Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins debuted at the 2012 Survivor Series, attacking Ryback and ensuring a successful WWE title victory for CM Punk. It felt like the case of three guys receiving their call ups to the main roster to be little more than muscle for the Straight Edge Superstar. Over the course of their first four months with the promotion, they proved all preconceptions wrong, standing toe-to-toe with the top stars the industry had to offer, including John Cena and Randy Orton, and emerging victorious. They were undefeated for six months, beating everyone put in their path. They even knocked off The Undertaker in a gigantic Six-Man Tag Team bout. There was no stopping The Shield as they became the hottest act in World Wrestling Entertainment. Even as they encountered their roadblocks, they rebounded, winning tag team and United States gold. By the time 2014 arrived, the trio was so over with fans that they turned babyface. Reigns dominated the Royal Rumble match, while Ambrose and Rollins regularly delivered show-stealing performances. The trio's match against the Wyatt Family at that year's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view was, arguably the match of the year. But as is the case with most of the trios on this list, ego played a huge part of their demise. Just 24 hours after The Shield completed its second consecutive pay-per-view victory over Evolution at Payback, Rollins betrayed his Shield brethren and joined The Authority, igniting a two-year rivalry with his former teammates that still exists today.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
