League of Nations Must Be Strengthened Significantly on Road to WWE WrestleMania

Sheamus. Rusev. Alberto Del Rio. Wade Barrett. These are arguably four of the more talented men to snatch a place on the WWE roster in the last decade, but currently the League of Nations is without direction.

It's been a hair over three months since the faction came together. In the wake of Sheamus' Money in the Bank cash-in, he was in need of backup for a feud with Roman Reigns, so a combination of his semi-regular "eurotrash" teammates and the freshly returned Del Rio were called upon.

The League played their part in the championship feud well—but it was clear from the start that the quartet were just bumps in the road for Reigns. By December, the Big Dog had clinched the title, and after that the rivalry was academic.

Still, the League of Nations didn't crumble, even in the wake of this major setback. However, now the faction is doing more to harm its members than help; with less than a month until WrestleMania, it's still unclear which spot on the card is right for the quartet.

It's crucial to remember what the individual members of this group have accomplished.

Alberto Del Rio	Rusev	Sheamus	Wade Barrett
WWE World Heavyweight Champion (two reigns)	United States Champion	WWE World Heavyweight Champion (three reigns)	Intercontinental Champion (five reigns)
World Heavyweight Champion (two reigns)		World Heavyweight Champion	King of the Ring Winner (2015)
United States Champion (two reigns)		United States Champion (two reigns)
Money in the Bank winner (2011)		Money in the Bank Winner (2015)
Royal Rumble winner (2011)		Royal Rumble Winner (2012)
		King of the Ring Winner (2010)

Four athletes of that caliber working as a team should be capable of taking on all comers, and yet we haven't seen a truly dominant performance from the League in some time.

It's a real shame, especially since the group could be well utilized at WrestleMania facing one of the other factions currently active in WWE. A showdown with the Wyatt Family or even the New Day could be a great addition to the card, likely to produce an excellent bout.

However, it seems very unlikely that such a match will be booked at this point—and even if it was, there's no evidence that Sheamus and friends are prominent enough to warrant a lengthy slot on the Showcase of the Immortals.

Don't expect the League of Nations to be given a high-profile WrestleMania match at this point, because they're certainly not being presented as high-profile wrestlers at the moment. Compare Rusev's recent form to the run-up to his WrestleMania 31 match against John Cena.

	2015	2016
W	8	1
L	3	3

The likeliest option seems to be some sort of match against the New Day, whether it's for the tag titles or otherwise. Even so, the hugely entertaining videos produced by the champions to build toward this match haven't even been shown on television.

In recent weeks, we have seen the faction pick up a number of wins in tag team competition, but it's clear that this is simply last-minute rehab. The League of Nations was used to put various pieces in place at the top of the card, and now it's being slotted in wherever is easiest to keep its component parts busy.

That's an enormous waste. With rumors that Wade Barrett is considering an exit, not to mention that Del Rio has demonstrated that he can comfortably work elsewhere and Sheamus appearing in summer blockbuster Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows this summer, you would think WWE would try to give these talented men a reason to stay.

Like 90 percent of the WWE roster, no member of the League of Nations will expect to be the focus of Raw each and every week—but they may well expect something to sink their teeth into.

Consider how Sheamus' stiff style might jell with members of the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster, or if Barrett could become a major player on the blossoming UK scene.

Credit: WWE.com

A faction like the League of Nations has altogether too much talent to be relegated to the slow-moving sinkhole of the lower midcard. These are athletes at the top of their game, looking for a platform—and if WWE doesn't offer up opportunities, they'll no doubt find them elsewhere.

It's not too late to salvage the potential that's on the table here. Let the League have a great match at WrestleMania with good opposition—multi-man tag matches can be amazing when executed correctly, and the right feud could offer a string of engaging pay-per-view bouts.

The League of Nations are working with clipped wings at present, but they could contribute so much more. There are always winners and losers on the Road to WrestleMania, but this faction would be far better cast as the former rather than the latter.