10 Most Shocking WWE Survivor Series Moments
2. The Shield's Debut (2012)
Few WWE debuts have ever captured the raw, visceral thrill of The Shield's first appearance.
The company's most iconic modern stable made an incredible mark at Survivor Series 2012, when they interrupted a WWE Championship main event between CM Punk, Ryback, and John Cena. A posse of previously unknown NXT and FCW rookies, they were clad entirely in black, and brought the company to its knees by triple-powerbombing Ryback through the announce table, allowing Punk to retain his belt via pinfall on Cena.
It was perfect. Everything from the trio's mannerisms to Michael Cole's commentary was spot on, and just like The Nexus' game-changing arrival two years prior, it felt like the start of something fresh, new, and exciting - fortunately, WWE followed it up perfectly.
The Shield's debut was the audience's first glimpse of the shock and awe tactics that would turn Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins into era-defining stars. Thrown into a huge spotlight from day one, they immediately became one of the company's hottest acts, embarking upon a near two-year run that saw them blitz through many of WWE's biggest stars - including Punk himself.