Roman Reigns: Which former WWE star was supposed to be in The Shield instead of him?

Roman Reigns was originally not part of The Shield

Roman Reigns is in God Mode and operating as the hottest star in WWE today. His rise has been nothing short of staggering, as he has somehow managed to keep making huge strides every year. The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion breaks records daily and is genuinely a megastar.

It all began for Reigns at Survivor Series 2012. There, he debuted alongside Dean Ambrose (aka Jon Moxley) and Seth Rollins as part of The Shield. The trio achieved great things together, including Roman winning tag team, intercontinental, and world championship gold during his time with them.

However, The Big Dog could have been another name on the roster if a massive slice of luck hadn't gone his way. He wasn't the original choice to team up with Ambrose and Rollins in The Shield. If you don't remember which former WWE star was supposed to be in the group instead of him, read on to find out.

According to CM Punk, the original plans called for Kassius Ohno to be part of The Shield in Roman Reigns' place. He revealed that Triple H and Vince McMahon made the call to include The Tribal Chief, which in hindsight, was one of the greatest decisions in pro wrestling history.

"I took the idea to Hunter, I took it to Vince, they agreed. Vince was immediately like ‘who do you have in mind?’ And I said ‘Ambrose, Rollins, Kassius Ohno.’ Hunter shot down Hero. They wanted Roman Reigns. They came to me and they were like ‘what about Leakee (Reigns' name in NXT)?’ I didn’t… it wasn’t my hill to die on. I said ‘sure’ because it made sense to me," Punk said. [H/T GiveMeSport]

We are so glad that The Game and Vinnie Mac gave The Tribal Chief a chance to impress. Impress he did, for you only have to look at his resume to see how far he has come.

Roman Reigns' thoughts on being chosen for The Shield

Who knows how Roman Reigns' career would have turned out had he not debuted as part of The Shield? The man himself is certainly grateful to Triple H and Vince McMahon for their backing. Looking at how events have panned out since the faction's debut in 2012, we are too.

"CM Punk had a group of guys, I believe were in there, but I wasn’t one of those guys. No, I was picked by Triple H and Vince [McMahon], of course." [H/T GiveMeSport]