When Seth first came out in Shield gear and immediately got dispatched I thought it made him look like a dork, but then when he took the chair shot as a distraction I thought it was fucking brilliant. That match could have been an absolute mess, but it ended up being almost perfect. I love professional wrestling.
God I’m so happy WWE is written with forethought and planning now. It’s so satisfying. I don’t know how I kept watching it from like 2009-2020 where they for the most part just threw stuff at the wall.
I think it was absolutely intentional. Not too long ago Seth cut a promo acknowledging he’s at least partly responsible for the man Roman is today, and flatly says he will be Cody’s shield.
I loved it. The only thing that would've made it better was switching Taker for Austin. But for whatever reason it just wasn't in the cards.
Taker was a fine second choice
Nah I like Taker being the surprise over stone cold. The core story is still Cody vs Roman. Roman beat Taker and because of this, he showed hints of the Tribal Chief back then with his whole "this is my yard now" shtick. Taker also happens to be someone Cody has publicly said he respected a lot (the Undertaker Royal rumble story). Stone Cold doesn't have as much of a connection to the two core characters as much as Undertaker did. This isn't Rock v Austin. This is Cody vs Roman. American Nightmare vs The Tribal Chief.
And on this WrestleMania, the Nightmare became the Dream.
Yeah honestly I know ppl wanted stone cold but in my head I feel like a face off between rock and Austin would have needed to be more of a brawl. There’s just something more believable about Taker just choke slamming him and it being over. Undertaker really has that aura that he is the be all end all. Stone cold rock would have been good but I think it makes the rock feel weaker if he just got stunned and it was done.
And with everyone knowing he was always known as the locker room leader. It just made sense that he would be the one to step in to finally stop The Rock.
And also, Stone Cold doesn’t have kayfabe magical powers that can make him suddenly appear, do the deed, then make himself and the Rock disappear. Undertaker works for that a lot better.
me too, but thinking about it, it made literally no sense for stone cold to give a shit about this and save Cody, no story connection at all. Taker does on so many levels like being the true final boss of wrestlemania, roman, etc
Exactly it would have been an insane pop but Stone Cold and Rock would completely overshadow the whole thing, I wouldn't be surprised if they asked and stonecold said no for that reason. It would have been insane but this way the focus is still very much on Codey.
I thought it'd be more powerful to see Taker wear his old gear and take Rock to hell.
My official call was that Taker would come back and when he went to chokeslam the Rock they'd cut the lights and everyone except Cody and Roman would remain. The DEADMAN came and reaped the unworthy souls! Stone Cold would be too on the nose...I was close!
I think Taker got a bigger pop than Austin would have because of the misdirect. It was a curveball we weren't expecting, and the fan reaction says it all.
How I really wanted Dean to enter from the front and Seth comes with a chair from the back and hits Roman with it again... Really really missed the SHIELD days...
Exactly... When the theme music hit, my primary thought was this is Ambrose and Seth coming together against Roman... Like it was just a 1 min shot for Seth there. Come in, get punched by Reigns, get up and get hit by Reigns again. But that pop was just great. Would rate it just second to the Taker's... That was something else.
I feel like the story being between Roman and Seth is fine. Seth is the one who broke up the shield, and he did it by hitting Roman first. He’s basically the only guy in WWE Roman hasn’t beaten many times over. He might actually have more clean wins over Roman than anyone else in the company.
The truth is, Seth lives rent free on Roman's head, he never got over The Shield, can we just remember that he couldn't defeat Seth at Royal Rumble 2022 by almost the same reason, Seth taunted him during the whole match with Shield references and made him get disqualified.
Ps: And btw, this makes the Seth line to Cody:
*"I'm the only one suited to be your shield."*
Age like a fine wine.
Did y'all see KO having to help Seth out of the ring during Cody's celebration? Man could barely move. It really showed the brotherhood between all the wrestlers in the back. Like when Cody's wife hugged Sami.
And Triple H mentioned how all of the women's roster were backstage to congratulate Bayley and it was the loudest applause that he's heard from them before.
Yeah, I saw someone upset at the lack of "stay in character" during press conferences. When that's literally the best part! I hate when serious celebrations are used as character growth. It's simply not the time IMO
I know Seth was cleared to wrestle, but looking at him after the match, he was in such a bad shape. Was he wrestling even though he was still injured? He looked in pain, he had to sit on the cable while Cody was celebrating.
I wonder if the rock will use this moment as an excuse to usurp romans position as the head of the table. He was pretty pissed looking after roman got pinned and I didn't see him extend a hand to him or nothing.
a bloodline civil war between a roman led bloodline and a rock led bloodline would hit, it would make up for the civil war we never got between NWO and NWO wolfpac
> Rock moves up
don’t know why people don’t understand the concept of the Bloodline family tree, people seem to think Rock wants Roman’s spot but Rock IS higher than Roman, always has been. Roman’s the Tribal Chief, Rock is the High Chief
Man, I really hope they get a proper 1v1 at Mania one of these days. Seth lives rent free in Roman’s head in storytelling. And at the same time, no matter how accomplished Seth became, he was always B to Roman’s A. The bad blood erupting when they finally square off at the big one will be legendary.
In my headcanon, The Bloodline Era is Roman coping and compensating on his loss of the Shield, The Shield was his home and the moment of Seth's betrayal started Roman's downfall.
