In the 2010s, two iconic and influential factions emerged in WWE. One was The Shield—a band of three heavy-hitters who competed at the highest level, not only winning big matches but consistently putting on a tremendous show in the process. The other was The Wyatt Family, the less polished crew to be sure, but headed by breakout star Bray Wyatt and capturing the imagination with their cult vibe.
The historically important factions are each seemingly split permanently now—or at least for the foreseeable future. Not only have storylines sent them in separate directions, but one key member of The Shield left WWE altogether, and two charter members of The Wyatt Family got their releases. But looking back, which one was the better stable of the 2010s?
10 The Shield: Producing World Champions
The Wyatt Family was foundational to the success of Bray Wyatt as he became an upper card fixture and, to date, two time world champion. Moreover, it did also lay a foundation for Braun Strowman as a main roster talent who has had a world title reign of his own.
However, in setting up Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, The Shield paved the way for two of its definitive top stars and world champions of the years to follow. We can add onto that that the relative weak link in terms of his championship pedigree, Dean Ambrose, still did win a WWE Championship, besides quite arguably going on to even better reign as AEW Champion. That’s three guys who all at least match, and very arguably exceed the single best championship resume from the Wyatts.
9 The Wyatt Family: Winning Head To Head Matches
The Wyatt Family and The Shield did go head to head on several occasions. The most notable instance was at Elimination Chamber 2014, when a six-man tag between the warring sides positively stole the show, for one of the best Shield matches, not to mention one of the best for the Wyatts. In the end, The Wyatt Family won.
Sure, one could chalk up the Wyatts winning to timing as they were the newer faction and The Shield was edging closer to its first breakup. Nonetheless, in comparing the two units, one of the cleanest metrics to consider is who won their head-to-head collision, and the Wyatts picked up the most memorable victory.
8 The Shield: The Undefeated Streak
One of the reasons The Shield got over at such a high level was that they were booked to dominate. They faced the stiff competition of Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Ryback in their first televised match. They've always battled tough trios like John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus, and then Randy Orton, Sheamus, and The Big Show. The Shield won every time. Though they couldn't necessarily compete with the greatest undefeated streaks in wrestling history, the run was nonetheless impressive.
While The Wyatts won more than they lost, particularly in the early going, it wasn’t long before Luke Harper and Erick Rowan in particular were established as fallible. The Shield went unbeaten for their first months as a unit, immediately establishing them as a force.
7 The Wyatt Family: Intimidation
With frightening vignettes and striking visuals like Bray Wyatt laughing from his rocking chair, there’s a very real argument that The Wyatt Family tapped into a supernatural mode of intimidation better than any wrestling act since The Undertaker.
Yes, The Shield was intimidating in its own right for its efficiency and the size of Roman Reigns. But The Wyatts win out in this category for the mixture of Wyatt's head games and the menacing big man presence of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, only amplified when they added Braun Strowman.
6 The Shield: The Crowd Entrance
One of the keys to standing out in a crowded WWE roster is having elements of character that legitimately help talents stand out. One of the ways in which The Shield distinguished itself from the beginning was via entering the ringside area through the crowd.
The crowd entrance at first established The Shield as a rebellious act that wasn’t necessarily a formal part of the WWE roster. The entrance evolved when the group turned face, palpably demonstrating the fans were behind them when The Shield went up against their greatest rivals (as well as their weaker ones).
5 The Wyatt Family: Bringing Along Green Talents
One of the key goals for so many great stables is offering a place where less experienced talents can grow. In a faction, an unpolished star can be protected in an enforcer role outside the ring or working tag team matches, while sitting under the learning tree of more experienced talent. It’s the dynamic that worked, for example, for Batista and Randy Orton in Evolution.
While Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose quite arguably helped Roman Reigns along as an in-ring performer, all three men grew as all-around performers. That’s true to an extent for The Wyatt Family, but Bray Wyatt was already a polished promo-man and Luke Harper was a veteran of the indies. It was Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman who learned on the job, with Rowan growing into a solid big man performer and Strowman developing the tools to become a main eventer.
4 The Shield: Meaningful Reunions
Great stables have great reunion angles. Yes, The Wyatt Family ebbed and flowed in terms of working as a unit versus going separate ways, but it didn’t compare to The Shield.
Maybe it’s a matter of Shield members—especially Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose—feuding so much when the group wasn’t together. Maybe it comes down to the success each member of the group enjoyed as a singles star. Regardless, it was positively electric each time the band got back together for this group, and WWE shrewdly milked the dynamic for all it was worth when Ambrose was on his way out of the company.
3 The Wyatt Family: Little In-Fighting
Iconic factions work together. Some dissension is to be expected, particularly as a group gets read to split off, but a part of what makes a stable great is their unified front and the implication that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The Shield suffered from in-fighting as they teased a split in early 2013 before actually exploding that summer. Later, their first reunion in 2017 was largely about Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins learning to trust one another again, and Ambrose became the subject of intrigue in terms of his loyalties before he finally turned heel. The Wyatts had moments of drama—particularly when Randy Orton infiltrated their ranks, for a time that arguably paved the way for Harper's strong final stretch with WWE as he broke out more as a character. By and large, though, the Family were on the same page.
2 The Shield: The Shield Bomb
True tag teams can differentiate themselves from thrown together pairings via their tandem offense, and especially by having signature moves for which they rely on one another. While The Wyatts told effective stories together, they rarely came across as all that fluid of an in-ring team.
By contrast, The Shield was known for its quick tags and swarming style of offense. All the more so, the trio had a signature finisher in The Shield Bomb—a triple powerbomb with Roman Reigns at the base, and with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose each adding force and helping to bring down bigger victims like Braun Strowman.
1 The Wyatt Family: The Vignettes
The Shield were an irresistible act when the bell rang. The trio grew into their character-work more and more as time went on. However, even members of the group have acknowledged that their early vignettes and promos left something to be desired as they figured out their identity.
Off-site vignettes became a staple for The Wyatt Family, with Bray Wyatt speaking from his rocking chair and Erick Rowan and Luke Harper lurking closeby. This dimension of their presentation truly set apart The Wyatt Family and offered a foundation for the Firefly Fun House and his Fiend gimmicks to follow.