The Shield were one of the most popular factions in WWE history, but it was also clear that they were set for big things as singles competitors when the time came for them to break out. Fast forward ten years after their debut, and the three men are some of the top stars in all of professional wrestling today, even if they aren’t all working in the same place.
They all offer great talent, and whilst most of these opinions are subjective, there are certain elements of the business that each man is best at, whether that be from an in-ring perspective, a character perspective, or something else.
9 Roman Reigns: Playing A Dominant Heel Champion
Roman Reigns’ last two years in WWE have proven that he is one of the best dominant champions of all time. Reigns’ personality comes across as nuanced at times but he always retains a manner of scariness due to the power he holds both over WWE and his faction.
Since winning the Universal Championship two years ago, he has rarely looked like dropping the belt, and even when he has, he has still persevered and won the match. He is proof that a dominantly booked heel can be badass, but still be booked as a bad guy and get booed.
8 Jon Moxley: Passionate Promo Work
The promo work from all three men has constantly been improving since the days in which they first debuted on WWE’s main roster, but Moxley has always had one of the more unique promo styles in the world.
When Moxley talks, it doesn’t feel scripted - it feels authentic and from the heart. There is perhaps no one in professional wrestling today, aside from maybe Eddie Kingston, that can elicit the sort of response and emotion that Moxley can with a microphone in his hand.
7 Seth Rollins: Playing A Cowardly Heel
Whilst Roman Reigns can play the dominant heel well, Rollins is perfect when playing a cowardly chicken-poo heel. During his time in The Authority, he was a major highlight in WWE, with brilliant character work, the perfect set of lackeys, and a great WWE Championship reign.
He may not be as cowardly now, but he still holds that arrogance and smarminess that works so well in his character, with his flashy outfits and bombastic-at-times personality acting as a shield around the fact that he will take shortcuts to win.
6 Roman Reigns: Leading A Faction
Jon Moxley’s Blackpool Combat Club group is fun, but he isn’t really a leader and they haven’t yet felt like a strong force. Seth Rollins’ time as “The Messiah” saw him lead a group including Buddy Murphy and the AOP, but neither of those compare to Roman Reigns and The Bloodline.
Reigns as the “Head of the Table” is fantastic, with him leading a faction involving members of his family. The faction may be the best in professional wrestling today, and Reigns as the leader is something that works perfectly. Every member is allowed to be given a personality, despite Reigns being the main focus.
5 Jon Moxley: Playing The Babyface
Reigns and Rollins have both experienced an up and down time when being a babyface in WWE, but Moxley has always managed to receive the biggest positive reactions no matter what poor storylines he has been involved in. In WWE, the fans were drawn to him despite him being often presented as the third most important members of The Shield.
Since leaving WWE, his popularity has sky-rocketed even more, with him being the number one face in AEW since his debut, becoming a three-time WWE Champion, and making himself a draw in several other places around the wrestling world too.
4 Seth Rollins: Mind Games
All three are strong storytellers, but when it comes to playing mind games and getting in the heads of opponents, Rollins is one of the best in all of wrestling right now.
He manages to dig into the insecurities of his opponents, and also has fun in taking shots or playing games. For example, his wrestling attires against the likes of Rey Mysterio, Roman Reigns, Matt Riddle, and Cody Rhodes have all been tailored to different elements of their lives or careers, which makes for entertaining content.
3 Roman Reigns: Telling A Story In The Ring
Once again, every member of The Shield can tell a fantastic story, but in the case of Roman Reigns, his work over the last two years had been a level above the vast majority of those in the business.
Reigns wrestles in a slower, WWE “epic” style, but he manages to fill the slower portions with trash talk, great psychology, or interacting with the crowd. There has seldom been a match since his 2020 return that fans haven’t been captivated by, and that is testament to telling a phenomenal in-ring story.
2 Jon Moxley: Elevating Others
Any time Jon Moxley steps foot in the ring, it feels as though his opponent always benefits. Even in matches where he is more dominant, those in the ring are still allowed a time to shine and to get their key stuff in, being elevated in the process.
For example, names such as Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, and even more established names like Rush, have all had their stocks rise following a match with Moxley in AEW. He is the definition of a “fighting champion”, and it does well to aid the rest of the roster.
1 Seth Rollins: Consistently High Quality Matches
Both Reigns and Moxley have elements of their in-ring work that are great, but from a purely workrate and in-ring standpoint, Rollins is one of the most consistently high quality workers on the planet.
He doesn’t have a bad match when he is able to just wrestle, and he has the highest rated page on cagematch.net out of the three, with more higher rated matches.