10 Shining Lights In WWE’s Darkest Hours
4. The Shield (2013)
One of the few acts to avoid the dreaded 50/50 booking curse of much of the main roster in 2013 after emerging from NXT with completely different gimmicks than those afforded to them in Full Sail (or in Dean Ambrose's case, developmental obscurity) The Shield figuratively and literally kicked the a*se out of a tepid product as devastating heels and dynamic babyfaces before their heartbreaking 2014 split.
Nothing felt fluked with the trio after such careful booking navigated them through challenging early days before their first televised defeat six months into their main roster run. From there, the triumvirate took control and the Tag Team and US Titles, virtually guaranteeing good-to-great midcard matches on pay-per-views that could have otherwise collapsed.
Best expressed in their outstanding programme with The Rhodes Family, The Shield's chemistry was phenomenal - credible during a spell in which so few characters carried any deep resonance with the crowd and one of the few acts from the time period to inspire white hot responses for their return as a unit in late-2017.