20 Greatest WWE SmackDown Matches Ever

11. The Shield Vs Randy Orton & Team Hell No (June 14, 2013)

Kurt Angle Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

Like much of their original run, The Shield's entire act was magnificently protected in a way so few performers were during the early part of the decade. Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns have all gone on record as saying that their position as a trio gave them bargaining power beyond the rank and file, and it was perhaps that power that ensured they remained undefeated for their first six months.

Their eventual first defeat was thus incredibly satisfying. Randy Orton and Team Hell No went full white meat in their babyface approach to ensure the increasingly popular 'Hounds Of Justice' got booed. The cathartic roar from the crowd when the referee registers Daniel Bryan's submission victory over Seth Rollins is one the loudest in the show's history.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett