5 best moments from Shield vs New Day

Despite what the WWE have been saying for the past month, Survivor Series is not the one night of the year when Raw Superstars go head-to-head with SmackDown Superstars, but it is the one night that you can see the Shield face the New Day. Ever since Xavier Woods brought Big E Langston and Kofi Kingston together to form the New Day, the three men have enjoyed a magical run in WWE. Despite bouts with The Club, League of Nations, and Wyatt Family, the world famous 4-time tag team champs had never crossed paths with the Hounds of Justice during this time.

The Shield debuted at Survivor Series 2012 and helped CM Punk retain his WWE Championship, in the midst of his historic 434-day reign. For two years Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns ran roughshod over the WWE, with Rollins and Reigns capturing the Tag Team Championships and Ambrose winning the United States Championship all on the same night. The Shield broke up on June 2, 2014, just before the July 21 episode of Raw that saw the formation of the New Day.

Now the two famous factions have finally battled it out not just for brand supremacy, but to prove who is the most dominant 3-man group in the WWE. The match was an absolute barn burner, and how could it not be? There was no shortage of history between the six men, after all, it was Kingston that Ambrose defeated for the US title, and in 2013 Big E defeated Seth Rollins for the NXT Championship.

Here, we have listed five best moments from the cataclysmic collision.

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#5 Mid-match face-off

At Survivor Series we learned who the most dominant faction in WWE really is

It is a classic spot in wrestling when the two combatants step back in the middles of the match to stare each other down, in many ways it is a sign of respect. When the Shield and New Day brawled all throughout the ring and ringside area, they all ended up back in their respective corners.

As the brothers in black pulled themselves to their feet in the Raw corner, the New Day regrouped in the SmackDown corner. As all six men stood, breathing heavily they stared into the eyes of each of the three men standing across from them. It was an epic moment as the two teams earned each others respect and acknowledged their toughest challenge to date.

It also let the fans step back and soak in the magnitude of the dream match they were witnessing.

#4 Hound of Justice Stampede

New Day was given a taste of their own medicine

For three years the New Day have been a force to be reckoned with in the WWE, winning 4 Tag Team Championships, including their record-breaking 483-day reign. During their time at the top of the mountain, the New Day made famous the tag team manoeuvre that would be coined the 'Unicorn Stampede'.

This two-man and some ties three-man attack sees the New Day trap an opponent in their corner and relentlessly stomp away on the chest. They stomp and stomp until they tag their partner in, who stomps and stomps before tagging back out, in a vicious cycle that finally ends when one member Irish whips his partner to deliver a dropkick to the defenceless opponent. It is a move that the three men have utilized for years and is quite annoying to bear witness to when they are the heel, but amusing when they are the face.

Ambrose would be the unfortunate Shield member to be isolated in the New Day corner and endure the triple man onslaught. But before Ambrose fell victim to the Unicorn Stampede, the Hounds of Justice cornered Xavier Woods and gave him a taste of his own medicine. Whether you are a Shield fan or New Day fan, the Shield stampede was fun to watch.

#3 Double midnight hour

It struck midnight twice in the New Day's corner

Tag team moves are some of the most fun things to watch in all of the wrestling. One of the most fun tag team moves to watch is the New Day's Midnight Hour. Much like the stampede, the Midnight Hour is a unique manoeuvre that the New Day have made famous during their tenure. Big E lifts their opponent up onto his shoulder while either Woods or Kingston climbs to the top rope. Big E then goes to execute his Big Ending finisher while his partner leaps off the ropes to drive the opponent to the ground with more force.

Towards the end of the match, the New Day were momentarily standing tall while Ambrose and Rollins were left laying in the ring. Big E lifted Ambrose onto his shoulder, then surprisingly grabbed Rollins as well. With Ambrose draped over one shoulder and Rollins on the other, Woods and Kingston began climbing the ropes. Once his teammates were in position, Big E left his feet while Woods and Kingston leapt off the ropes. The move was executed perfectly with Woods coming down on top of Rollins and Kingston coming down on Ambrose.

What made this spot even better was that Kingston went to pin Ambrose, Reigns came out of nowhere to save the match. Big E attempted to get in the Big Dog's way but Reigns speared Big E onto Kingston and Ambrose, effectively breaking up the pin.

#2 Electric chair splash

Xavier is surprisingly strong

Is there a better two-man tag team move better than the Legion of Doom's Doomsday Device? Perhaps not, which may be why we have seen different variations of Hawk and Animal's devastating tag finisher where one man lifts their opponent up on his shoulders in the electric chair position, where the other leaps off the top rope to clothesline the opponent off his partner's shoulders, bringing him crashing to the floor. The New Day have created a three-man electric chair move that looks just as dangerous.

Ambrose was the unlucky recipient of the never before seen manoeuvre. Xavier Woods who is often looked down on as the 'weak link' in the New Day, shocked everyone when he lifted the 280-pound Big E up on his shoulders in the electric chair. The 212 lbs Kingston then climbed to the top rope, then leapt over the tower of E & Woods, delivering a body splash to Ambrose. Then Big E delivered a body splash from the top of Woods' shoulders.

It is hard to imagine anybody kicking out of such an awe-inspiring, and believable finisher. New Day did not attempt to pin Ambrose after the move, however, as the previously mentioned double Midnight Hour immediately followed.

#1 Super triple powerbomb

The Shield like you've never seen them before

New Day was dropping jaws when they dropped Kingston and Big E onto Ambrose, and then dropped Ambrose and Rollins in a double Midnight Hour, but it was the Hounds dropping Kingston that earns the top spot on this list. The triple powerbomb has been the calling card of the Shield ever since they debuted in 2012, lifted Ryback onto their shoulders, and sent him crashing through an announce table.

The triple powerbomb is a thing of beauty and is always a crowd pleaser. Reigns lets out his battle cry, signalling Ambrose and Rollins to lift their opponent up onto his shoulders. Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns then collectively slam their opponent to the ground. The move has been dubbed as the Shield Bomb since they reunited, and at Survivor Series the Shield took it to the next level.

That next level being, the middle rope of the ring. With Big E and Woods disposed of, Kingston was flattened with a devastating spear from Reigns. Reigns then climbed to the second rope where Ambrose and Rollins lifted Kingston onto his shoulders. Ambrose and Rollins then climbed the ropes as well and the three men leapt off the rope to deliver arguably the best Shield Bomb to date. Ambrose then covered Kingston to secure the victory as the Hounds of Justice proved that whether you are on Raw or SmackDown, the WWE is their yard.