10 Times WWE IGNORED The Fans (... And Got It Right!)
8. The Architect Causes The Shield To Crumble
It was always going to be just a matter of time before the Shield went their separate ways. Simply put, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns were all on their way to superstardom - it was just a case of who would get to the mountain top first.
When that split came in June 2014, it was somewhat surprisingly Rollins who WWE chose to orchestrate this demise.
For fans, they were largely wanting Ambrose to be the one behind the faction's downfall. After all, the Lunatic Fringe was the one often butting heads with his teammates during the trio's final months together, and Dean was likewise the one who was often pinned in any tag matches featuring the group. On top of that, die-hard fans knew just how vicious a villain Ambrose could be due to his Jon Moxley days prior to arriving in WWE.
Throughout their run together, the future AEW World Champion was often the most underhand and sly of the Shield, and he similarly was the stable's best talker. If picking a breakout singles heel from the triumvirate, Dean Ambrose seemed the natural choice; particularly due to Rollins' high energy babyface moveset, and the fact that WWE clearly viewed Reigns as the future face of the company.
WWE's decision ultimately proved correct, though, with the heel turn springboarding Seth Rollins into a made man under the watch of the Authority. As a result, this turn provided Ambrose with the motivation to showcase his babyface fire, and Roman clearly ended up doing okay for himself once the dust settled.