WWE Must Be Patient with a Potential Reunion of the Shield

The Shield was too magical a group for WWE not to eventually revisit, but the longer it waits to bring the black-clad trio back together, the more powerful that reunion would become.

The stab wounds in Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose's back are too fresh to have them join forces with Seth Rollins again. Fans' memories of The Shield storming through the roster haven't had a chance to dim.

To reform The Shield anytime soon is to rush.

The topic continues to come up now, though. Most recently, it emerged when Rollins spoke with Chad Dukes on The Chad Dukes Wrestling Show. Asked about a potential Shield reunion, the WWE champ said, "The time we had with The Shield, who knows if it will ever come back around, but if it doesn't, no one will ever be able to take that run away from us either."

Earlier this year, Rollins addressed the issue at Comic Con in St. Louis. He told fans, per InsideSTL.com: "Never say never. I'm sure it will happen sometime, but right now, I'm happy with where I'm at."

Don Feria/Associated Press

Rollins will continue to get asked that question.

The Shield was a tremendous force, a three-man hurricane that whipped through the WWE landscape. The group remains one of WWE's biggest successes in recent years. To want to see the electricity the team created and the chemistry the men shared is understandable.

It's something that remains on the mind of many fans. Will Pruett of ProWrestling.net, for example, admitted to dreaming up scenarios where the gang got back together:

He's likely not alone.

At Payback, a Fatal 4-Way involving Rollins, Reigns, Ambrose and Randy Orton featured a mini-reunion. Rollins teamed up with his old allies briefly to send Orton crashing to the floor.

Fans loved it. The folks at Fighting Spirit Magazine were among them. They tweeted, "Who wouldn't want to see The Shield reunite and kick ass for at least the rest of the year on #Raw? That was great television!"

As fun as it would be, the narrative requires a longer wait. It was just last June that Rollins cracked a steel chair against his brothers' backs. It's only been six months since Rollins crashed Reigns' title bout at WrestleMania, drove his head into the canvas and ran off with the world title. 

If Reigns forgives Rollins this quickly, it hurts his character. He looks like either a fool or a pushover.

And if all wounds heal with time, it's going to take a lot longer for the lacerations Rollins left Ambrose with during their feud to scab over.

But it can happen. Shawn Michaels and Triple H reunited after leaving each other soaked with blood during their brutal feud.

There was ample time between the first two incarnations of D-Generation X to counterbalance the ferocity of that rivalry. The two friends first joined forces in 1997, tore each other apart from 2002 to 2004 and didn't make amends until 2006.

The Hardy Boyz reunited after a violent falling out. Matt and Jeff Hardy broke up in 2003 and started teaming again three years later.

There's no definitive formula for when to bring allies-turned-enemies together again, but in each of the aforementioned cases, WWE at least gave them a few years in between rivalry and reunion. That's the recipe WWE should follow for Rollins and crew.

The longer that fans pine for the idea of The Shield working as a unit again, the more satisfying it will be when the trio does finally converge. 

Credit: WWE.com

Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose have a lot of journeying ahead of them individually anyway. Rollins is working to prove that he deserves the lofty spot WWE has given him. Reigns is trying to grow into the top-tier star the WWE believes him to be. And Ambrose is doing everything he can to convince his employer that he belongs on the marquee as well.

Let them battle big names on their own. Let them seek out more titles. Let more individual success come their way before attempting to recreate the catalyst that got them to where they stand today.

There is plenty of time ahead to bring Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose back onto the same team. Now or even soon is not the time to do so.