10 Questions Stone Cold Must Ask Dean Ambrose On His WWE Podcast
7. What Was The Competition Like In The Shield?
Of course, Ambrose would get his WWE shot later in 2012 when he, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns debuted as The Shield. The group was booked to be extremely dominant, and even though they were together for less than two years, they're still remembered as one of the best stables in wrestling history.
When they first came up, fans felt that each man had a role. Ambrose was the talker of the group, and the fact that he got the most time on promos helped The Shield connect with fans. Rollins - who was formerly ROH World Champion as Tyler Black - was considered the strongest worker, a world-class talent who had been in development for too long. Reigns, meanwhile, was considered a big guy with a great look that WWE had hand-picked for the spot.
It wasn't long before all three men battled back those perceptions, proving that they were each great all-rounders. It also became clear that, as singles stars, they'd be the future of WWE. In real life, the trio became great friends.
With those initial assumptions about their strengths and weaknesses, then the later knowledge that they'd lead WWE someday, what was the internal competition like? After all, while Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns have all gone on to become main-eventers, there can only be one top guy. How did they try to get that recognition while still in the group? And was it hard on their friendship?