10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About The Shield
A glittering history, but not a flawless one.
The Shield make their long-awaited return to a WWE ring this weekend, competing as a trio for the first time since June 2014.
Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns are back together. They'll face a combined heel force of The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Braun Strowman, and Kane in a 5-on-3 Tables, Ladders, & Chairs match at TLC 2017 on Sunday, and while the booking hasn't been perfect, it's something the fans are understandably excited for.
The trio are rightly considered among WWE's greatest stables. Their brutal, guerrilla-style tactics left the roster in ruins, and matches with the likes of The Wyatt Family and Team Hell No & Ryback stand among WWE's best ever six-man tags. They were the company's hottest act for much of their 20-month run, and each man became a major singles star after their split, scoring six individual WWE Title reigns between them.
Their résumé is tremendous, but The Shield's collective history is full of moments that are best left in the past. No matter how iconic they are, no wrestling act is ever free of embarrassing little details, and WWE would love you to utilise selective memory throughout the trio's comeback tour...
10. Losing To CM Punk 3-On-1
WWE handicap matches are entirely predictable. They're usually booked to establish a contrived "overcoming the odds" narrative for the outnumbered side, who spends most of their time getting destroyed by the heels, before scoring an unlikely victory.
This would be fine if it happened every once in a blue moon, but no: this is the way WWE book 99% of their handicaps. It's beyond tedious. Overuse means that the underdog winner rarely gains any forward momentum, and the bad guys look like emasculated goofballs for blowing their huge advantage. Sadly, this is exactly what happened at TLC 2013.
All three Shield members faced off against CM Punk that night, and while the match itself wasn't bad, the outcome was dismal. 'The Voice Of The Voiceless' defeated WWE's most dangerous trio cleanly. He took Rollins out, dodged a Reigns spear to make him collide with Ambrose, and scored the win in under 13 minutes. No interferences, distractions, or ambushes: just a clean loss for 'The Hounds Of Justice.'
It was done to sow seeds of dissent within The Shield, but it made them look like dummies, and should never have been booked.