We’re starting a new feature here on Dean-Ambrose.net with ‘Opinion Piece’ articles written by Austin Skinner exclusively for the site. They should create a bit of a talking point and feel free to discuss the article in comments! Please note these are Austins opinions and not those of the site on the whole, enjoy!

Refacing the Shield
By Austin Skinner

As Wrestlemania XXX slowly creeps into the past, it is obvious that a reinvention has occurred for the collective. As all members appeared on the same page on the grandest stage, they made a very clear statement. This is a shield of new. The cracks have not only been smoothed over, but resurfaced entirely.

Now, before the meat of this plate, a little back story is needed. Prior to Wrestlemania, it was almost expected that the shield break up at anytime. Heck, even I expected the likely story. Reigns breaks the mold, drops his Shield buddies, and heads up the ladder as one of WWE’s newest and most popular babyface guys. Thus, pitting Dean as the heel of the group and causing the inevitable end for the Hounds of Justice. It was elementary WWE fashion, coming off as obvious. Ambrose wasn’t getting along with the group and it almost became a guessing game as to when and where the Shield would sever ties and move on. However, after a few altercations occurring on both Smackdown and Raw, the dust mysteriously settled.

On the March seventh edition of Friday Night Smackdown, major strides were made in the direction of burying the hatchet. Prior, it would be believed by many (including myself) that this would be it. In an absolute one eighty, this confrontation only settled the air further between Rollins, Ambrose, and Reigns. After a walk out by Rollins on Raw previously to this episode, it was made known that from this point on, the Shield would walk in the same line together once again. As the Shield geared up for Wrestlemania, it became obvious that working as The Authority’s person demolition team no longer was in their personal interest. Slowly, the Shield began to distance themselves, thus doubly gearing up for a possible babyface run. Was I skeptical? Well, of course I was. It was the seek-and-destroy Shield I enjoyed. The Shield that would lift up your friendly neighborhood WWE Superstar and triple powerbomb them through the nearest announcement table on a whim of personal justice! None the less, the seeds of Shield’s evolution were planted and they marched on.

The Shield would find themselves in New Orleans soon enough, donning half-face skeleton masks and a brand new attitude. Enter Wrestlemania XXX and it would be Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Deam Ambrose to take on the cronies of The Authority, also known as Corporate Kane and The New Age Outlaws. In a match that can only be described as the closing of one chapter and the starting of a new (which seemed to be the theme at this year’s Wrestlemania), the Shield undoubtedly decimated their opponents. To be frank, they made short work of some decorated, working vets. This opened my eyes to one very important thing, the returning of unity against a common evil for the Shield. Somewhere between the last few episodes of Raw leading up to Wrestlemania and right after the bell rang to signify their victory at the event, the Shield had really changed. Hyped and firing on all cylinders, the Shield rejuvenated its reserves and turned a corner to face a new babyface horizon.

It was on the April seventh edition of Monday Night Raw when that horizon would officially be reached. Corporate Kane would tell the Shield that they were blatantly used as a corporate hit team and as Triple H’s personal pawns. With the light now firmly in their face, the Shield was pushed to their final breaking point. After witnessing a brutal beating of Daniel Brian at the hands of Batista, Randy Orton and Kane, the main event was started. Daniel Bryan’s opponent for the match, Triple H, now had him ripe for the picking until the Shield said otherwise. They would make their way down to the ring and after a moment or two of last minute decisions, Roman Reigns would spear Triple H. This would start a battle between the Authority camp and the Shield, but also mark something far more important. The Shield was finally ready to be considered full-fledged good guys. Standing by Bryan’s side, they were able to fend off the opposing threat and solidify their place in the scheme of things.

All things considered, from when there Shield had been not too long ago and where it is now, they are the team to watch. After pulling a complete one-eighty story wise, the face run for the Shield is shaping up with a lot of potential. For a long-time watcher such as myself and others to expect one thing and have something polar opposite be delivered is a rarity to say the least (especially in a fairly predictable business like wrestling often is). It is this fact alone that solidifies my trust in the Shield and the booking for them moving forward. They haven’t broken up yet and after a brief tease, it doesn’t seem like their going to any time soon. As they don not only new face masks but a new outlook in favor of guys like Daniel Bryan, what is it that exactly lies ahead? Will I and others be fooled again into thinking that this will be a lengthy run when in reality it is only a matter of time before the unpredictable Dean Ambrose flies off the hinges? Or will it be Reigns that tells his boys to basically go fly a kite, as he leaves them in the dust to flounder about the midcard (which unfortunately is a legitimate fear of mine)? Could Rollins become fed up with the bickering and walk away from the Shield for good next time? It is only exactly that, time that will tell… So, keep your eyes peeled and remember, if the Shield has taught us anything thus far, it is that the unexpected can be expected.