10 things you probably didn't know about The Shield

The undisputedfuture of the WWEThe Shield reigned as a successful faction in WWE for over a year after setting foot into the squared circle back in the Survivor Series of 2012.They took out almost every big name in the company, and Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns went on to make a name for themselves as individuals as well. The fans clearly see them as future main event stars.But even when they ran rampant in the promotion, there were certain things that the fans didnt know about the Hounds of Justice.So lets take a look at some of those lesser-known facts about The Shield.#11 Honorable Mention: Fourth member of the ShieldThe unsung heroThe Shield will always be remembered as a trio. In fact, they will be remembered as one of the best trios in the entire WWE history. But according to Seth Rollins, there was a fourth member of The Shield: Joey Mercury.A former WWE tag team champion, Mercurys wrestling career went through some absurd twists and turns. But once he transitioned into a backstage role, his life changed forever.Mercury worked closely with all three members of The Shield and they considered him as a member of the group. WWE even named him as the fourth member of The Shield when he was featured on the Where are they now? series.Apart from the members of The Shield, the legendary Paul Heyman also had high praise for Mercury, which is more than enough to show how good he was backstage.#10 Roman Reigns is tied with a woman as the best Survivor Series performerRoman Reigns eliminating four members of the other team at Survivor Series was projected as a very big deal by WWE. The purpose of the whole thing was to give him a strong push, which was spot on.But one thing that WWE didnt acknowledge is the fact that he is tied with a woman when it comesto eliminating opponents in a single Survivor Series.Aja Kong, who is a well-known wrestler in Japan, actually did the same thing that Reigns did backin the 1995 edition of Survivor Series. She eliminated four members of the opposing team and ended up as the sole survivor.Although Kong didnt make it big in WWE, she still remains as the top performer in Survivor Series tied with the powerhouse of The Shield.#9 They had a Triple Threat match at FCWThe Shield splitting up and competing in a triple threat match is one of the most anticipated moments amongthe WWE Universe. In fact, manyof the fans were praying for this to happen at WrestleMania.The fact however is that they already faced each other in a triple threat match in FCW.It was a match to determine the No. 1 contender for the FCW World Heavyweight championship, and Rollins and Ambrose werecoming off a very lengthy feud between them.Reigns eventually triumphed over his future team members and went on to challengeAdam Rose, who was the champion but failed to win the title.#8 Evan Bourne was the reason Seth Rollins joined WWEEvan Bourne might not be very relevant in the company now, but he was instrumental in Seth Rollins signing with WWE.Rollins was having a successful run in Ring of Honor and was the World Champion there. He thus attracted interest from all the top promotions in USA, and soon he was faced with options like TNA, WWE and ROH.He eventually picked up the WWE contract but it was Evan Bourne who convinced him to do so. Rollins was ready to resign with ROH but Bourne convinced him that WWE was the next step for him.Rollins eventually agreed and signed a developmental deal with WWE.#7 Roman Reigns was LeakeeMost of the current superstars in the roster had some funny names in their early years. John Cena was Mr. P andKane was Dr. Yankeem, among others.When we take The Shield into account, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins had names which sounded credible Ambrose was known as Jon Moxley while Rolllins was Tyler Black.But Reigns had a rather funny name during his development days.He was a babyface known as Leakee in the FCW scene, and he even went on a three-match losing streak after making his debut.Reigns wrestled under the name for almost two years, and it was only changed when WWE rebranded FCW as NXT.#6 The entire NXT locker room once neutralized The ShieldEver since The Shield debuted in the WWE, they have been taking out their opponents with the number games. Over the course of time, many teams were formed to end the domination of The Shield, which never happened.But the superstars in NXT actually did what the main roster wrestlers couldnt do.Rollins was reigning as the inaugural NXT Champion and he was getting a bit of help from Reigns and Ambrose indefending his title. But once he faced Big E Langston for the title, the entire NXT locker room made sure that Reigns and Ambrose didnt have any impact on the match.They teamed up and took out Reigns and Ambrose, while Big E went on to win the title from Rollins. It was a moment when the whole locker room turned face to take out the heel guys, and its too bad the WWE didnt do something like that with the main roster.#5 WWE was going to introduce Dean Ambrose with a feud against Mick FoleyThe company was so happy with the way Dean Ambrose was turning out in development that they wanted to give him a big singles push by pitting him against Mick Foley.It all started with a viral video in which Ambrose had a heated argument with Foley atan airport, and Ambrose soon took the fightto Twitter. He postedsome nasty tweets about Foleys family and even said that he wanted to make Foleys children homeless.Things were getting really heated up and WWE assumed that the stand-offwould present them with a great heel. But unfortunately, Foley failed the impact test and the doctors told him never to wrestle again, which caused the feud to be called off.If it had gone ahead, Ambrose mightve ended up as a top heel, and the Shield may never have existed.#4 Seth Rollins was once snubbed by TNAFrom piling up old names in their roster to letting CM Punk go, TNA has made some idiotic choices throughout its historywhich probably contributed to its failure to challenge WWE.And snubbing Seth Rollins fall right into that category.Rollins had a tryout match in TNA in 2006 which wasnt good enough for him to get a job. He teamed up with a local wrestler to face Hernandez and Homicide in a losing effort, and never saw TNA again.He then went on to make it big at ROH and all of a sudden TNA wanted him. But it was too late to rectify the mistake as Rollins ended up with WWE.#3 Roman Reigns is the brother of RoseyReigns being part of the famous Anoa'I family and the Rock being his cousin are things which we all know. But Reigns actually has a closer relationship with a former WWE wrestler.Reigns is the younger brother of Rosey, who the fans might remember as the tag team partner of The Hurricane.Rosey and Hurricane made fora fun tag team back in the day,but they never made it big and were eventually released by WWE.After being released, Rosey continued to wrestle in Japan and other indiepromotions. He also suffered from various health problems while his brother went on to make in big in the WWE.#2 Dean Ambrose is a hardcore icon in the independent promotionsEver wondered why WWE had decided to pit Ambrose against Mick Foley in the first place? It was simply because there wasnt anyone else in the WWE roster who couldve matched the hardcore ability that Ambrose brought to the table.Being themaniac that he is, Ambrose had many violent matches during his independent run, and he would have been an ideal member for the ECW roster if it was still alive. He has been in ultraviolent three-way dances, three stages of Insanity match andDog Color match, and he even participated in a Death match a feat that no one in the current roster can boast about.The WWE might not be too interested in hardcore style wrestling, but they are well aware about the talent thatAmbrose has. Some time down the road, we may well see him slowly transform into the next Mick Foley.#1 They are Paul Heyman GuysWell they are not really like the rest of the Paul Heyman guys, but The Shield was clearly givencentre-stage by Heyman.The trio made their debut in the triple threat match between Ryback, CM Punk and John Cena and took out Ryback to let Punk win the title back. They went on to attack many of the main roster superstars who were directly linked with Punk.Though Punk denied that he had anything to do with the Shield, they continued to take out Punks opponents.After The Rock defeated Punk to win the WWE championship at Royal Rumble, it was revealed that Paul Heyman had been paying The Shield to work for him. This gave them a foundation in the wrestling business as Paul Heyman guys and from there, they flourished greatly to become what they are now.