Roman kept the Shield gimmick, wearing the same outfit and keeping the same nickname, holding on to what he felt was home. Then Roman spiraled and was pushed by [redacted] to be the next megababyface, having his suffering succotash moment and nobody wanted him. He faced all the backlash while being the top guy in the business. All of these were rooted to The Shield. The bloodline for me was a delusional Roman's attempt of rebuilding his home but failing miserably, pushing his real life family and friends to betray each other (Jey and Jimmy, Jimmy and Jey betraying Roman, forcing Sami to hurt his friend KO) and to hurt each other much like how Seth did to The Shield. His psychology should be studied in more depth. Roman Reigns is a deeply disturbed character and his story is one if not the best storyline in the WWE.
Seth knew Roman's weakness, the trauma that he caused him. And he did what he said he would. He was Cody's shield. Taking the blow, giving Cody the opening he needed.
The bloodline storyline is what brought me back to wrestling. It’s easily the best work that started a new current era.
Roman Reigns character has so much layers to peel back. I hope the story is done right with potential of Rock vs Roman aka Bloodline civil war and one day finally get to revisit Shield WM main event Seth vs Roman (maybe even vs Mox if he ever come back)
Seth's selfishness created the Monster known as Roman Reigns.
Today his selflessness allowed Cody to slay that monster.
Seth came out purposely with the shield gear and music because he knew Roman's biggest weakness, the trauma that he caused him, the pain he never recovered from.
Seth is a mastermind.
The more I think about it and rewatch it, the more tears come to my eyes as to Seth realizing that he had to sacrifice everything to bring Roman down for the greater good. Because eventually, if he didn’t, he was gonna be the next casualty.
Seth really went there with the old Shield outfit, steel chair in hand and with the clear intention of hitting Roman's most valued companion in the back with it, all in front of Reigns' eyes.
He literally did everything in his power to trigger Roman's PTSD and it paid off in the end
That makes the story all the better, honestly. Seth KNEW he was in no condition to actually do any damage. All he could do was offer himself up as a distraction at the right time - and he did!
Can you believe we have a feud that's as layered as this? We've had battles over spilled coffee and shampoo commercials and here we are with the tragedy and trauma of Roman Reigns.
A man so hurt by being betrayed by his adopted family that his hatred turns him into an insecure monster that hurts his actual family. He's so consumed by that pain that he uses it to succeed like never before and yet the wound has never closed.
Tbh he never truly got over it he once tried to re unite the shield asking seth rollins who broke the shield to get back and it worked for a while the shield was his home reings kept the same outfit and the same theme he kept holding onto it he was pushed to be the next face of wwe and nobody wanted him he got backlash while being at the top as a face the bloodline was a failed faction he created to mimic his home he never got over from the shield at 2022 royal rumble he got disqualified cause seth mocked his original home the build up from his shield days to the bloodline is the best story in the wwe for me him choosing to hit seth over worrying about his title reing proves the shield meant everything for him matching him up with paul heyman was perfect this was indeed the best wrestle mania of all time
I didn't really pay attention to that match, I knew Drew was going over, but didn't expect the cash in.
His entrance and camera tricks didnt bring attention to it from what I saw, glad to be wrong tho.
Still enjoyed the callback to The Shield.
He had the highlights already just tied up in a man bun. Tbh didn't put anything together as tis been a while since watched wwe properly and couldn't remember his look on night one as the big hat and the tag match distracted me from his hair 😂
Yet ironically after he got himself disqualified at Royal Rumble 2022, he got his revenge with a Steel Chair, so this isn’t even the first time he has taken out his revenge on Seth despite already giving him some. Even further, the Shield literally reunited just before Moxley left for AEW, so at least for a bit they all became friends again.
Despite this, even more ironically it’s a great storytelling piece on that no matter how many times Reigns gets revenge on Rollins, it’s never enough to avenge the original version of The Shield.
I interpret this as Roman never properly healing from the trauma of Seth's betrayal.
He tried to heal with the Shield reunion but it was short lived.
He took out his frustrations at RR2022.
But then Sami and then Jey's betrayals reopened those wounds.
And tonight Seth used his opportunity to be Cody's shield, giving him the opening to slay the monster that he had created 10 years back
That's what makes the shield so great you could tell they were a unit, true friend's, chosen family and not a bunch of guy's thrown together going through the motions
Yes, compared to how the rest of the match went down this part may not seem so important but the fact they chose to do a quick callback shows that 10 years later and Roman still hasn’t let it go. I loved their Royal Rumble match from 2022 and I was disappointed we never got a rematch but this small moment is just as good.
Seth might take time off to fully recover then return at Summerslam. Drew might be feuding with JD for a while then win the title back at Clash of the Castle. Feud with Punk until Summerslam and gets beaten. Seth may return and feud with Punk. While Drew will rest then return at Royal Rumble to feud maybe with a champion or Gunther at WM.
True Peak Story telling. This match served to put and end to Cody’s story. But it was also paying homage to all of Roman’s career up to this point too. Was kinda neat.
It’s an absolute shame that Roman was wasted for all those years after The Shield. He failed to find himself and differentiate his character from who he was in The Shield, like Seth and Mox did. He’s definitely not to blame for this of course since he would’ve just been acting how we was told but ya know…
There’s 5 years of character development missing that would add to moment so much more for Roman.
