For the majority of WWE fans, the members of the mysterious faction known as The Shield were relatively unknown when they crashed the main event of Survivor Series 2012. Within minutes though the entire WWE Universe knew exactly who they were. Comprised of 3 former NXT alumnus, The Shield made their surprise debut assisting then WWE Champion CM Punk defeat John Cena and Ryback after they dismantled the Goldberg clone with seemingly zero motivation. Coming to the ring through the crowd Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns had an authentic invader feel to them that drew parallels to the early days of the NWO. Who were these outsiders and what did they want? Their coming was not foreshadowed by weeks of promos - it just sort of happened. The debut made three supposed rookies (at least in WWE terms) look like the most dangerous men on the planet and having them seemingly help Punk - though no direct link was ever confirmed - made them instantly cool. The debut of The Shield was without doubt the most impactful and exciting debut in the history of Survivor Series and it's sad that only two years later they've disbanded. Imagine how much longer they could have continued as the most dominant force in WWE history had WWE not pulled the trigger on a split.
