Elimination Chamber 2013: Why the Shield Will Get a Leader at the PPV

At Elimination Chamber the Shield face the team of John Cena, Sheamus and Ryback and it’s of quintessential importance that they win.

The Shield could be a program that lasts a long time; it wouldn’t be hard to imagine them lasting all the way until the one-year anniversary of their debut at Survivor Series.

For that reason, they cannot lose at Elimination Chamber. The problem is that Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns will be facing the team of Cena, Sheamus and Ryback.

Those are WWE’s top three babyfaces who will all need momentum going into WrestleMania XXIX. WWE doesn’t book them to lose at the best of times, and right now they all need to win (even Cena).

The solution to the problem? The Shield get a leader—one who is a big star.

No, Brad Maddox interfering on The Shield’s behalf won’t be enough to protect Cena, Ryback and Sheamus. They need a game-changing superstar to make some serious impact on their behalf at Elimination Chamber.

The first performer that comes to mind is Brock Lesnar. He’s involved with Paul Heyman and his motives for wanting to disrupt the WWE landscape could be easy to come up with.

Perhaps most importantly, the storyline could be easily integrated into the rumored Triple H and Brock Lesnar WrestleMania match (PWInsider via wrestlinginc.com), as Triple H could represent WWE and The Shield.

It’s very possible that WWE wouldn’t want to dilute Triple H’s program with Lesnar (Triple H, as we know, enjoys the spotlight), but there are other stars who could lead The Shield.

The next most obvious star is of course CM Punk, who owes most of his victories over Ryback to interference from The Shield.

Punk’s planned match against Undertaker at WrestleMania (via PWInsider report as linked above) has come in jeopardy due to Undertaker’s questionable health, so perhaps a Team WWE vs The Shield match could work; permitted “Team WWE” is made up of appropriately high-profile superstars.

Alternatively, The Shield could provide backup for Punk if Undertaker decides he can wrestle, as he’ll need all the support he can get to take on the Phenom.

Ultimately, the choices for surprise leader are various, but the fact remains that the Shield can’t lose.

The Nexus were the hottest thing in the industry in the Summer of 2010 until their momentum was killed with their loss at SummerSlam. WWE can’t afford to have the same thing happen to The Shield at Elimination Chamber.

February 17 is make or break for the Shield. Should they win it could be the beginning of a faction that dominates WWE television for months to come, but if they lose they’ll end up less like the NWO and more like the Corre.