10 Wrestlers Whose Rookie Years Exceeded Expectations

Okay, so the Shield technically isn’t a single wrestler, but since the group formed such a cohesive unit after debuting in November 2012, I think it’s fair to bundle them all together for the purposes of this list.

You could argue that expectations weren’t particularly low for Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns—especially when you consider the former pair’s work on the independent scene. But even so, the impact that this trio had in their first year with the company will surely have exceeded even the wildest dreams of fans and their booking fantasies.

Ditching their NXT personas, the trio first appeared on the main roster as rogue mercenaries, storming through the crowd to wreak havoc on a WWE Championship match between CM Punk, Ryback, and John Cena.

From there, they continued doing pretty much as they pleased, and even after being roped into in-ring competition their dominance never wavered. Countless teams tried and failed to be the first to put down these upstarts, and before long the group had each won a piece of gold of their own—Rollins and Reigns the Tag Team Championships, and Ambrose the United States title.

It was the perfect way to integrate three new faces to the company, and while I’m sure many had hoped that the trio would find success on the main stage, I doubt anyone had expected the Shield to blow us away like they did.