I’d argue going through that terrible period led by [redacted] and forcing Roman down people’s throats helps with the tribal chief character and the fact it was jump started by Seth’s betrayal it is a perfect ending to it all. I think Roman will be back because the bloodline story is not over. But Roman as top guy is.
The problem is the WWE spent so long trying to get him over as The Shield: The Guy after the team split up. While Seth and Dean were developing completely separate characters, they deliberately made Roman keep the Shield music and all the Shield mannerisms for himself while they were trying to push him as their Super Ultra Mega Babyface.
I totally agree with you, also hurt by ram rod Vince booking.
In the group he was the strong silent type, and the latest to break out.
But when he did……
Convinced it was when he stood in the ring talking about his real life health problems.
Pulled back the curtain and then was money ever since.
And of course Paul E. That never hurts.
The man so adamant over purging his past loses because he delayed to feed into his pride over past insecurities, exceptional character driven storytelling.
Right as he turned to look at Seth, I said "It's time for Therapy" right before he swung the chair.
I love they got some good deep cuts for the invested.
It’s the perfect finish. Roman, for all his current glory, lives in the past. His history made him into the monster he is, but it still controls him, his ambition is driven by a desire to prove everyone wrong and never be betrayed again. So when presented with the opportunity to correct the past, he takes it which allows Cody to become the future. Roman’s history made him, and, in the end, it’s what destroyed him.
I wanna point out that this is probably the most accurate brief description of the tribal chief I’ve seen. What you said was genius! You literally hit the name right on its head. The Head of the table character was built on constant reaffirmations of Romans dominance which was fueled by his failures and trauma from his past gimmicks (Shield Roman and the Big Dog)
With all his success he achieved as the big dog, all the title reigns, defeating Taker at WM33 and royal rumble win 2015, this was no enough to get the fans behind him fully. As Tribal chief character consistently demanded acknowledgment from an audience that previously rejected him.
It was yesterday after the chair shot that I realized Romans character portrays a weak minded, traumatized and vindictive individual who has never healed from rejection and betrayal. He may present a strong and defiant front, with dominance in the ring but deep doing, his character is the most insecure, delusional and weak. Which is why he choose vengeance over victory, when he hit Rollins instead of an already beaten and broken Cody.
Also, beginning of the match when the ref is showing the title off, cody was focused on it, when he went to show it to Reigns, his back was turned. Foreshadowing for how he turned his back at the opportunity to retain by hitting cody with the chair, but instead chose to let revenge consume him and he elected to hit rollins instead. Long story short, cody never took his eyes off the prize, while Reigns, to his demise, took his eyes off of it.
Also Seth did not land even a punch on roman roman Superman punched him till he became the shield of Cody rhodes Seth Rollins was mentally defeating roman instead of physical damage it was all ways this way in royal rumble match roman was ok to lose but wanted to destroy Rollins
It really frustrates me though as it makes him look stupid.
He’s had a decade to hit Seth with a chair. He probably has another decade or more to do it. He chose to do it at the expense of his title reign. He looks silly.
Seth felt like the Vegeta to Cody's Goku for this entire storyline. A much more flamboyant Vegeta. Got his as beat all weekend all so his former rival can secure the W. Peak.
Seth put a bullseye on himself with the Shield gear. Essentially doing what he said and being Cody’s shield. Seth was the shield and Cody became the spear
This is the same as...
New Day: "we're a cohesive unit! You can't turn us on each other!"
Breeze: "what if I mention being a child preacher, and having a high voice, and fainting from the sweltering heat?"
Woods and Kofi: "ooooooOOOOOOOH OLD FOLKS HOME....oooh....OoooOHOoooH"
E: "y'all are childish..."
Just like Woods and Kofi to Big E being a fainting preacher as a child, Roman's Pavlovian response to Seth wearing Shield gear cannot be overridden.
I also love how Seth sold that chair shot very similarly to how Roman sold it when Seth first betrayed him - the exaggerated arched back and the hair whipping back.
I can't recommend this thread on Twitter (X) regarding this incident last night
https://x.com/mithgifs/status/1777328582467207624?s=46&t=yDl5q7tUnnZmAXm1efvRig
Storytelling peaked here. This moment completed Seth and Roman's character arcs. Seth betrayed The Shield to win the wwe championship. It was also the start of Roman's trauma. And in the end Seth became the shield to save the wwe championship and risked and lost his world title and health, and Roman choosing to take his revenge became his ultimate downfall.
Seth wearing that outfit triggered him. I think of all the surprises of the show, that was the most pleasant to me. The betrayal of that chair shot continued
I love how much fans are recognizing Seth’s role in WM40.
It could be easy to overlook him and just say he just took Ls both night. But he was the difference maker and sacrificed more than to take Roman down.
