On the Survivor Series of November 18, 2012, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Jon Moxley (previously Dean Ambrose) burst onto the mainstream wrestling scene. During the WWE Championship main event, the trio emerged from the audience and wreaked havoc, ultimately birthing The Shield.
Despite only Rollins and Moxley having previous experience in the independent scene before being signed by WWE. The group was unknown to the average viewer. Reigns, however, was a product of NXT, the company’s revamped developmental system. When asked for the best Shield members, WWE HOF picks Seth, Jon, and Roman.
Ten years later, it’s remarkable to think that Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Jon Moxley, along with viewers worldwide, would be holding gold across the three biggest brands in the industry. Reigns presently holds the WWE Universal Championship.
Rollins is the United States champion, and, up until the recent Full Gear pay-per-view, Moxley had been the AEW world champion.
At the time of their debut, there was no assurance they would attain this level of success. Nonetheless, their impeccable presentation, exemplary booking, and incredible work ethic firmly established them as an unstoppable and undeniable unit.
Are Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Jon Moxley the best picks for Shield membership?
Right from the beginning, Moxley, Reigns, and Rollins were aware that The Shield was not their ultimate destination. Each of them possessed the essential qualities to become a permanent fixture in the main event scene. They inevitably shattered that glass ceiling and never turned back.
“Our expectations upon our debut were that we were going to take over the business and we were going to reimagine it in our own vision,” Rollins said. “That was goal No. 1 from day No. 1. And I think without that aspiration, without dreaming that big, we would’ve never gotten here.”
If it weren’t for those three individuals, The Shield could have easily met the same fate as others before them. However, they refused to settle for anything less than greatness.
“I know it sounds a little crazy, but where we’re at is pretty much where we envisioned ourselves 10 years ago,” Rollins said.
Despite this, the talent of the three individuals was evident right from the start of The Shield. The question was how their individual careers would flourish once they eventually parted ways.
The history of Shield
Every time fans hear the iconic intro to The Shield’s entrance music, it triggers a flood of memories of their time as a team. The song lacks lyrics beyond its opening moments. Yet it has become so closely linked to The Shield that it’s impossible not to get goosebumps when recalling their battles with The Wyatt Family, Evolution, The Usos, and the Rhodes family.
Moxley described The Shield as a stroke of luck. Noting that their ascent would be difficult to recreate in today’s era due to the need for perfect alignment of all elements.
They weren’t interested in filming a plethora of backstage skits. There was no room for excess. As three young and driven wrestlers, they did everything possible to secure their place in the annals of history.
