Projecting When the Wyatt Family Will Feud with The Shield

The Wyatt Family has had some heat lately with The Shield in WWE.  Pro wrestling's two biggest factions came face to face for the first time on the November 11 edition of Monday Night Raw, and since then, tensions between them are really beginning to boil.  And I believe that at some point, those tensions will explode and we will see the two units face off in the ring.

The question then becomes when will it happen?  When will The Shield and The Wyatt Family choose to settler their differences in a match?

From the start, I have to say that this potential rivalry and match has me very intrigued.  And the reason for that is because these two factions really have no reason to feud whatsoever. After all, what has one group done to the other to even warrant a match being booked to begin with?  From a storyline perspective, the answer is nothing.

Basically, the problems began on Raw when Bray Wyatt and his followers interrupted CM Punk and Daniel Bryan's match against The Shield.  Just as it appeared that Dean Ambrose was going to submit to the Anaconda Vice, the lights went down, and when they came back up, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were both in the ring.

Punk shoved Seth Rollins into Harper and Harper shoved back.  Rollins took exception to this, and before long, both Rowan and Harper were trading blows with Dean and Seth.  The fans were exploding over the fight, and even though it was much ado about nothing, the crowd had made their feelings very obvious.

They wanted The Shield versus The Wyatts, and they wanted it as soon as possible.

The fans decided that this was the match they wanted, not WWE.  In fact, I believe it's entirely possible that the company just dangled the carrot in front of the crowd that night, only because they wanted to gauge the response from fans.

Very little reaction from the WWE faithful that night would likely have killed the notion of a Wyatt Family and Shield showdown right then and there.  But the fact is that a simple shove has lit the fire, and that fire will likely burn the house down when these two groups do face off in the ring.  All that's left is to find the right time to book it.

For me, this is one match that should not be rushed.  Fans have waited this long to see Bray lead his clan to The Shield's door, so there is no need to dive headfirst into this rivalry right now.  The best thing for both sides is to just let this growing heat continue to simmer as long as possible.

This past week on WWE programming shows the frustrations building more and more between all six men, and this is doing nothing but stoking the fire.  Fans know that the inevitable is coming, but to just be spoon fed a little at a time is plenty.  If WWE continues to keep adding more heat each week, then by the time the actual match gets here, fan anticipation should be through the roof.

So, what is the time frame for The Shield versus The Wyatt Family?

WWE could give away this match for free on TV, but I for one think that's a mistake.  The company's two top heel factions deserve more time and a bigger stage to perform on.  And if WWE chooses to keep upping the tension between them, then only pay-per-view will be able to do justice to the intensity of this match.

Basically, this bout needs to have a "big fight feel," and only pay-per-view can really make that happen.

The next big event after Survivor Series on November 24 is TLC on December 15.  While this seems to be perhaps a good time to hold the match, I still believe that it's too soon.  Again, these two groups need more time, and between CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and really any babyface on the roster, there is plenty to keep all six men distracted from each other.

Then, there's the Royal Rumble on January 14, 2014.  The time difference would be quite a bit more of course, however, I expect that both The Wyatt Family and The Shield will all very likely be entered into the Rumble match.  This would perhaps prevent a match from taking place that night.

Instead of even mentioning the Elimination Chamber set for next year, I think it's time to consider the event that comes afterward.  After all, many WWE fans are surely already thinking about it.

WrestleMania 30 is, of course, taking place in New Orleans on April 6.  This is the big one, the event that put WWE on the map for many fans and the event that brings so much notoriety for the company.  No event in professional wrestling is bigger than WrestleMania, and since this one will be the 30th anniversary, the fact is that WWE will likely pull out all the stops to ensure it lives up to the hype.

What better stage for the company's two hottest properties to finally square off in a huge six-man tag team match?

The biggest issue with this, of course, is the massive amount of time between now and then. Could WWE find a way to keep this budding rivalry from absolutely exploding until the very last moments leading up to WrestleMania next year?  Will fans still be interested in this feud if it does take that long to truly materialize?

I believe that when it comes to projecting exactly when The Shield will lock horns with The Wyatt Family, the truth is that timing has everything to do with it.  If WWE chooses to keep increasing the heat with them, then TLC will be the night that it all comes to a head.

But if they choose to keep working with this angle and flesh it out as much as possible before the first match happens, then we're probably looking at Elimination Chamber next year.  And for me, WrestleMania is by far the best platform for these six men to prove why they are considered WWE's best candidates for future main event stars.

For now, we will have to settle for The Shield and The Wyatt Family continuing to have problems as WWE builds toward their eventual showdown.  Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.