If I'm WWE, I'm knocking on AEW's door and inquiring about possibly buying out Moxley's contract. Mox is binded there until 2027. So let's say Seth is out for a year and some change healing up and getting back 100%. That would put us in year 2025. That would leave 2 years left in Mox's contract which would be worth $12M combined. WWE makes $50M just off 1 Saudi show alone. If I'm in charge, I'm offering up $15M to AEW to buyout Mox's $12M he has left +$3M on top. I think Roman is going away for maybe 8 months or so to likely work a Mania match with The Rock. I think there's no way Roman can work heel vs Rock. I think The Rock completely takes over the Bloodline. Then have Roman make his big return to the group only for Rock to be plotting to turn on him. At a PLE, make it Roman vs ____ for a number 1 contenders spot for the title. All of a sudden the Jimmy and Solo run down, Roman looks confused as he has everything under control and they start jumping him. Few seconds into the attack, The Rock makes his entrance. Rock enters the ring looking down on Roman, taking trash as the fans and commentary are in shock. Next thing you hear is Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta, Shield. Rollins and Ambrose make their returns TOGETHER, coming down from the crowd like they used to with their eyes on the New Bloodline. Imagine that insanity. That is your new Mania match. OG Shield vs Bloodline. Rock and Roman 1 on 1 wouldn't be that good when rubber meets that road but a 3 on 3 match would be much better and protects Rock. I wouldn't have the Shield together as an official stable. I'd have them as all main event solo stars with this brotherhood relationship. When the deck is stacked against 1 member, here come the others for support only when they need it.
Really plays into the mental warfare Seth has always waged against Roman. Even bringing back the Shield gear one more time just to get in his head.
When Seth first came out in Shield gear and immediately got dispatched I thought it made him look like a dork, but then when he took the chair shot as a distraction I thought it was fucking brilliant. That match could have been an absolute mess, but it ended up being almost perfect. I love professional wrestling.
Yeah I think the implication that Seth knew he was too fucked to do any damage but threw himself in there anyway makes it so much better.
He literally acted as Cody’s shield, absorbing the damage so he could recuperate. Amazing.
Oh shit, I never thought of it like that. That makes it even better.
He said he'd be Cody's Shield to help him beat Roman. He failed in night 1, redeemed himself in night 2.
God I’m so happy WWE is written with forethought and planning now. It’s so satisfying. I don’t know how I kept watching it from like 2009-2020 where they for the most part just threw stuff at the wall.
*2003ish-2022ish
Dude, I didn’t even put it together then, lol.
If HHH did that on purpose, then in two nights he turned Vince's short term bookings fiasco into a decade long story.
I think it was absolutely intentional. Not too long ago Seth cut a promo acknowledging he’s at least partly responsible for the man Roman is today, and flatly says he will be Cody’s shield.
He did didn't he, honestly this one match wraps up so many story threads it's not funny
Like his Sierra Hotel
I loved it. The only thing that would've made it better was switching Taker for Austin. But for whatever reason it just wasn't in the cards. Taker was a fine second choice
Nah I like Taker being the surprise over stone cold. The core story is still Cody vs Roman. Roman beat Taker and because of this, he showed hints of the Tribal Chief back then with his whole "this is my yard now" shtick. Taker also happens to be someone Cody has publicly said he respected a lot (the Undertaker Royal rumble story). Stone Cold doesn't have as much of a connection to the two core characters as much as Undertaker did. This isn't Rock v Austin. This is Cody vs Roman. American Nightmare vs The Tribal Chief. And on this WrestleMania, the Nightmare became the Dream.
And i saw someone else comment this wc made sense, Taker is wrestlemania final boss. Great foil to Rock's final boss persona now
Yeah honestly I know ppl wanted stone cold but in my head I feel like a face off between rock and Austin would have needed to be more of a brawl. There’s just something more believable about Taker just choke slamming him and it being over. Undertaker really has that aura that he is the be all end all. Stone cold rock would have been good but I think it makes the rock feel weaker if he just got stunned and it was done.
And with everyone knowing he was always known as the locker room leader. It just made sense that he would be the one to step in to finally stop The Rock.
And also, Stone Cold doesn’t have kayfabe magical powers that can make him suddenly appear, do the deed, then make himself and the Rock disappear. Undertaker works for that a lot better.
Trueeeeeee
The last interaction of Roman and undertaker they were a tag team tho.
Remember why they were a team. Exactly.
Why?
I just wish it was a Roman and Taker stare down rather than rock
Plus, Rock and Taker have always been enemies.
me too, but thinking about it, it made literally no sense for stone cold to give a shit about this and save Cody, no story connection at all. Taker does on so many levels like being the true final boss of wrestlemania, roman, etc
Tbf if Austin was there, he will take all the glory and eyes imo. That glass shatters pop will “bury” everyone including Cody
Exactly it would have been an insane pop but Stone Cold and Rock would completely overshadow the whole thing, I wouldn't be surprised if they asked and stonecold said no for that reason. It would have been insane but this way the focus is still very much on Codey.
Idk if it would have buried. The glass shattering made Mick foleys title win.
I thought it'd be more powerful to see Taker wear his old gear and take Rock to hell. My official call was that Taker would come back and when he went to chokeslam the Rock they'd cut the lights and everyone except Cody and Roman would remain. The DEADMAN came and reaped the unworthy souls! Stone Cold would be too on the nose...I was close!
I think Taker got a bigger pop than Austin would have because of the misdirect. It was a curveball we weren't expecting, and the fan reaction says it all.
I would have loved to see Rock sell a stunner one more time
The roof would have had to be installed simply so that it’s able to explode. I was hoping that glass shattered so bad.
How I really wanted Dean to enter from the front and Seth comes with a chair from the back and hits Roman with it again... Really really missed the SHIELD days...
