10 Times WWE Totally Fooled The IWC

WWE handled The Shield's break-up exceptionally well. The trio became WWE's most memorable modern stable soon after debuting, and while their act still had legs, they'd inevitably need to split to allow all three to embark on singles careers.

It was always assumed that either Roman Reigns or Dean Ambrose would pull the trigger, as both seemed better fits for a solo heel role than Seth Rollins, whose flashy wrestling style was always going to draw cheers. It came as a huge surprise, then, when 'The Architect' was the one to turn on his Shield brothers in June 2014, bringing the stable's awesome run to an end with a series of chairshots, before running into Stephanie McMahon and Triple H's cold embrace.

Few WWE fans saw this coming, and even the company's hardcore loyalists were bamboozled. It proved to be the right decision, too, as Rollins absolutely thrived as a sell-out weasel heel, and while Reigns ultimately failed as 'The Guy,' all three members have since become WWE Champions. Their success all stemmed from this one perfect moment in which the entire wrestling world was fooled, and we may never see such a surprising angle again.