#11 Honorable Mention: Fourth member of the Shield

The Shield will always be remembered as a trio. In fact, they will be remembered as one of the best trios in the entire WWE history. But according to Seth Rollins, there was a fourth member of The Shield: Joey Mercury.

A former WWE tag team champion, Mercury’s wrestling career went through some absurd twists and turns. But once he transitioned into a backstage role, his life changed forever.

Mercury worked closely with all three members of The Shield and they considered him as a member of the group. WWE even named him as the fourth member of The Shield when he was featured on the “Where are they now?” series.

Apart from the members of The Shield, the legendary Paul Heyman also had high praise for Mercury, which is more than enough to show how good he was backstage.

#10 Roman Reigns is tied with a woman as the best Survivor Series performer

Roman Reigns eliminating four members of the other team at Survivor Series was projected as a very big deal by WWE. The purpose of the whole thing was to give him a strong push, which was spot on.

But one thing that WWE didn’t acknowledge is the fact that he is tied with a woman when it comes to eliminating opponents in a single Survivor Series.

Aja Kong, who is a well-known wrestler in Japan, actually did the same thing that Reigns did – back in the 1995 edition of Survivor Series. She eliminated four members of the opposing team and ended up as the sole survivor.

Although Kong didn’t make it big in WWE, she still remains as the top performer in Survivor Series – tied with the powerhouse of The Shield.

#9 They had a Triple Threat match at FCW

The Shield splitting up and competing in a triple threat match is one of the most anticipated moments among the WWE Universe. In fact, many of the fans were praying for this to happen at WrestleMania.

The fact however is that they already faced each other in a triple threat match in FCW.

It was a match to determine the No. 1 contender for the FCW World Heavyweight championship, and Rollins and Ambrose were coming off a very lengthy feud between them.

Reigns eventually triumphed over his future team members and went on to challenge Adam Rose, who was the champion but failed to win the title.

#8 Evan Bourne was the reason Seth Rollins joined WWE

Evan Bourne might not be very relevant in the company now, but he was instrumental in Seth Rollins signing with WWE.

Rollins was having a successful run in Ring of Honor and was the World Champion there. He thus attracted interest from all the top promotions in USA, and soon he was faced with options like TNA, WWE and ROH.

