The Bloodline is the hottest faction WWE has created since The Shield. With all due respect to The OC, Judgment Day, and even the Brawling Brutes, no one can touch Roman Reigns' star power right now. Some combination of the group has been involved in nearly every episode of Raw or SmackDown over the last several months, as they've been a staple of both shows and several premium live events. And the inner conflict feels more like a Martin Scorsese-directed mob drama than pro wrestling, which is in no way bad.
Not only does the faction hold all the major men's titles, but WWE's audience hasn't soured on them as they've continued to dominate. Between how commanding The Usos have been as tag-team champions, and how over Sami Zayn Uso has gotten organically, The Bloodline is on top of the wrestling world. That's where Triple H can look back at the breakup of The Shield and take a valuable lesson from that faction's demise and apply it to this modern story.
WWE Can't Wait Too Long To Split Up The Bloodline
Seth Rollins' betrayal of The Shield was perfect because virtually no one saw it coming. There was no reason to believe that WWE would dissolve the faction then, as evidenced by the shocked live crowd's reaction in June 2014. The line "there's always a plan b" from Triple H still rings in fans' ears. So does Seth's backstabbing chair shot to an unsuspecting Roman Reigns. "These guys were on top of the world; why in the world would Seth Rollins do this?" a shocked JBL would ask as the then-Arcitecht assaulted his now-former brothers with the chair, leaving the crowd stunned before they started a resounding "you sold out" chant. Heel turns don't get much more effective than this. Especially since no one was expecting it from Rollins. Given his on-edge persona, Jon Moxley (FKA Dean Ambrose) seemed likelier to turn to the dark side. Like The Bloodline, The Shield was the most over act in the business, and WWE made the bold choice to shake things up before anything got stale. It's tough to argue with the results of that booking decision.
This is the lesson Triple H, and his writing team can learn from the implosion of The Shield. The plug must be pulled before audiences tire of the faction. WWE's audience doesn't seem to be there yet, but they weren't when Seth Rollins delivered the chair shot heard 'round the world, either. Because Vince McMahon decided to commit to the heel turn when he did, the resulting propulsion landed all three former Shield members at or near the top of their respective divisions.
Reigns was named the No. 1 wrestler of the year in the PWI500 in 2022, and it's impossible to argue with that. Even fans who are work-rate junkies and prefer the likes of Kenny Omega have to respect Roman's run as WWE's unified champion. The Tribal Chief is the main event attraction McMahon envisioned he'd be all those years ago; it just took him some time to put the pieces together. Rollins, of course, is a staple of Monday Night Raw and one of the most consistently excellent wrestlers in the business. He's been at the head of Triple H's new-look United States Championship picture, which has been the red brand's top title since Reigns won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38. Jon Moxley has evolved into AEW's ace and carried the company on his back while The Elite, CM Punk, and others were more concerned with in-fighting than getting over on television.
A Dissolved Bloodline Will Create More Stars For WWE Too
Just as the Shield created three huge wrestling stars—undoubtedly three of the top stars going today—the eventual breakup of The Bloodline will have a similar effect. It's tough to imagine Roman Reigns feeling like a bigger deal, but the rest of the faction will be propelled to even greater heights once this whole thing eventually erupts. Zayn could eventually become the top babyface in WWE, depending on how the rest of this story plays out. If Reigns and the Usos stab the lovable, affable Zayn in the back after all he's done, he'll be one of the most sympathetic good guys in recent memory. Please don't sleep on the reaction he could get by pulling the wool over Reigns' eyes, either.
Jimmy and Jey Uso are also 37 and have virtually nothing left to prove as a tag team. There's a chance that they will get split in the coming months, as the commentary team has taken to the phrase "main event Jey Uso" recently. He's proven he can carry a ton of water as a solo act, and WWE fans could see a break similar to what happened with the Hardy Boyz, which created two new solo stars for the company.
Solo Sikoa's ceiling is tremendously high as a 29-year-old who has already carved out a real niche for himself on the main roster. He's been put over as the most formidable member of The Bloodline and has been framed as the faction's enforcer. When Roman Reigns is standing shoulder to shoulder, that's saying a lot, as he was the muscle of The Shield many moons ago. Some fans have speculated that The Rock is the one who sent Sikoa to save The Bloodline at Clash At The Castle, which would be incredibly intriguing. WWE still has some runway left with the group but must take a page from The Shield's playbook and not run it into the ground before taking the story in another direction.