Shield Reunion and the Dean Situation
The Shield has always been beyond what WWE want it to be, at least in its last couple of runs. Its three men with mutual respect for each other as the work horses of the company they took over as theirs getting the chance to work together as one. Share the ring and a bond with the group that define their career and story. Shield shared a story that pierced through the characters they played and affected the men behind those characters.
Roman, Dean and Seth all were visibly shaken up when Roman made his announcement. That moment they shared with their Shield pose was haunted by a dark cloud. All three men didn’t know if they would ever get a chance to be together again as the Shield. A lot of stuff happened since then. All the hell broke loose for Dean with Roman being gone. He’s not a guy who’ll take shit that’s against everything he stands for. I genuinely believe lot of his frustrations came from the Roman situation and how WWE forced him to use something that was hurting him emotionally a lot for storyline purpose. And in the end it all served no purpose whatsoever and his heel turn fell flat. He was back to square one.
I honestly believe this ‘one last time’ reunion is more personal than anything else. Like I can go into deep details and analyze stuff but at the end of the day, the vibe I got off of it all was that these three men behind these three characters getting to have one final run as a unit that defined them all the best during the course of their careers cuz they might never get a chance to do this ever again.
Roman has been through an experience that has made him grateful for little things in the world. I know he would love to have his best friend stick around, be his road partner, but Roman’s also a very considerate guy. He would want what’s best for Dean. I’m getting a feeling that if Dean really leaves in the end - which I’m strongly feeling at this point - maybe he’s got some personal reasons rather than something business related. He’s happy ever since Roman returned. You can easily see it in his face and the way he’s performing. I don’t doubt that Roman is on the quest to get his contract situation sorted out, but at the same time last night’s events made me feel like Roman has made peace with whatever Dean decides. He’s gonna enjoy his boy as long as he has with him in WWE.
According to recent reports Dean hasn’t signed a new contract yet, and he’s not been given the creative control he wants but everything else has been offered. So nothing has changed basically. Maybe Roman wants to give Dean a good send off, hence the way they reunited. I also feel like when they are together as a unit, most of their stuff comes straight from them. So yeah, the emotional moments, the dramatic turns, I give all credit to the boys. Roman is influential backstage nowadays and after what he went through and still came back to WWE, I’m sure they wanna give him whatever he wants cuz they owe it to him. And WWE can be nice when it wants, with the people it wants.
So the point I’m trying to make here is, this reunion really is not based on storylines and long sorted out plots. Its not that deep and that’s how I feel. This reunion is for a possibly departing Dean, and sending him out on a high note alongside his best friend who loves him a lot. Roman and Dean deserve to spent these last few months together in case Dean’s leaving cuz they both have been through a lot in last few months and maybe that’s the one good thing WWE can offer Roman cuz they certainly can’t give Dean what he wants.
I also see some people complaining bout Dean not paying for what he did and Roman wanting him back like nothing happened…Lmao, its sad how many people claim to be fan of these boys but have no understanding of their characters whatsoever. Its like they don’t hear what Dean says, don’t watch the way he acts. Seth and Dean both have characters with ton of layers, there’s no black and white with them. Roman’s always been the guy who’s all heart and love. He’s the only saint out of the three. And at the end of the day, its widely acknowledged how badly botched Dean’s heel run really was and now he’s leaving WWE cuz of constant bullshit thrown his way. How are people having a hard time accepting this after his situation became such a public knowledge is a little strange to me. I mean, plot holes from WWE are widely accepted as a normal occurrence. Why can’t we have it for the sake of Dean departing on a high note and his best friends sending him off the way they want? Right by his side.
I would also like to add that Dean’s turn was based on emotional turmoil, and it was evident losing Roman fucked him up royally. People say ‘for what he did to Roman’ and I’m like, he said some disgusting shit, but he put himself right in the same category as Roman. He implied him and Roman paid for their sins, and Seth still had to. Dean never went out to insult Roman, or called him names. Or said he never cared. He never even threw Seth’s past in his face. He was mentally in a bad place and he snapped. THAT’s the plot Dean was selling. No brainer. Then WWE creative stepped in and ruined the whole emotionally loaded storyline with their lazy disgusting bullshit that was filled with plot holes and ugly shit that made no sense and ruined Dean who suffered through such a personal blow to gain nothing in the end. Dean’s character NEVER recovered from that, and it got so bad that Dean decided to leave. We never found out the reasons and motives behind Dean’s doings, we never found out the reasons behind those tears. We never got the answers to those hints Dean dropped.
So really, what exactly should Roman be mad bout at him? His best friend, the man who was emotionally broken found a family in Roman. He found someone he could trust, love, without the fear of being betrayed by him ever. Roman has been the only one who has stood by Dean even when Dean was acting out. Whether it was over insecurities or his emotional issues. We have been led to believe Roman knows, understands and handles Dean better than anyone else can. So how can Roman not understand what has been going on with Dean? I see people saying Roman’s naive, but I think people are understating his character here. He has always taken great pride in being Dean’s only family. Roman no sold Seth’s reminder of Dean’s betrayal, its like he didn’t want to acknowledge it. Cuz really, he’s Dean’s best friend and knows him suffering such an ill fate and leaving Dean alone was meant to destroy his best friend mentally and emotionally. He accepts Dean’s flaws. He wants his family back. He KNOWS he can have him back. That’s what matters to him. He understands Dean’s turn was triggered by the news of his illness, and he knows now that he’s back he can have his Dean back too. Dean wasn’t greedy or some puppet…Dean acted like a mentally ill person. Roman knows Dean too well to not know that.
Seth on the other hand, he was rightfully wary. But he showed so much character and growth. He has always been selfish, but for once he wasn’t. He might not have such an open mind when it comes to Dean, cuz Dean and Seth don’t have a bond like Roman and Dean. But for Roman’s sake, he’s willing to be the bigger man. He also still cares bout Dean, and the Shield. I think the whole episode was beautifully done considering the awkward situation and the fucked up storyline him and Dean suffered post Roman’s departure. Also, Roman never asked Seth to apologize, and Seth had directly and selfishly hurt him for personal gains unlike Dean. So, basically if you understand Roman’s character, everything did make sense. Seth showed growth. Dean showed emotional vulnerability he should have based his heel run on but creative fucked it up. Roman showed what real life is all bout. Family. Love. Bonding. Living in the moment.
I hope people can look past the shitty part of WWE’s writing and just enjoy Dean with his brothers one last time, cuz we probably will never get a chance to ever have this again. That’s the feel I got. From Roman, from Seth, and even from WWE. These three men share a very deep bond, specially Dean and Roman. They should get a chance to celebrate it before their brother leaves for good.