He eventually picked up the WWE contract but it was Evan Bourne who convinced him to do so. Rollins was ready to resign with ROH but Bourne convinced him that WWE was the next step for him.

Rollins eventually agreed and signed a developmental deal with WWE.

#7 Roman Reigns was Leakee

Most of the current superstars in the roster had some funny names in their early years. John Cena was Mr. P and Kane was Dr. Yankeem, among others.

When we take The Shield into account, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins had names which sounded credible – Ambrose was known as Jon Moxley while Rolllins was Tyler Black. But Reigns had a rather funny name during his development days.

He was a babyface known as Leakee in the FCW scene, and he even went on a three-match losing streak after making his debut.

Reigns wrestled under the name for almost two years, and it was only changed when WWE rebranded FCW as NXT.

#6 The entire NXT locker room once neutralized The Shield

Ever since The Shield debuted in the WWE, they have been taking out their opponents with the number games. Over the course of time, many teams were formed to end the domination of The Shield, which never happened.

But the superstars in NXT actually did what the main roster wrestlers couldn’t do.

Rollins was reigning as the inaugural NXT Champion and he was getting a bit of help from Reigns and Ambrose in defending his title. But once he faced Big E Langston for the title, the entire NXT locker room made sure that Reigns and Ambrose didn’t have any impact on the match.

They teamed up and took out Reigns and Ambrose, while Big E went on to win the title from Rollins. It was a moment when the whole locker room turned face to take out the heel guys, and it’s too bad the WWE didn’t do something like that with the main roster.

#5 WWE was going to introduce Dean Ambrose with a feud against Mick Foley

The company was so happy with the way Dean Ambrose was turning out in development that they wanted to give him a big singles push by pitting him against Mick Foley.

It all started with a viral video in which Ambrose had a heated argument with Foley at an airport, and Ambrose soon took the fight to Twitter. He posted some nasty tweets about Foley’s family and even said that he wanted to make Foley’s children homeless.

Things were getting really heated up and WWE assumed that the stand-off would present them with a great heel. But unfortunately, Foley failed the impact test and the doctors told him never to wrestle again, which caused the feud to be called off.

If it had gone ahead, Ambrose might’ve ended up as a top heel, and the Shield may never have existed.

#4 Seth Rollins was once snubbed by TNA

From piling up old names in their roster to letting CM Punk go, TNA has made some idiotic choices throughout its history which probably contributed to its failure to challenge WWE.

And snubbing Seth Rollins fall right into that category.

Rollins had a tryout match in TNA in 2006 which wasn’t good enough for him to get a job. He teamed up with a local wrestler to face Hernandez and Homicide in a losing effort, and never saw TNA again.

He then went on to make it big at ROH and all of a sudden TNA wanted him. But it was too late to rectify the mistake as Rollins ended up with WWE.

#3 Roman Reigns is the brother of Rosey

Reigns being part of the famous Anoa'I family and the Rock being his cousin are things which we all know. But Reigns actually has a closer relationship with a former WWE wrestler.

Reigns is the younger brother of Rosey, who the fans might remember as the tag team partner of The Hurricane. Rosey and Hurricane made for a fun tag team back in the day, but they never made it big and were eventually released by WWE.

After being released, Rosey continued to wrestle in Japan and other indie promotions. He also suffered from various health problems while his brother went on to make in big in the WWE.

#2 Dean Ambrose is a hardcore icon in the independent promotions

Ever wondered why WWE had decided to pit Ambrose against Mick Foley in the first place? It was simply because there wasn’t anyone else in the WWE roster who could’ve matched the hardcore ability that Ambrose brought to the table.

Being the maniac that he is, Ambrose had many violent matches during his independent run, and he would have been an ideal member for the ECW roster if it was still alive. He has been in ultraviolent three-way dances, three stages of Insanity match and Dog Color match, and he even participated in a Death match – a feat that no one in the current roster can boast about.

The WWE might not be too interested in hardcore style wrestling, but they are well aware about the talent that Ambrose has. Some time down the road, we may well see him slowly transform into the next Mick Foley.

#1 They are Paul Heyman Guys

Well they are not really like the rest of the Paul Heyman guys, but The Shield was clearly given centre-stage by Heyman.

The trio made their debut in the triple threat match between Ryback, CM Punk and John Cena and took out Ryback to let Punk win the title back. They went on to attack many of the main roster superstars who were directly linked with Punk.

Though Punk denied that he had anything to do with the Shield, they continued to take out Punk’s opponents.

After The Rock defeated Punk to win the WWE championship at Royal Rumble, it was revealed that Paul Heyman had been paying The Shield to work for him. This gave them a foundation in the wrestling business as Paul Heyman guys and from there, they flourished greatly to become what they are now.

Edited by Staff Editor