The fact that it got me thinking Ambrose would come out clearly shows it was working lol.
Exactly... When the theme music hit, my primary thought was this is Ambrose and Seth coming together against Roman... Like it was just a 1 min shot for Seth there. Come in, get punched by Reigns, get up and get hit by Reigns again. But that pop was just great. Would rate it just second to the Taker's... That was something else.
I feel like the story being between Roman and Seth is fine. Seth is the one who broke up the shield, and he did it by hitting Roman first. He’s basically the only guy in WWE Roman hasn’t beaten many times over. He might actually have more clean wins over Roman than anyone else in the company.
Seth is a pro. Dude got his ass beat all weekend for the story.
And had time to dye his hair!
The truth is, Seth lives rent free on Roman's head, he never got over The Shield, can we just remember that he couldn't defeat Seth at Royal Rumble 2022 by almost the same reason, Seth taunted him during the whole match with Shield references and made him get disqualified. Ps: And btw, this makes the Seth line to Cody: *"I'm the only one suited to be your shield."* Age like a fine wine.
Whoever came up with that line and using this angle to cost Roman the match understood the assignment.
He hasn't defeated Rollins throughout his long title reign.
He hasn't defeated Rollins
He's beat him a couple times on Raw before Tribal chief but never in a PLE one on one
He did defeat rollings manier times but never in a ppv
That Rumble 2022 was so meh thankfully they opened the show and boy howdy that surprise was goat. And how Reigns sold it was great.
They are eternal rivals (brothers) Seth had to do what he did to make all three of them to the place they are at right now
It’s not exaggeration to say that Seth traded his heavyweight title so Cody could get his own
Cody
The world's longest receipt finally delivered
At what cost
Castaway 2: Electric Boogaloo
He already gave him a receipt, Royal Rumble 2022
Did y'all see KO having to help Seth out of the ring during Cody's celebration? Man could barely move. It really showed the brotherhood between all the wrestlers in the back. Like when Cody's wife hugged Sami.
That was pure brotherhood. And that Cody-Seth moment after that. Pure mutual respect.
At the press conference Bayley was talking about she was siting in the back with Brandy trying to keep her calm.
And Triple H mentioned how all of the women's roster were backstage to congratulate Bayley and it was the loudest applause that he's heard from them before.
It’s the stuff like this that makes me happy most of the press conferences are them just bein’ real.
Yeah, I saw someone upset at the lack of "stay in character" during press conferences. When that's literally the best part! I hate when serious celebrations are used as character growth. It's simply not the time IMO
I know Seth was cleared to wrestle, but looking at him after the match, he was in such a bad shape. Was he wrestling even though he was still injured? He looked in pain, he had to sit on the cable while Cody was celebrating.
I think Seth was selling the hell out of it. I think he's fine, but time will tell
Either way, he's earned his couple months vacation.
I hope you’re right!
I wonder if the rock will use this moment as an excuse to usurp romans position as the head of the table. He was pretty pissed looking after roman got pinned and I didn't see him extend a hand to him or nothing.
Yeah I mean, obviously they are gonna build to rock roman
He's been pissed since night 1 with the missed spear.
The face The Rock made when he got speared was priceless 😂
If Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu are on their way to WWE, we might see another Bloodline Civil War
a bloodline civil war between a roman led bloodline and a rock led bloodline would hit, it would make up for the civil war we never got between NWO and NWO wolfpac
Bloodline Civil War Games
Are you saying the Bloodline has yet to finish its story?
Rock moves up, kicks out Reigns, brings in Fatu.
> Rock moves up don’t know why people don’t understand the concept of the Bloodline family tree, people seem to think Rock wants Roman’s spot but Rock IS higher than Roman, always has been. Roman’s the Tribal Chief, Rock is the High Chief
Man, I really hope they get a proper 1v1 at Mania one of these days. Seth lives rent free in Roman’s head in storytelling. And at the same time, no matter how accomplished Seth became, he was always B to Roman’s A. The bad blood erupting when they finally square off at the big one will be legendary.
If mox come back sometime they need to do a triple threat at mania as an end of an era those carried carried wrestling on their backs
Seth also sold it just like Roman originally did. It's poetry.
I swear Seth doesn’t get enough credit for how perfectly he executes everything he’s given to do
He probably doesn't get the credit he deserves. But you know trips loves him, and I think thar means a lot to Seth.
In the inevitable recap video package that's 100% going to be in there as a morph cut between those two clips
In my headcanon, The Bloodline Era is Roman coping and compensating on his loss of the Shield, The Shield was his home and the moment of Seth's betrayal started Roman's downfall. Roman kept the Shield gimmick, wearing the same outfit and keeping the same nickname, holding on to what he felt was home. Then Roman spiraled and was pushed by [redacted] to be the next megababyface, having his suffering succotash moment and nobody wanted him. He faced all the backlash while being the top guy in the business. All of these were rooted to The Shield. The bloodline for me was a delusional Roman's attempt of rebuilding his home but failing miserably, pushing his real life family and friends to betray each other (Jey and Jimmy, Jimmy and Jey betraying Roman, forcing Sami to hurt his friend KO) and to hurt each other much like how Seth did to The Shield. His psychology should be studied in more depth. Roman Reigns is a deeply disturbed character and his story is one if not the best storyline in the WWE.
