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| A return of Durty Curty would've been way better than t urning Rollins Photo Credit: WWE.com |
1. Johnny Curtis
The front office seems to hold Curtis in high esteem. He won NXT Season 4, was a mainstay on NXT Redemption, got repackaged as a huge deal with the Fandango gimmick, and was even name-dropped by Triple H in a positive manner before WrestleMania. Fandango really is at a dead-end spot right now, being used as fodder for a traditional WWE "wimmenz be fightin' over da cawk lol" feud between Layla and Summer Rae. All three competitors deserve far, far better, and a spot as the protege in the new Evolution would have been a perfect reset point for his career.
2. Sheamus
Sheamus wouldn't so much fill the old Randy Orton role in the group as he'd be a younger, better Batista. In fact, replacing Batista with an upgraded model might have provided a perfect jumping-back-in point for The Animal when he gets back from the press junket for Guardians of the Galaxy. Anyway, Sheamus' addition to the group would add an extra layer of "Reality Era" sheen to the group. Trips has already made working Internet urban legends into his persona, and Sheamus publicly acknowledged the rumors that he was Trips'"workout buddy" back when that dustup he had with Hunico/Sin Cara broke. Plus, he has barely anything to do right now other than the standard WWE secondary Champion protocol, AND he took said title from Dean Ambrose in a fairly shady manner. He would have been a perfect addition.
3. Kassius Ohno
The rumored reason for his departure from WWE last year was that he refused to listen to Trips' suggestions backstage to hit the gym more often. Again, "Reality Era" implications would dictate that Ohno sold out to get his job back. Since he shares similar independent roots as Rollins and Ambrose, he would also fit into a certain "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality that suggests defeat of The Shield requires personnel who are like them. He's also been saying all the right things out of character, which would indicate that the release was more amicable than some might have thought it to be, and he'd already have had a good year-plus of seasoning in the developmental system that would have allowed him to bypass going back to NXT.
4. Mojo Rawley
Rawley right now is an amorphous blob of a character whose gimmick is that he doesn't get hype, he STAYS HYPE. Which is to say, he doesn't have a gimmick at all. The only place where his main character trope of having LIMITLESS POTENTIAL works would be in a group that has a slot open for someone with, you guessed it, limitless potential. Admittedly, his inclusion into the group wouldn't so much help it with its lack of crowd reaction problem, but being attached to both Trips and Randy Orton might help him find his way a little better. Like Rawley, H and Orton had problems getting over and finding sweet spots for their characters early on, but were able to attain some kind of success later on in their careers. Unless Rawley wants to be Spinner Dunn 2K14, then he might need help finding the same groove. Being in Evolution might help that along immensely.
5. Bo Dallas
Okay, so Bo Dallas might not seem to fit the tenor of the group's feud with The Shield right now. However, the entertainment factor would have been off the charts in segments where the cheesy and faux-inspirational Dallas would interact with the bitter veteran Triple H and the king of scumbags Orton. Plus, he has NXT history with Rollins, and no wrestler, group, or feud should ever take itself so seriously that a little comic relief couldn't be fit into the action.
6. Brock Lesnar
Yeah, I know Lesnar doesn't fit the mold of "young guy hungry to make it in WWE" that Rollins or any of the above (outside of maybe Sheamus, who already has had a load of success in WWE in his short career). However, the tenor of the group has changed since it first came on the scene. It's not about showing wrestlers in different stages of their careers anymore. Triple H is a power-mad hypocrite as a character, and he will do anything to rid himself of The Shield right now, even recruit a ringer who gave him a "concussion" at Extreme Rules last year and who ended a cash cow for him by beating The Streak at Mania this year. Heels don't live by credos. They manipulate the truth and break every socially acceptable standard to get what they want. Besides, Lesnar would solve the group's problem of not getting any heel heat whatsoever.