10 Best Rookie Years In WWE History
5. The Shield
The Shield’s Survivor Series 2012 debut remains one of the most shocking moments in modern WWE history. Interfering in a main event triple threat between Ryback, John Cena, and CM Punk, the trio of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns hopped the barricade to destroy Ryback and allow Punk to pin Cena and regain his WWE Championship.
The Hounds of Justice immediately became one of WWE’s biggest talking points, and established themselves as an edgy, dangerous threat. Initially operating as CM Punk’s hired mercenaries, The Shield ambushed anyone who stood in Punk’s way. From Mick Foley to Ric Flair, they obliterated all before them - a tradition that continued long after their Punk allegiance had ended.
They were the most dominant stable WWE had seen in years, and opened 2013 with a five-month undefeated streak stretching all the way to May 13th, when Cena, Kane, and Daniel Bryan defeated them by disqualification. To compound their success, Dean Ambrose defeated Kofi Kingston to become US Champion at Extreme Rules later that week, with Reigns and Rollins overturning Team Hell No to become Tag Team Champions the same night.
As if beating down just about every top superstar in the company wasn’t enough, the championships cemented The Shield’s dominance. Their emergence didn’t just produce one of the greatest stables of all-time, however. All 3 wrestlers have gone on to establish themselves as World Title-calibre wrestlers, and it all started with their explosive rookie year.