Network Flashback: The Shield vs Ryback and Team Hell No

So writing about wrestling, something I spend far too much of my life watching, has kind of fallen by the wayside recently on Ramblings About…  So with that in mind I’ve decided to start a series where I will go back and watch a match on the WWE Network and then do a review of it, taking into mind what we know now.

So to start this off I’m going to the near past andTLC 2012 where The Shield took part in their first match against the unlikely trio of Ryback, Kane and Daniel Bryan.  This was the first of the 6 man tag matches that have since become The Shields stock in trade, and an integral part of WWE programming.  It could also arguably lay a claim to being one of the best.

The first noticeable thing is how over Ryback is, something the WWE managed to completely destroy.  Apart from one Goldberg chant the crowd seemed completely behind himand at the end of the match it’s Ryback who is protected by being involved in the big ladder spot at the top of the ramp, while Bryan is being pinned in the ring.  The Shield meanwhile already felt like a seamless unit.  They attack together and they defend together and there is a reason these matches have been a highlight of WWE programming in the last couple of years.  Daniel Bryan is on the cusp of getting over huge, with the yes/no chants garnering a response, but compared to what we know is to come it is nothing spectacular.  Kane feels like the odd guy out being the only WWE veteran in the ring, but he does what he does best in this match both selling for The Shield and getting in his own share of offence.

That brings me onto the action itself.  This match is just downright fun.  You’ve got everything you’d expect from a TLC but there are also some very brutal moments.  The Curb Stomp from Rollins to Bryan on the chair doesn’t quite get put over in the way you’d expect by the commentary team, with there being a suggestion that they are not aware it’s Rollins finisher, but it still comes across as a big moment.  The huge ladder spot at the end is obviously the highlight, as Rollins comes off the ladder onto several tables, but moments like the chokeslam onto the chair and the superplex’s off the table hold their own.

It’s also interesting to note that you can already see The Shield settling into their in-ring roles.  Reigns is the muscle and the big match finisher.  Ambrose is the mouthy psychopath and Rollins is the workhorse, he’s the one that get’s tossed around the ring and takes the big spots.

This is a fantastic match and was the start of The Shields incredible WWE run.  While it’s no technical master class it doesn’t need to be as it entertains through pure carnage.