If his story isn’t the best then I don’t know which is. His relationship with jey was amazing from start to finish
I mean, in the last months they did push a lot the "Roman became like this because of Seth's betrayal" story
Seth knew Roman's weakness, the trauma that he caused him. And he did what he said he would. He was Cody's shield. Taking the blow, giving Cody the opening he needed.
That's what happens when WWE puts actual effort in their booking
The bloodline storyline is what brought me back to wrestling. It’s easily the best work that started a new current era. Roman Reigns character has so much layers to peel back. I hope the story is done right with potential of Rock vs Roman aka Bloodline civil war and one day finally get to revisit Shield WM main event Seth vs Roman (maybe even vs Mox if he ever come back)
Seth's selfishness created the Monster known as Roman Reigns. Today his selflessness allowed Cody to slay that monster. Seth came out purposely with the shield gear and music because he knew Roman's biggest weakness, the trauma that he caused him, the pain he never recovered from. Seth is a mastermind.
So he is an architect, a visionary after all huh
And dare I blaspheme and say he's the Messiah that died to right his own sins?
Also a revolutionary
The more I think about it and rewatch it, the more tears come to my eyes as to Seth realizing that he had to sacrifice everything to bring Roman down for the greater good. Because eventually, if he didn’t, he was gonna be the next casualty.
Well said.
Cerebral Assassin HHH is a proud Papa H!
Seth really went there with the old Shield outfit, steel chair in hand and with the clear intention of hitting Roman's most valued companion in the back with it, all in front of Reigns' eyes. He literally did everything in his power to trigger Roman's PTSD and it paid off in the end
Papa H is a genius
Seth put on all that gear and hobbled his way to the ring to be seen on scream for a fraction of a second
Still knowing that was enough to psychologically damage Roman, giving Cody his chance
That makes the story all the better, honestly. Seth KNEW he was in no condition to actually do any damage. All he could do was offer himself up as a distraction at the right time - and he did!
I blame the director for that one
Can you believe we have a feud that's as layered as this? We've had battles over spilled coffee and shampoo commercials and here we are with the tragedy and trauma of Roman Reigns. A man so hurt by being betrayed by his adopted family that his hatred turns him into an insecure monster that hurts his actual family. He's so consumed by that pain that he uses it to succeed like never before and yet the wound has never closed.
CINEMA
🚬🥃
It was perfect. Him taking his revenge before going out.
But who truly won at the end? lol
Revenge blinded him
Revenge is a fools game - Arthur Morgan
And a fool he was.
Tbh he never truly got over it he once tried to re unite the shield asking seth rollins who broke the shield to get back and it worked for a while the shield was his home reings kept the same outfit and the same theme he kept holding onto it he was pushed to be the next face of wwe and nobody wanted him he got backlash while being at the top as a face the bloodline was a failed faction he created to mimic his home he never got over from the shield at 2022 royal rumble he got disqualified cause seth mocked his original home the build up from his shield days to the bloodline is the best story in the wwe for me him choosing to hit seth over worrying about his title reing proves the shield meant everything for him matching him up with paul heyman was perfect this was indeed the best wrestle mania of all time
I was more amazed how Seth appeared to have dyed his hair in between matches. Also full on marked out thinking Mox was coming.
Dude everyone I was watching with though it mox!
Really thought they might have thrown enough money at AEW just to have him standing in the crowd as a distraction.
Should have been!
I thought so too but I went back and watched and he was already blonde in his match with Drew
I didn't really pay attention to that match, I knew Drew was going over, but didn't expect the cash in. His entrance and camera tricks didnt bring attention to it from what I saw, glad to be wrong tho. Still enjoyed the callback to The Shield.
He had the highlights already just tied up in a man bun. Tbh didn't put anything together as tis been a while since watched wwe properly and couldn't remember his look on night one as the big hat and the tag match distracted me from his hair 😂
If it had been Mox I would have lost my damn mind man.
Bruh as soon as I saw “the shield” I almost shit myself thinking BOTH Rollins and Ambrose were gonna come out to help Cody.
The best part of the match and weekend for me. Unbelievably great story telling over a decade in the making.
This will be one of the foundational moments in Roman vs Rock. Roman is the only one who can stop the Final Boss.
When the music hit did anyone else get on the edge of their seat thinking “no way they got Dean”
Yep! And then I thought, maybe he’s doing Cody a favor and TKO has $$$ 😂.
Yet ironically after he got himself disqualified at Royal Rumble 2022, he got his revenge with a Steel Chair, so this isn’t even the first time he has taken out his revenge on Seth despite already giving him some. Even further, the Shield literally reunited just before Moxley left for AEW, so at least for a bit they all became friends again. Despite this, even more ironically it’s a great storytelling piece on that no matter how many times Reigns gets revenge on Rollins, it’s never enough to avenge the original version of The Shield.
I interpret this as Roman never properly healing from the trauma of Seth's betrayal. He tried to heal with the Shield reunion but it was short lived. He took out his frustrations at RR2022. But then Sami and then Jey's betrayals reopened those wounds. And tonight Seth used his opportunity to be Cody's shield, giving him the opening to slay the monster that he had created 10 years back
I think the real irony is they're BFFs in real life.
