ATH First Round match 5 - Mr Nice Guy Vs thebostoncrab

beakerjoe

The next bout features everybodies favourite Nice Guy MNG taking on his PW Boards Draft allumni TBC. Both are no stranger to the game, so heres their question :

Q: If you could form a stable from the current roster and fantasy book a programme for them, who would make up the stable and who would you pit them against?

after your first post: why would your choice be better than your oponents?

Mr.Nice Guy

The fantasy stable I'm going for is one I've been wanting to see for well over a year now. It is a stable that plays into real life family ties and which positions three young talents into the spotlight of WWE.

Two of those three men are a tag team that have been doing fantastically well since they turned heel: The Usos. They were always a talented pair over the years but their characters felt stale. The audience had grown tired of their act. A heel turn was the best thing to happen to them and has allowed them to be elevated.

If only there was another man in the company who could benefit from something similar. If only there was someone who was a super talented guy whose character has grown tiresome to the audience and who could sorely do with a new edgier direction. If only this man had a real and substantial connection to The Usos so that all three of them could move forward as a compelling heel stable. Oh wait, there is...! Roman Reigns is the third man.

Why it works...

The seeds have already been planted. The audience has already seen The Usos working with Reigns years ago when all three were babyfaces, although they were never an official unit. And during Smackdown's invasion of Raw, there was a cool moment where all three men stopped before coming to blows - an acknowledgement of their ties. And speaking of those ties, many of the audience already knows the men are part of the famous Anoaʻi family and that there is a legitimate history between them...

What better way to get Reigns over with the audience than to pit him with his own family and make them a menacing stable dominating all in their path.

How I'd form the stable

We saw several weeks ago that prior to losing the tag titles to Cesaro and Sheamus, Rollins and Ambrose had been having in a war of words with The Usos. Both teams were calling out each other and it seemed this was the planned Survivor Series match before plans changed - well that tension remains unresolved.

What I would do is have the pair clash at the Royal Rumble, first in a backstage segment where The Usos would still be tag champs and claiming to be the top dogs in WWE. Ambrose and Rollins would counter that the so-called 'top dogs' were no match for the Hounds of Justice (this canine verbiage would be foreshadowing of what's to come). Reigns in all of this would remain tight-lipped, refusing to disrespect his Shield friends or his family, The Usos. At the Rumble The Usos would be eliminated by Rollins and Ambrose. The final three in the match would be all three Shield members which the fans would pop for, but later in the match The Usos would return and cause a distraction leading to Rollins and Ambrose getting eliminated. Reigns would act shocked while The Usos would smile and point at Reigns saying 'We got your back, bro". Fans and commentators would be wondering whether Reigns and Usos are in cahoots. In later weeks, Usos would claim "We did it for the Big Dog" (reference to dad Rikishi and The Rock)

At Mania, The Usos would face Rollins and Ambrose (who are now Raw tag champs) in an inter-promotional tag match. Reigns meanwhile is in the main event of Mania vs Lesnar and has continued refusing to criticize his Shield colleagues or the Usos. In the tag match, Rollins and Ambrose get a clean win over The Usos as Reigns is shown backstage watching on, expressionless.

Later in the show, before the main event, The Shield are talking and Ambrose and Rollins wish Reigns well. Usos then barge in and confront Reigns, getting in his face for the first time as Reigns looks shocked. Usos point out they have always been there for him but why isn't that reciprocated? They call Reigns a sellout to their family. Reigns looks confused and hurt as Rollins and Ambrose get in their faces and a bunch of refs get them out of there.

So now we come to the main event. Obviously Roman is getting booed out of the arena and Brock is the big fan favourite. The finish of the match is back-and-forth when all of a sudden The Usos hit the ring - they put the boots to Reigns, again screaming "what about our blood?" They grab a chair and smash Reigns with it. Again they call him a sellout. Out come Rollins and Ambrose of course to even the odds. They clear The Usos out of the ring as Reigns staggers to his feet clutching the chair - and he clocks Rollins in the back with it. (Reference to Rollins turning on him years earlier). He then does the same to Ambrose. The Usos look on in shock. Reigns mouths "you're right. I'm sorry. You guys are my blood." The Usos come in the ring and now put the boots to Lesnar, Rollins and Ambrose. They hit a big splash to Brock and hoist Brock up for Reigns' powerbomb. Reigns makes the pin and wins the title and the final shot of Mania is all three men hugging as the fans are shocked.

The Aftermath

Reigns comes out the following night in a totally new look. The Shield garb is gone and now he is sporting similar attire to The Usos with some shades on as well. He rips on the fans and says they've never had his back and says The Shield was originally torn apart by Rollins' selfishness and that Ambrose has always prioritised winning the WWE Title over him (reference to a few years ago when Ambrose was gunning for the title at a time when Reigns was in the picture). He says only two men have ever had his back and for a long time he didn't appreciate that but Mania showed him who are his true family.

The Usos say Roman is right telling him everyone else had been out to get him, including the fans, and only they had his back from day one. "It's not paranoia, it's The Usos." Usos say the penitentiary needed guarding and who better for that than The Big Dog.

They reference their family ties and the legacy of The Wild Samoans. Reigns says he is no longer about being a Hound of Justice. He is now all about his blood. He says you're looking at the bloodhounds of the WWE and you can call us The Wild Bloodhounds. (Reference to the Wild Samoans as well as the storyline).

Who would they be pitted against?

Initially they would be pitted against Rollins and Ambrose and of course the Bloodhounds would win. I'd use the opportunity of the 2018 draft to break up Ambrose and Rollins, putting Rollins on the other show and easing out of that feud in a way that protects the former Shield guys.

One big storyline would involve the Bloodhounds trying to recruit Samoa Joe. The storyline writes itself with the gang wanting Joe to be by their side and saying together they can run WWE. Initially Joe would refuse and go his own way but eventually Joe too would sell out and join his "family".

Other members would follow including Nia Jax and in later months Rikishi joins as the veteran figurehead of the group. (He doesn't wrestle, but is more of a manager.) I'd look to do a one-off segment where the gang tries to recruit The Rock (who would of course refuse and thus be given a beatdown afterwards - pretty sure he'd be willing to put over his family).

The stable would get plenty of mileage and the ultimate goal would be to get Reigns over with the fans using this new persona. When the time is right, he spits from the group, leaving Joe as the new leader, and having Reigns as the dethroned and newly fresh babyface to fight back. That would even enable the possibility of a reunion with The Shield down the line versus Joe and The Usos.

Thanks for reading.

And remember, it's not paranoia...it's The Wild Bloodhounds!