10 Fascinating Facts About WWE In 2012
2. The Shield Almost Had Literal Shields
Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns famously debuted at Survivor Series 2012. All three wore plain black outfits and had a SWAT thing going on from the start, but WWE planned to be more literal with the whole Shield thing before that pay-per-view. It's for the best that they didn't go through with this.
Creative wanted Seth, Dean and Roman to carry big riot shields that said, “Shield” on them. The plastic props would've been complemented by some Big Bossman-style batons/clubs as well. Come go time, it was decided that The Shield didn't need weapons. They were the weapons.
Thank God for that.
WWE has been guilty of going too cartoony with this sort of stuff in the past, but The Shield needed to come across as edgy and dangerous rather than walking children's toys. Their stripped-back presentation was 100% the right call, and helped get everyone talking about a mysterious new trio powerbombing fools through the announce desk.