' iconic factions' claims to superiority. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
#6: The Shield was the better faction because it overcame tougher opposition than Roman Reigns' Bloodline
When Roman Reigns and his Shield teammates burst onto the main roster, they had to prove themselves against everyone. From legendary teams such as Brothers Of Destruction and Evolution to singles megastars such as The Rock, the Hounds of Justice left an iconic trail of destruction in their wake.
The Bloodline, meanwhile, has faced its fair share of icons ranging from Brock Lesnar and John Cena to RK Bro and New Day en route to the top of WWE. However, the amount of star power they have come up against is nowhere near as stacked as the kevlar-wearing threesome faced almost a decade ago.
#5: The Bloodline surpasses the Shield because it has a bigger main star in heel Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns was the menacing powerhouse in the popular trio that was the Shield, alongside a calculating architect and unpredictable lunatic. Together, they formed a perfect blend of power, strategy and disruption that bulldozed through the entire roster. However, as great a unit as they were, they were only secondary players in the main event scene.
The Bloodline has the upper hand on them in terms of main-event star power because it has among its ranks a vastly better established and decorated version of Reigns. The presence of The Tribal Chief has allowed the group enjoy a higher position on the card, and consequently more collective star power.
#4: The Shield was greater than Roman Reigns' Bloodline because it had better chemistry as a unit
Roman Reigns' historic run with The Bloodline has brought immense success through the family's knack for winning when it matters. However, the group has not always won dominantly, losing some non-title matches and escaping a few title bouts via cowardly tactics. Furthermore, Reigns rarely treats them as equals but rather dependants benefitting from his greatness.
The Shield was often the opposite, bulldozing and running through opponents like a well-oiled machine and staying unbeaten for seven months. Even after losing their streak, they remained a force to be reckoned with, an aura which the Bloodline struggle to replicate. The Hounds Of Justice were the more cohesive and intimidating unit, as seen in their iconic triple powerbomb and tandem entrance.
#3: The Bloodline is Roman Reigns' top faction because it has better management than the Shield
How it started vs How it's going ☝️
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One of the biggest contributors to Roman Reigns' success with the Bloodline is Paul Heyman's management. The Wise Man's promo skills and on-screen presence, not to mention storyline political sway with the company's upper management, make the group feel like authoritative rulers of the roster.
The Shield did all their talking themselves and often found themselves clashing with authority figures. This made them more relatable to the audience and thus more popular than the present-day faction. However, Heyman's presence gives the Anoa'i family faction a slight advantage over the Shield.
#2: The Shield was superior because Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were all able to thrive as singles Superstars
Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose have won 11 WWE World Championships between them. All three men are grand slam champions and are arguably the three biggest stars in the industry. They burst onto the scene as a well-oiled unit, but went on to prove that they could thrive individually after the group split.
On the other hand, The Bloodline brings together a top singles star and a legendary tag team, which is impressive in its own right. However, until Jimmy and Jey prove that they can thrive without Reigns or each other, the Hounds of Justice have the upper hand.
#1: The Bloodline is the superior Roman Reigns faction because they are more dominant as champions than the Shield
At Extreme Rules 2013, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose all captured gold. The former duo became tag team champions while Ambrose won the United States title. For five months, each member of the Shield held a title, an extremely impressive achievement. Ambrose's 351-day reign is still the longest in US championship history.
However, The Bloodline's dominance in the title scene is on another level entirely. Each competitor in the faction holds two championships, with only the United States and Intercontinental titles eluding them. Additionally, Reigns and the Usos are the longest reigning Universal and Smackdown Tag Team Champions respectively.
Should they wish to literally hold all the gold, adding Sami Zayn or The Usos' real-life brother Solo Sikoa may even see the group conquer the midcard soon.