10 Questions Stone Cold Must Ask Dean Ambrose On His WWE Podcast
6. Did The Shield Split Up Too Soon?
The Shield made their in-ring debut at TLC 2012, and over the next six months, they had incredible success. The group went undefeated in six-man tags against opponents like John Cena, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, and The Undertaker, and they all captured gold - Ambrose was the U.S. Champion, while Reigns and Rollins held the Tag Team Titles.
Midway through 2013, though, their fortunes started to change. The group's first loss came in an inauspicious TV match, and Reigns and Rollins dropped their titles to Cody Rhodes and Goldust. They became lackeys of The Authority, and, with a break-up apparently on the horizon, in-fighting led to more losses - including in a handicap match against CM Punk.
Fortunately, a face turn made The Shield a force once again. After turning on Triple H, The Shield defeated Evolution in two straight PPV classics, proving themselves superior to the erstwhile stable. The evening after the second win, though, The Shield was destroyed when Seth Rollins turned on his partners and joined The Authority.
It's hard to argue that there wasn't more mileage in The Shield's face run, but at the same, all three men (especially Rollins) quickly became singles stars. So what was the general reaction in the group, both when it happened and afterwards? Was the timing right for the split, or did it happen too soon? And what more could they have done if they stuck together longer?