What if Roman Reigns turned heel on The Shield instead of Seth Rollins?

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins came into WWE together as part of The Shield. They rode through some dizzying highs and some crushing lows, but cemented their spots as two of the best in the business from the get-go.

Arguably the lowest point of The Shield came that fateful night in June of 2014. This was the day Rollins infamously stabbed Reigns and Dean Ambrose in the back with a steel chair. It resulted in the implosion of the faction and one of the most shocking heel turns in wrestling history.

The Architect was public enemy number one in the eyes of fans from then on. His betrayal of his brothers and alliance with the evil Authority saw The Big Dog and The Lunatic Fringe go their separate ways. The former entered world title contention while the latter made it his personal mission to make Rollins' life hell.

Seth Rollins' heel turn on The Shield was masterfully executed. The beauty of it was such that any of the three members could have done it and it would have worked. As such, we are here to speculate on what might have happened had it been Roman Reigns with the steel chair in hand on June 2, 2014.

If Reigns had been the one to stab his brothers in the back and join the Authority, the landscape of WWE might have been totally different. Rollins and Ambrose would have sought revenge on their Judas friend. We reckon The Architect in particular would have led the charge against The Big Dog and sought justice like The Shield always did.

How would Roman Reigns betraying The Shield have affected his and Seth Rollins' career?

Seth Rollins was instantly rewarded for betraying The Shield and joining The Authority. He won the 2014 Money in the Bank ladder match and proceeded to cash the contract in at Roman Reigns' expense. In an alternate timeline where the latter turned his back on his brothers, he might have been the one to become Mr. Money in the Bank.

Reigns with the MITB contract would have been a force to be reckoned with. He would have won the world title and gone on to headline multiple shows. Indeed, he could have embarked on his current brilliant heel run way earlier instead of his negatively-received babyface one that just never seemed to end.

WWE would have then had Rollins stay out of the title picture for a while, but racking up wins to slowly ease himself back in. The company would have eventually made The Architect the No.1 Contender to The Big Dog's world title. In another heroic re-run of Daniel Bryan versus The Authority, the two would be locked to do battle in the main event of WrestleMania.

There, Seth Rollins would finally avenge The Shield and take Roman Reigns down for good. It would have been the perfect redemption arc and a tale of the original hound seeking justice.