I worry about Bray's character. After he gets done with Cena, he's pretty much got to go for the WWEWHC. Anything else would be a let-down. If they don't put him in that scene right away, they're going to have to find a way for him to keep topping himself over and over, getting more and more sinister. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, but eventually, he'll lose the crowd or they'll have to turn him face (the latter being a terrible idea at this point and it might be impossible).
Roman is the designated "Next Big Thing". What I worry about is that he hasn't really stood over and above the other Shield members like Rocky did with NoD. I agree that he needs a lot of work on several aspects of his character before he can carry the company. He shows flashes of brilliance, but that's countered by an abundance of "meh". They're going to have to be very creative and proactive to get him anywhere near where he needs to be by Mania (where it's rumored he will compete for the title).
Which brings me to Wade Barrett. I remember reading a rumor around here somewhere that Vince is very high on Barrett and thinks he's the total package, an opinion a lot of the IWC had when he was leading the Nexus (of course, then his character cooled a bit and much of the IWC turned on him like piranha smelling blood in the water......which is fairly typical [HASHTAG]#johncena[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#cmpunk[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#danielbryan[/HASHTAG]). I hope Barrett gets a very long IC reign (he's got the chops to make the title important again, much like what Cody was doing with it a couple of years ago) before being pushed up to go after the big title.
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I'm with you on Bray. It's one of those situations where there's no place to go but down. I remember a thread discussing what Bray's position on the card was (midcard, main event etc), and the consensus was that at this point, it really depends on who he's feuding with. When the guy is working with Cena, he feels like a big deal, but he isn't established yet. If he starts feuding with a Dolph Ziggler afterwards, he's going to feel like a midcarder, so we'd have to put him in a program with someone as important as Cena or more. But is there anyone there, besides Daniel Bryan? No. They've worked with the Shield already. A CM Punk return would actually help here, but that's beside the point. It's a fact that he has to go with someone important right after this Cena feud.
Roman I also think needs some work. It was wise to keep the Shield united, because they can't have Reigns floundering around if he's going to be a big star. But if he's going to be in important storylines, he has to be up to the task as a performer, and is that the case? Not sure. He's over and has that main event aura, has been booked wonderfully, but what about his singles ring work and promos? Not sure he's at main event level in those aspects. They do have to work with this guy then, a lot, and I don't think he'll be ready by next year's WM to work with Rock or anything (would be a great match, when Roman is ready).
Wade Barrett, as I said, I'm on the fence on whether they like him or not because let's face it, the dude has been terribly booked for very long, but that seems to have changed. I think Barrett is pretty much ready, you just have to look at his Nexus work before he was buried. I think a long, credible IC title reign is just what they need to make him credible and over again. If he's always in a relevant program and isn't forgotten (as they tend to do), he will be a main eventer soon. And it'll be proof that they really do like him, because for them to book the IC title properly... well, there has to be a reason.
