The Shield changed the landscape in WWE when the trio of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were called up from NXT. All three talents were viewed as top-tier prospects during the shift from FCW to NXT as WWE’s developmental promotion. Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns seemingly had nothing in common when placed together aside from a shared hunger to prove their skillset on the bigger stage. WWE pushed The Shield as a hot act from the start when having them face off with major names in trios matches. Fans instantly grew attached to Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose as the most refreshing new stars for the company in quite some time. The end game would see all three becoming main event players and world champs. Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose (aka Jon Moxley) are three of the biggest stars in wrestling. The Shield deserves to be considered when debating the top stables who created major names in the industry.
The Shield Had Smart, Protected Booking
One of the biggest faults in WWE is the use of 50/50 booking to keep everyone involved looking strong. Unfortunately, the downfall to everyone being protected in the booking is that no one ends up benefiting from decisive wins. The Shield changed that with management realizing they needed to truly invest in the act for Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns to all pan out. Credit also goes to three men involved who had to fight tooth and nail to make sure their booking made sense. Heels in WWE usually cheated to beat credible faces in WWE at the time. Even the upper card heels like CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler and others would use shady tactics to get ahead. The Shield had great matches that often went the longest on the show, but the major reason for fans buying into them was the clean victories.
WWE set a new precedent that capable heels could dominate if no one else could bring them down. Each member of The Shield benefited from having strong booking momentum highlighting their strengths. Not every wrestler can or should be introduced with such protection, but the trio of future mega-stars showed why it works at times.
The Shield Had Big Wins Over Main Eventers
The Shield quickly worked against the top of the card when interfering in a WWE Championship match. CM Punk retaining the title after The Shield debuted to attack Ryback set them for an important angle to start with. Daniel Bryan and Kane were also targeted by the trio of Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns during their stint as the popular Team Hell No tag team. WWE made them stars in their first match at TLC 2012 when defeating Kane, Bryan and Ryback in a stellar TLC match. Bigger names would begin to oppose them with the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton forming face teams with Kane, Bryan and other beloved characters getting attacked by The Shield in the prior weeks.
Strong booking and wins over big names were the two biggest keys to getting The Shield over in the early months. The third domino to fall was the match quality being the strongest on almost every WWE show. Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose delivered classics together due to the time and booking helping them have the canvas to paint their masterpiece.
The Shield Succeeded As Singles Wrestlers After The Breakup
The greatness of The Shield required another major domino to fall when they eventually broke up. WWE viewed Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns to all be huge stars for the company’s future. Rollins being the one to betray his brothers was a shocking moment that fans still talk about today. Triple H’s offer to mentor Rollins influenced him to end The Shield and get a huge run on his own. Reigns and Ambrose also broke out as singles stars thanks to the connection they already had with the group. Each wrestler was used in a relevant manner towards the top of the card to ensure they remained important in the bigger picture. Rollins would be the first to win the WWE Championship when cashing in Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 31. The massive push of Reigns showed how much WWE believed in him and he was WWE Champion after Rollins’ injury vacated the title. Ambrose joined the former teammates to win the same gold when cashing in his MITB title shot on Rollins after Rollins defeated Reigns. All three members were bonded together to create a great rivalry.
It is hard to envision any of the trio having a top spot in the industry without a hot start in The Shield. Reigns is currently the face of WWE in the heel role after defeating the likes of John Cena and Edge in definitive fashion. Rollins is a top heel for WWE and Ambrose is among the most popular faces in AEW as Jon Moxley. The Shield set up three major superstars by having them breakout as a faction.