View Photos from the Feature: Shield with Joey Mercury Photos

Where are they now? (WWE.com Feature)
by Bobby Melok

*Please Note: This article only includes the portions where the Shield was mentioned, since it was a long article. To read the full feature please go to WWE.com

“There’ll be a dozen Hall of Famers who thank Joey Mercury first and foremost in their acceptance speech,” Dean Ambrose told WWE.com.
For those who simply know Mercury as one half of MNM alongside John Morrison, Ambrose’s statement might be a little shocking. However, Mercury’s greatest impact on sports-entertainment came after he stepped out of the ring, and into his new role as one of WWE’s most respected producers, as well as a mentor to breakout Superstars like The Shield.

“He is a mastermind when it comes to wrestling psychology, and the ins and outs of being in the ring,” Seth Rollins explained. “He loves teaching people how to do things and do them better. He’s a talent maximizer. He takes your best assets and makes them better. He takes the things you’re terrible at and helps you improve.”

It’s a position that Mercury relishes, even at the age of 34, when most in-ring performers are in their prime.
“One of the things I was concerned about with being a coach and producer so young was thinking, ‘Am I missing out on that feeling of being in the ring and making the fans pop out of their chairs?’” he said. “I don’t, because it’s very fulfilling to live vicariously through the guys you help. If I give an idea about gameplan or strategy, and they implement it and it works well and they get that reaction, I feel it twofold.”

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“Joey can make a bad match good, a good match great and a great match classic,” Ambrose said. “You would come to the back and think you had an awesome match, and he would be like, ‘Well, that was OK, you worked hard, but let me tell you how it could have been better.’”
Mercury formed a close bond with the three members of The Shield in NXT, which continued as The Hounds of Justice joined the main roster and Mercury became a producer on the road.

“He’s like a fourth member,” Roman Reigns said. “Any time Joey’s around, it could be a five-star match, but he’ll nitpick us. That’s what makes us better. He keeps us honest.”
“He’s definitely a hero to us,” Ambrose added. “At this point, if he tells me a way to do something, I do it that way first, because he’s right 99 percent of the time.”
After all that Mercury has been through, it’s easy to forget that he’s not even 35 yet. His combination of youth and experience makes him a valuable asset to WWE.
“He brings an old man’s wisdom and a young man’s vibrance,” Heyman said.

Though many grapplers his age are still battling in the trenches, those closest to Mercury don’t think he’s itching to get back in the ring any time soon.
“I think he’s found peace,” Rollins said. “He once told me that he’s never had a feeling in the ring by himself that compares to the feeling he gets [working with Superstars].”
Joey Mercury echoes Rollins’ sentiment. “I look at them like they’re my babies,” he said. “I have a lot of children out there. To see them grow up and make it to what they’ve been working for and tear the house down, that’s really rewarding.”