Daniel Bryan, Sheamus & Rey Mysterio vs. the Shield
WWE
January 31st (Taped: January 28th)
Huntington Center (Toledo, Ohio)
I would be interested in seeing research into how many trios television main events the Shield have worked in the 14-ish months they have been together as a unit. I am guessing it is quite a bit and makes up around 15% to 20% of the total RAW and Smackdown main events during that period. If we were to broaden the definition of “main event” to include the featured match of the show regardless of when it took place on the program, I would imagine that would increase the percentage a little bit more.
The Shield have been an extremely valuable act for the WWE because they can be slotted into a TV main event with the knowledge that they will deliver a strong match more times than not while allowing the promotion to put out a quality TV main without giving away a marketable singles match on no build. When the Shield breaks up, the WWE likely loses the crutch they have leaned on for quality television main events the past year plus.
This particular match is a good example of that. It is essentially a rematch from Monday night with Rey taking the place of Cena and a significant chunk of time chopped off. It is a good example of the Shield’s value because it was a really enjoyable match that – at the same time – I’d wager nobody will be talking about a few months or a year from now. Nor will anyone be discussing the RAW match a few days earlier. That’s because the Shield have knocked out so many quality six-man tags in 14 months that they largely blend together in your memory, even if you thought they were really great as you were watching them. The value in having an act that churn out quality six-man main events at will is through the roof.
There were elements of this match I like better than the RAW one and other elements I did not like as much. I thought Rey was a lot of fun. It’s a shame we never got see a healthier Rey lock it up with the Shield. The fact that this was a little shorter was a net positive. The RAW match was fine the entire time, but clearly kicked into another gear the stretch. It felt like 5 minutes could have been chopped off of the RAW match and the match would have benefited from it. This one felt like it ran the perfect time and left you wanting more. Danielson’s hot tags were more or less equal, but the post-hot tag stretch with Rollins beat the ending of this match.
Reigns picked up the pin fall on Rey after a spear. Rey took the spear like a champ.
Trios | Worthwhile | Quality
