4 reasons why The Shield Triple Threat failed in WWE

Today, July 24, 2024, marks the eighth anniversary of The Shield's only Triple Threat match in WWE. Due to the popularity and history of the stars involved, the match should have been monumental and memorable, but several factors have affected why it didn't live up to the hype.

The Shield made an impressive WWE debut at the 2012 Survivor Series by bursting through the crowd. The Hounds of Justice then became a fan favorite, face or heel, due to the group's dynamic and bond in and outside the ring. However, that halted in 2014 after their initial break up following the betrayal at the hands of Seth Rollins.

The group officially reunited in 2017 but the following year, Dean Ambrose (AKA Jon Moxley) betrayed The Visionary to end their run again. However, before they reunited and broke up, they built themselves as formidable solo stars and got fans clamoring for a Triple Threat dream match. It finally happened at the 2016 edition of Battleground, but unfortunately did not live up to the hype.

For this list, we will look at four reasons why it failed.

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#4. The Shield Triple Threat happened way too long after they broke up

It took two years before The Shield finally had their Triple Threat match in WWE. At the time, a lot happened between Seth Rollins, Jon Moxley, and Roman Reigns and their individual paths.

Since the match took a while, some fans were already not invested in seeing them, especially since the company had already explored the feuds between Rollins and Ambrose, Seth and Roman, and even an Ambrose vs Reigns clash. If it had happened sooner after they broke up, it would have gotten fans more invested as the wounds were still fresh.

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#3. The match took place outside a WWE Big Five Premium Live Event

There are considered big five Premium Live Events in WWE, Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Money in the Bank, SummerSlam, and SummerSlam. Although a PLE, Battleground didn't hold the same prestige and wasn't exactly known for any major historic moments.

Since the match did not take place in a major event, it made it seem like any other clash and wasn't significant enough. The match could have been viewed as something much bigger and personal if it took place at an event like SummerSlam or even WrestleMania.

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#2. Roman Reigns was absent for the build-up due to his WWE suspension

At Money in the Bank 2016, Roman Reigns cleanly lost the WWE Championship to Seth Rollins. However, Dean Ambrose quickly cashed in the MITB contract he won earlier that night and won the title. Most fans were shocked that The Head of the Table lost the title quickly as he was being pushed as the company's big star, but as it turns out, he violated the WWE Wellness Policy and was suspended for 30 days.

Although both men were announced to fight the current Jon Moxley for the title at Battleground, it was mainly Seth and Jon who were present in the build-up. Due to Reigns' absence, there were fewer connections about The Shield.

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#1. The focus of the match was on the brand split and not on their history as The Shield

Jon Moxley won the Triple Threat match against his former Shield brethren [Image Credit: WWE.com]

2016 Battleground was mainly centered on the brand wars between RAW and SmackDown. At the time, Jon was on SmackDown while Seth and Roman were on RAW, and the match determined where the title would go.

While the concept was interesting, it became the feud's main focus. If the Stamford-based promotion focused on their history as The Shield, their feud would have been more personal and got fans more invested instead of making it another brand war and title match.