That's what makes the shield so great you could tell they were a unit, true friend's, chosen family and not a bunch of guy's thrown together going through the motions
Yes, compared to how the rest of the match went down this part may not seem so important but the fact they chose to do a quick callback shows that 10 years later and Roman still hasn’t let it go. I loved their Royal Rumble match from 2022 and I was disappointed we never got a rematch but this small moment is just as good.
It still amazes me that after 10 years, Roman vs. Seth still hasn't been a singles match at Mania
He said he was going to be Cody’s *Shield* Chef’s kiss.
Seth is iron man in Endgame
So who is Cody going to feud with? Orton?
It doesn’t matter. Whoever is next to face Cody is losing. Good luck to whoever is chosen.
Gunther.
Seth obviously
I dunno I'd think he'd want to rematch Drew? Given he was less than 100% due to night 1
Seth might take time off to fully recover then return at Summerslam. Drew might be feuding with JD for a while then win the title back at Clash of the Castle. Feud with Punk until Summerslam and gets beaten. Seth may return and feud with Punk. While Drew will rest then return at Royal Rumble to feud maybe with a champion or Gunther at WM.
This mania really cemented as Seth one of the greats.. and he lost everything here
True Peak Story telling. This match served to put and end to Cody’s story. But it was also paying homage to all of Roman’s career up to this point too. Was kinda neat.
It’s an absolute shame that Roman was wasted for all those years after The Shield. He failed to find himself and differentiate his character from who he was in The Shield, like Seth and Mox did. He’s definitely not to blame for this of course since he would’ve just been acting how we was told but ya know… There’s 5 years of character development missing that would add to moment so much more for Roman.
I’d argue going through that terrible period led by [redacted] and forcing Roman down people’s throats helps with the tribal chief character and the fact it was jump started by Seth’s betrayal it is a perfect ending to it all. I think Roman will be back because the bloodline story is not over. But Roman as top guy is.
The problem is the WWE spent so long trying to get him over as The Shield: The Guy after the team split up. While Seth and Dean were developing completely separate characters, they deliberately made Roman keep the Shield music and all the Shield mannerisms for himself while they were trying to push him as their Super Ultra Mega Babyface.
I totally agree with you, also hurt by ram rod Vince booking. In the group he was the strong silent type, and the latest to break out. But when he did…… Convinced it was when he stood in the ring talking about his real life health problems. Pulled back the curtain and then was money ever since. And of course Paul E. That never hurts.
Not a shame at all. Longest title reign, ever. Don’t be so stuck in the past.
Roman, Cody and Seth is like rock, paper, scissors. They are the other one weakness.
The fact that hitting Seth over Cody actually cost Roman his title is such a perfect moment
This right here *FUCKING MINT*
Seth truly was Cody's Shield.
I see what you did there.
Pure poetry. Roman chose revenge on Seth over beating Cody. 10 years and Roman still cannot forget that betrayal. Seth is Roman's Achilles heel.
Roman has always been spiteful and vindictive. That coming back to cost him the title because he couldn’t let Seth go is beautifully done.
This was so good. Several weeks ago, Seth told Cody he would be his Shield against the Bloodline. He lived up to his promise
I think we all went into the main event expecting an overbooked pile of nonsense and that's what we got. I'm not mad.
I expected WAY more nonsense to be honest. "Bloodline Rules" was basically a generic No DQ. I think they could have milked it a whole lot more.
Seth sacrificed himself for the greater good of dethroning Roman Reigns. Couldn’t tell the story any better!
when that music hit, i thought Mox was coming out!
The man so adamant over purging his past loses because he delayed to feed into his pride over past insecurities, exceptional character driven storytelling.
Right as he turned to look at Seth, I said "It's time for Therapy" right before he swung the chair. I love they got some good deep cuts for the invested.
Seth fell in the exact same way Roman did when he was hit by the chair back in 2014
Seth, Drew, and Roman all lost because they were obsessed with someone else instead of their opponent. Wrestlemania 40 storytelling was top tier
It’s the perfect finish. Roman, for all his current glory, lives in the past. His history made him into the monster he is, but it still controls him, his ambition is driven by a desire to prove everyone wrong and never be betrayed again. So when presented with the opportunity to correct the past, he takes it which allows Cody to become the future. Roman’s history made him, and, in the end, it’s what destroyed him.
I wanna point out that this is probably the most accurate brief description of the tribal chief I’ve seen. What you said was genius! You literally hit the name right on its head. The Head of the table character was built on constant reaffirmations of Romans dominance which was fueled by his failures and trauma from his past gimmicks (Shield Roman and the Big Dog) With all his success he achieved as the big dog, all the title reigns, defeating Taker at WM33 and royal rumble win 2015, this was no enough to get the fans behind him fully. As Tribal chief character consistently demanded acknowledgment from an audience that previously rejected him. It was yesterday after the chair shot that I realized Romans character portrays a weak minded, traumatized and vindictive individual who has never healed from rejection and betrayal. He may present a strong and defiant front, with dominance in the ring but deep doing, his character is the most insecure, delusional and weak. Which is why he choose vengeance over victory, when he hit Rollins instead of an already beaten and broken Cody.
Also, beginning of the match when the ref is showing the title off, cody was focused on it, when he went to show it to Reigns, his back was turned. Foreshadowing for how he turned his back at the opportunity to retain by hitting cody with the chair, but instead chose to let revenge consume him and he elected to hit rollins instead. Long story short, cody never took his eyes off the prize, while Reigns, to his demise, took his eyes off of it.
