7 Reasons the Shield Is Booked Perfectly in WWE

It's easy to complain about all of the things that the WWE does wrong, but the booking of The Shield isn't one of them.

Almost as soon as the trio of NXT studs debuted at Survivor Series 2012, many of us expected the stable to get the shaft and fizzle out quickly. That hasn't happened yet.

Instead of The Shield flopping like many thought it might, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have been booked about as well as we could we have asked for.

As we all know, the WWE could have easily screwed the pooch with The Shield, and had that happened, we might not even be talking about the group anymore.

But thanks to what has amounted to great booking, The Shield is alive and well, and many are now expecting the group to make a whole lot of noise in 2013.

Here are seven reasons why The Shield has been booked about as perfectly as it could be.

7. The Shield Is Not Dominating the WWE's Storylines

When The Nexus debuted in 2010, the group dominated most of the WWE's biggest storylines for several months before the group was ultimately disbanded.

But thankfully, that hasn't happened with The Shield.

While there is no doubt that the stable has gotten its fair share of TV time and big feuds, we haven't seen the trio take over WWE TV like The Nexus did. Instead, the group has been a main-event level force without being shoved down our throats.

The World Heavyweight Championship scene is still tops on SmackDown, while The Rock, CM Punk, John Cena and even guys like Dolph Ziggler (at times) have taken top priority over on Raw.

The creative team has found a great balance of keeping The Shield relevant without overexposing the trio and, in turn, has avoided making everyone quickly grow sick of them.

Even now, The Shield has been battling it out with top guys like Ryback, Sheamus and Chris Jericho recently, but that hasn't resulted in the group appearing in segment after segment or closing out Raw every week.

Kudos to the WWE for making The Shield such a big factor without having the group appear in half of Raw's segments.

6. The Trio Has a Purpose and Actual Motivation

From a fan's perspective, one enjoyable aspect about the group is that they have an actual purpose and motivation.

Far too many times, we are forced to sit through storylines that are illogical and/or have no purpose. But at least the WWE is trying to avoid that with The Shield.

The Shield has a purpose that is somehow clear and ambiguous at the same time: Ridding the WWE of injustice.

That purpose is clear because it lets us know what The Shield's motivations are, but it's also somewhat unclear because, for the most part, we don't know exactly what The Shield sees as injustices and/or why it sees them as such.

Still, it's nice to see that The Shield has a reason for its actions and an ultimate goal in that it wants to rid the WWE of what it sees as wrongdoings.

It's easy for fans, especially Internet ones like us, to relate to The Shield doing things like attacking Ryback because the group says that he was handed everything "on a silver spoon" when many fans feel the same way.

While some will complain about The Shield's supposed intentions, at least they make sense and serve a storyline purpose.

5. It's Given Us the Feeling That "Anything Can Happen"

It's not very often that a wrestling angle gives us the feeling that "anything can happen."

But The Shield has.

There are simply so many different variables when it comes to the group that it's hard not to think about all of the crazy things that could happen as a result of it being on TV.

We've already read and heard about possible future storylines and scenarios for The Shield, involving everyone from Vince McMahon to CM Punk to Brock Lesnar to Brad Maddox. In all likelihood, that will only continue as The Shield moves forward.

We just don't know where The Shield is headed, and as a result, we have this thought in the back of our minds that truly anything can happen when it comes to the booking of this trio.

From a breakup to the revealing of a mastermind behind the group to its next potential feud, the wonderment of "what's gonna happen next?" is something that figures to make The Shield highly successful. 

4. Three Matches in Three Months Leaves Us Wanting More

It's been roughly three months since The Shield debuted at Survivor Series 2012, and yet, we haven't seem the group compete in the ring very often.

The Shield has had just three matches so far, only one of which has taken place on TV and all of which have received rave reviews.

As a result, that's given The Shield the feeling that you would normally only associate with someone like Triple H, The Undertaker, The Rock or Brock Lesnar. It makes it seem like a special attraction.

Because the trio hardly ever make an appearance, there is this perception that The Shield is a really big deal.

The Shield is only going to get in the ring on its own terms, and when it does, it's going to make sure that it absolutely steals the show in the process.

Some want to see The Shield in the ring more often, but I'm one of those fans who feels like "less is more." The longer I go without seeing The Shield wrestle a match, the more I want to see the group do so.

Part-time legends usually give us fans this feeling, but a group of NXT "rookies" has broken the mold and done it instead.

3. The Shield Functions as a Unit Rather Than as Individuals

One of the biggest problems with The Nexus was that Wade Barrett was its clear-cut leader while the rest of the group (not including Daniel Bryan, who was released early on during this angle) just didn't seem all that special.

Barrett came across like a big deal and the group's bona fide star, but most of the other guys were so out of place—secondary performers in a play that was all about Barrett.

The Shield hasn't had that problem.

Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose all seem very important, mainly because they function as a trio rather than a group of individuals randomly thrown together.

While the Nexus members had a history of feuding against one another, The Shield debuted together and, as a result, will always be associated with one another.

Notice how WWE's announcers constantly refer to the trio as The Shield rather than Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns. There's more to that than just to get the name of the group over.

It's to reinforce this idea that the group is, as JBL will tell you, a dominant and cohesive unit that works extremely well together.

That's where The Nexus failed. Luckily for The Shield, however, that's where this group more than excels.

2. The Group Has Defeated Almost All of the WWE's Top Dogs

The Shield has barely been around for three months now, and yet, it's already picked up huge victories over the vast majority of the WWE's top babyfaces.

In just three matches so far, the trio has beaten the following stars: Kane, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Sheamus (twice) and Ryback (three times).

How can you not be impressed by that?

The WWE is notorious for booking its top heels to lose far more often than its top faces, but The Shield has been the exception to that rule. The Shield has defeated just about every single one of the WWE's most pushed and most over superstars.

Any way which you slice it, it's hard not to take notice of The Shield's dominance over many of the biggest names in the wrestling business.

No other wrestlers can say that they've beaten Cena once, Sheamus twice and Ryback three times, but The Shield can lay claim to doing that within its first three months on the main roster.

Just imagine if every debuting faction was booked like that. The WWE would likely be a much better place.

1. The Shield Has Never Lost

Many have said that wins and losses don't really matter in pro wrestling, but The Shield is a prime example of why that isn't true.

Imagine if The Shield lost its first-ever match back at WWE TLC (a la The Nexus) or if it lost to Ryback, Sheamus and John Cena at Elimination Chamber? I probably wouldn't be writing this article if either of those things happened.

Luckily, though, The Shield won those two major matches and another monumental six-man tag team match on last week's Raw.

That, of course, has moved The Shield to 3-0 so far in its WWE career. When's the last time a group of guys who were totally new to the main roster were so dominant so early on? Probably never.

The Shield has never lost, and that's done wonders for the group's credibility.

Had the trio lost any of its three previous matches, its momentum wouldn't be anywhere near what it is today, and in all likelihood, many fans would already have written the group off as a failure.

But now? The Shield is widely considered to be a huge success, and that's a direct result of the group beating the top competition in the world en route to remaining undefeated.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter!