Roman Reigns was part of a very interesting time in the WWE when he and his partners in The Shield left NXT and raided the WWE, attacking numerous wrestlers and becoming the greatest faction fans had seen in years. Now that the company is calling this phase of the product the New Era, people are looking at the influx of new talent from NXT and the indies as something adding excitement to a product that grew stale over the years.
In an interview with the Sports Inquirer , Roman Reigns said that the New Era did not start with the recent brand extension draft . Roman believes that the New Era started when The Shield invaded the WWE.
“Something a lot of people missed was The Shield is actually kind of the beginning of the new era. We kind of paved the road and took the bumps and made this process a lot smoother for those guys as well. We had to deal with the older guys who had been here, rooted in, and had the system their way. And we came in and did a good job of leading those in the new generation.”
Roman Reigns makes a lot of sense here. The entire idea of the New Era is that new talents get a chance to shine in a WWE that had grown old over the years since the Attitude Era ended. Around the same time that The Shield made their mark, The Wyatt Family, Neville, and more also showed up and proved they belonged as well.
It is more pronounced now because NXT is much more popular than it was when Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins wrestled there. Rollins made an interesting comment when he was feuding with Finn Balor a few months back, pointing out that he was the first ever NXT champion, something some fans who only watch the main product might not be aware of.
Looking back on the invasion of The Shield onto the WWE main roster where they attacked Ryback, Michael Cole referred to them as “these kids from NXT.” The WWE tried it before with Nexus but called it off. With The Shield, the WWE went full speed and made all three men stars.
Roman Reigns Says That The Shield Was The Beginning of The New Era #WWEClash #ClashofChampions #RAW #WWE https://t.co/rXEhSyoDOw pic.twitter.com/qUFel4Xnyx
— 411 Wrestling (@411wrestling) September 26, 2016
Since they arrived, Roman Reigns became a three-time world champion, Seth Rollins became a world champion, and Dean Ambrose won the world title. On one night, all three members of The Shield held the world title when Rollins beat Reigns and then Ambrose beat Rollins after cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Fans seem tired of Roman Reigns now and have failed to get behind his singles run after the breakup of The Shield, but as the Inquisitr previously reported, the WWE is working to reboot Roman Reigns with the U.S. Championship .
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The WWE now is proclaiming that the New Era has arrived. Names to prove this include AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Enzo and Big Cass, and many more. However, a few years before these wrestlers either arrived from NXT or the indie scene, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins turned the WWE on its head with the arrival of The Shield.
As for whether or not the WWE fans will see a revival of The Shield, Roman Reigns said to never say never.
“I think we’re all very happy with where we’re at. It’s going to take something drastic, something huge in the WWE to bring The Shield back. I think nothing’s impossible in the WWE. As we always say, stay tuned.”
[Featured Image by WWE]