The stable comprising of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns will undoubtedly go down as one of the most dominant factions in history. They were as close to perfection as anyone could get – anything and everything Shield was money and gold. For two years the trio graced fans with some great moments and amazing matches to boot.
Fans loved the Hounds of Justice and were devastated when the faction split in 2014. However, all three men have done well for themselves, as all three have been WWE World Heavyweight Champions after their Shield days. They also have other accolades to their names, adding to their accomplishments as they continue to create their own legacies.
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But behind the brothers in arms facade, there lay a lot of imperfections along the way too. While they were the perfect team, each man himself is flawed. Whether it was the men themselves, or WWE’s inconsistent booking, the trio have been some bumps along the road.
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Of course, the body of work The Shield produced will always outweigh all the bad that accompanies them. However, if the company had their way, they would hope that fans forget these five things when it comes to Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns.
#1 Reigns just an afterthought?
When CM Punk decided to break his silence on The Art of Wrestling podcast with Colt Cabana, it was a huge deal, considering the controversy that surrounded his exit from the company. Not only did Punk spill the juicy details that fans were clamouring for, but he also went the extra mile when The Shield was brought up.
During the podcast, Punk revealed that Reigns was not in the original lineup of The Shield. He claimed that when the idea for The Shield was created, he pitched the idea that Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno in NXT) should be the third man next to Ambrose and Rollins.
This admission certainly did not help the case of Reigns at all, who has since struggled to get over with the fans despite himself. If anything else, it was a confirmation to fans that Reigns was indeed the one handpicked to be one of WWE’s top guys.
The podcast fueled the fire of fans turning against Reigns, as all three men were just starting out on their solo WWE runs.
#2 Rollins’ messy personal life
While Rollins is known as The Architect in The Shield, his shocking turn to join The Authority, catapulted him into the main event scene the summer of 2014. He won the Money in the Bank contract, and it was just a matter of time before he would become WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Things were going well for him; he was enjoying success in WWE, and he was newly engaged to his girlfriend of several years. It seemed that nothing could go wrong for Rollins.
However, what’s done in the dark will always come to light. In February of 2015, Rollins was publically embarrassed by his fiancee, while Raw was on the air. She discovered text messages and nude photos of him and NXT startup Zahra Schreiber and figured out that they were having an affair.
To add insult to injury, she posted them on both her and Rollins’ Twitter accounts while Rollins was on the air.
Rollins escaped major damage, thanks to his position with the company. He and Schreiber went on to make their relationship public through social media. To make matters even worse, Schreiber made controversial Instagram posts years earlier; that was discovered which led to her exit from the company.
The couple broke up shortly after. Let’s all hope Rollins learned his lesson.
#3 Losing streak
It seemed that Ambrose got the short end of the stick at first when all three members of The Shield went solo. Even though he and Rollins were in a hot feud that summer, Ambrose continuously found himself winless at PPV’s, after The Shield had split up. He continued to lose at PPV’s as he feuded with Bray Wyatt, followed by Wade Barrett through WrestleMania 31.
Ambrose’s fans and analysts were critical of this trend because it created worry that he would eventually become lost in the shuffle. However, Ambrose got his first PPV win at Extreme Rules against Luke Harper. And fast forward to now, Ambrose is doing just fine with Intercontinental Championship and WWE World Heavyweight Championship reigns to his name.
#4 Reigns’ natural heel persona
Outside the ring, Reigns is one of the nicest guys. Inside the ring, his struggle with promos is well documented. However, Reigns already looks the part of a bad guy, and if fans listen to some interviews he could come across as a heel too.
Some comments that Reigns has made over time, in response to fans critiques, could come across as maybe cocky and conceited.
With the company trying its best to push Reigns against the grain, of course, some of those comments are headaches. Reigns is under incredible pressure as is, so addressing the elephant in the room adds to the frustration. Scenarios such as these, are good examples of if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Unfortunately, WWE hasn’t got the memo yet.
#5 Curb-Stomp
Before Rollins resorted to using The Pedigree as his finisher, he actually had a real good one. Many fans remember the Curb Stomp, Rollins’ finisher that ended many matches. Once he lifted his leg up to stomp on an opponent’s head, it was all over.
The move led him to his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Thanks to the powers that be in the editing room, that moment has pretty much been taken away from him, since the company banned the move from Rollins’ move set. That is what led him to use the Pedigree in the first place, as an homage to Triple H.
Now Rollins says that he continues to use it to spite him.
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