20 Ways WWE Killed CM Punk And AJ Lee's Passion For Wrestling

16. That Time Kassius Ohno Wasn't Put In The Shield

For those who are unaware, CM Punk and Kassius Ohno (when he was earlier known as Chris Hero) once had a 93-minute two-out-of-three-falls match, and were both main eventers in the IWA Mid-South Wrestling independent promotion. Upon noting that Hero was in NXT and likely ready for a call-up, Punk made the savvy ask to include him in The Shield alongside two other one-time independent wrestlers Punk favored, Dean "Jon Moxley" Ambrose and "Seth "Tyler Black" Rollins. Of course, WWE being who and what they are, Hero was replaced by Roman Reigns. The crown jewel of The Shield was almost a guy that CM Punk has wrestled for most of his non-WWE career, and likely would've enjoyed wrestling into the twilight of his WWE career. Hero may be slightly overweight and have a reputation for not loving the inside of a gym, but you can't teach chemistry - which he and Punk unquestionably had. Upon realizing that the actual person that he hand-picked as his ideal opponent was the one guy the company didn't want in The Shield, it probably put the handwriting on the wall in even larger letters.