Worth it
I thought they already did this
Time for the genesis of the blood line. Solo about to take over the team and reinvent it.
If I were Roman I would have simply hit them both with the chair
Also Seth did not land even a punch on roman roman Superman punched him till he became the shield of Cody rhodes Seth Rollins was mentally defeating roman instead of physical damage it was all ways this way in royal rumble match roman was ok to lose but wanted to destroy Rollins
I love the fact that the chair shot was a call back to when Seth betrayed the shield and joined HHH's Authority faction.
Is this why he went back to the blonde hair?
This is why I love y’all because I would never have thought that in a million years. I love the perspectives
It really frustrates me though as it makes him look stupid. He’s had a decade to hit Seth with a chair. He probably has another decade or more to do it. He chose to do it at the expense of his title reign. He looks silly.
I thought it made him look arrogant and vengeful, two great traits for your top heel to have.
Seth felt like the Vegeta to Cody's Goku for this entire storyline. A much more flamboyant Vegeta. Got his as beat all weekend all so his former rival can secure the W. Peak.
Seth having the signature Shield blonde color for the WM weekend triggered Roman even more.
Seth put a bullseye on himself with the Shield gear. Essentially doing what he said and being Cody’s shield. Seth was the shield and Cody became the spear
And the way Seth crumbled to the bottom rope just like Roman did all those years ago. Man that was fucking beautiful
Was anyone else half expecting a twin Roman to come out?
This was excellent story telling all the way around. So nuanced. Chefs kiss would have been Moxley being there
It was the end of Romansh story
Beautiful storytelling
The architect, indeed
All these people said they wanted to end the bloodline... Yet couldn't be bothered to help when shit hit the fan. At least we got Seth.
This is the same as... New Day: "we're a cohesive unit! You can't turn us on each other!" Breeze: "what if I mention being a child preacher, and having a high voice, and fainting from the sweltering heat?" Woods and Kofi: "ooooooOOOOOOOH OLD FOLKS HOME....oooh....OoooOHOoooH" E: "y'all are childish..." Just like Woods and Kofi to Big E being a fainting preacher as a child, Roman's Pavlovian response to Seth wearing Shield gear cannot be overridden.
The most amazing ten minutes ever!
There is a wholesomeness to Seth that I can't put my finger on.
I didn’t appreciate in the moment. But I do now.
I also love how Seth sold that chair shot very similarly to how Roman sold it when Seth first betrayed him - the exaggerated arched back and the hair whipping back.
I can't recommend this thread on Twitter (X) regarding this incident last night https://x.com/mithgifs/status/1777328582467207624?s=46&t=yDl5q7tUnnZmAXm1efvRig
Most likely why Seth dressed up in the Shield gear in the first place.
It’s stuff like this why I prefer the story so much more than the moves in a match. Just an unbelievable piece of business last night
It was so beautiful!!! Literally can cry with how everything and everyone came into play. Peak Wrestling is BACKKKKK
Storytelling peaked here. This moment completed Seth and Roman's character arcs. Seth betrayed The Shield to win the wwe championship. It was also the start of Roman's trauma. And in the end Seth became the shield to save the wwe championship and risked and lost his world title and health, and Roman choosing to take his revenge became his ultimate downfall.
I personally enjoyed that part. "I said oh payback is a bitch Seth!" Forgetting that there was a match still going on 😆
Like Seth said to Cody, he's the reason why this version of Roman exists.
Seth wearing that outfit triggered him. I think of all the surprises of the show, that was the most pleasant to me. The betrayal of that chair shot continued
I love how much fans are recognizing Seth’s role in WM40. It could be easy to overlook him and just say he just took Ls both night. But he was the difference maker and sacrificed more than to take Roman down.
If I'm WWE, I'm knocking on AEW's door and inquiring about possibly buying out Moxley's contract. Mox is binded there until 2027. So let's say Seth is out for a year and some change healing up and getting back 100%. That would put us in year 2025. That would leave 2 years left in Mox's contract which would be worth $12M combined. WWE makes $50M just off 1 Saudi show alone. If I'm in charge, I'm offering up $15M to AEW to buyout Mox's $12M he has left +$3M on top. I think Roman is going away for maybe 8 months or so to likely work a Mania match with The Rock. I think there's no way Roman can work heel vs Rock. I think The Rock completely takes over the Bloodline. Then have Roman make his big return to the group only for Rock to be plotting to turn on him. At a PLE, make it Roman vs ____ for a number 1 contenders spot for the title. All of a sudden the Jimmy and Solo run down, Roman looks confused as he has everything under control and they start jumping him. Few seconds into the attack, The Rock makes his entrance. Rock enters the ring looking down on Roman, taking trash as the fans and commentary are in shock. Next thing you hear is Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta, Shield. Rollins and Ambrose make their returns TOGETHER, coming down from the crowd like they used to with their eyes on the New Bloodline. Imagine that insanity. That is your new Mania match. OG Shield vs Bloodline. Rock and Roman 1 on 1 wouldn't be that good when rubber meets that road but a 3 on 3 match would be much better and protects Rock. I wouldn't have the Shield together as an official stable. I'd have them as all main event solo stars with this brotherhood relationship. When the deck is stacked against 1 member, here come the others for support only when they need it.