Raw » The Shield Explain Why They Attacked Mark Henry & More

- There was a backstage joke going around at Money in the Bank, saying the crowd in Philadelphia was larger than the total crowds combined for the time that Rob Van Dam worked for TNA.

- WWE aired a video on the App last night of The Shield discussing why they attacked Mark Henry. Dean Ambrose said Henry could have been anything he wanted in WWE but he’s a disappointment because he’s not hungry and has no heart. Ambrose says Henry won’t get another shot at the WWE Title because he doesn’t deserve one. Ambrose added that there’s not a lot of time left for guys like Henry.

Roman Reigns called Henry an old dog and told him to go home and sit his big butt on the couch. Seth Rollins said The Shield are the most important thing going and Henry is just a clog of injustice in a system that should have been shut down a long time ago.

NEWS: Changes to The Shield evident in post-loss promo (w/Analysis of the group vs. individuals)

The Shield's trio of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns have always had individual personalities, but those personalities previously blended together to form one, solid unit.

Now, WWE is beginning to spread out and reinforce individual characteristics as part of changes to the group.

With The Shield having lost two six-man tag matches in two weeks, it's clear that changes are coming to the group. This was evident in a three-minute video promo released on WWE's website following The Shield's loss to Christian & The Usos in a six-man tag on Friday's Smackdown. (The promo can be viewed HERE on WWE.com.)

- U.S. champion Dean Ambrose: Ambrose is taking on the characteristics of an arrogant heel who over-states his importance. Ambrose has always been the more vocal leader of the group, but now he is beginning to look and feel like the typical undersized WWE heel whose bark is stronger than his bite.

In the post-loss promo, Ambrose called himself the most-important singles champion in WWE, an obvious boast when he's holding a second-tier title. Ambrose then tore into Christian, asking if he's washed up or "just a veteran," which will set up Christian and his fanbase looking for Ambrose to get comeuppance.

What separates Ambrose from other "undersized WWE heels" is how convincing he is as a diabolical vilain, which will eventually make him and WWE a lot of money down the road when he's a singles wrestler.

- Tag champion Roman Reigns: Reigns's change is most-intriguing. Throughout the post-loss promo, Reigns sat quietly next to Ambrose holding a serious, confident tone for the camera.

In the beginning, Reigns was the quiet muscle who was given one or two lines, then did his talking in the ring via The Spear. But, it seemed like Reigns was only given a few lines because he wasn't ready to do more talking.

Now, it feels like Reigns is only given a few lines because his character is ultra-confident and doesn't need more than a few words to make his point. He's almost become the "quiet strength" leader of the group, not "quiet muscle" whose only function is to beat people up and take orders.

In the post-loss promo, Reigns exuded a certain charisma, poise, and posture that made him look like a future top star. He has the pedigree because he's The Rock's cousin, and now he's developing the poise and right facial expressions that come with being a top star.

- Tag champion Seth Rollins: Rollins's character has probably changed the least of the three, playing the role of the out-spoken, hot-head who will do crazy things for "the cause" of The Shield.

In this post-loss promo, Rollins simply walked around in the background for three minutes selling frustration, anger, and inner-turmoil over The Shield's six-man tag loss on Smackdown. Rollins disappeared for a few seconds, returned to the camera shot in the background, and made his presence known only when appropriate without distracting from Ambrose's speech.

Rollins was spot-on in his portrayal of inner-turmoil ready to explode outwardly, making him stand out without over-shadowing.

Caldwell's Analysis: Overall, the group still has the presence and feel of a big deal, even though WWE curiously booked them to lose to the weakest three-man unit formed against them during their WWE run. It doesn't appear that the group is doomed; it feels more like WWE wants to accentuate some individual characteristics going forward to being Stage 2 of The Shield's run. It would be a good idea to return Shield to their winning ways - and over legit opposition - to make sure the audience still takes them seriously. And, fortunately for Shield, not too many people are watching Smackdown right now, so WWE can still keep the group strong on Raw and PPVs. It remains to be seen, though, with WWE's booking changing from week-to-week.

Source : Pwtorch

Matchcard » Payback 2013 » WWE Tag Team Title Match

It was announced on tonight’s RAW that Fandango has been pulled from Payback due to a concussion and that The Shield will be defending their titles. Here’s the updated card: 

Three Stages of Hell for the WWE Title
John Cena (c) vs Ryback

World Heavyweight Title Match
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Alberto Del Rio

WWE Intercontinental Title Match
Wade Barrett (c) vs The Miz

WWE Tag Team Title Match
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns (c) vs Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton

WWE United States Title Match
Dean Ambrose (c) vs Kane

CM Punk's Return Match
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho 

Pre-Show Match
Sheamus vs Damien Sandow

WWE Launching A 'Talent Review System' For New Performance Center

WWE posted a new job listing Friday for a Performance Center General Manager.

The job listing also includes more details on the Performance Center. WWE plans to launch a "Talent Review System" later this year, which the GM would oversee. From their official listing:

"The new Performance Center will give WWE the ability to train more potential performers than ever before through a comprehensive program including in-ring training, physical preparedness, and character development." 

"Supervise the development and manage the day-to-day process of WWE's Talent Review System that will be implemented in late 2013. The overall review process will entail working with senior leaders from Stamford and the WWE Performance Center on the execution of this bi-annual program focused on accelerating the development of our Orlando-based Superstars."