Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose: The Rise and Fall of The Shield

Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose are huge names in the wrestling industry. While the former two are currently working with WWE, the latter is under contract with AEW. All three names come together when the wrestling universe remembers the stable – The Shield.

Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose created this team and debuted at Survivor Series 2012. The stable established dominance promptly at WWE Raw. They were unbeatable in six-man Tag Team matches. The streak lasted from December 2012 to May 2013. During this time, The Shield won at WrestleMania 29 too.

At Extreme Rules 2013, Dean Ambrose secured the WWE United States Championship by defeating Kofi Kingston. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns secured the WWE Tag Team Championship against Team Hell No. At this point, all three of them being holding championship belts.

Each Superstar played a unique role with the stable

Dean Ambrose was the mouth-piece of the stable. He was vocal and wild. Ambrose led the way with his voice.

Roman Reigns was the power-hitter. He did not talk as much, but led the way with silence and athletic strength.

Seth Rollins was the chaos-house. He was a hothead and did not think twice before wrecking havoc in the ring.

The Shield did not shy away from anyone. They worked together like a well-oiled machine and would take down any team or individual who stood in their way. More often than not they referred to WWE as their yard. The overall confidence and energy of the stable earned them the nickname – The Hounds of Justice.

The clash between The Shield and The Authority

All three members of The Shield were extremely passionate about the stable. Therefore, when the time came to rise against The Authority, Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose immediately joined hands.

The rise against The Authority would not have happened if Triple H did not provoke them.

During 2014, the members realized that most of the injustice within WWE was happening at the hands of The Authority. To settle scores, the faction looked past any existing differences among them and work together.

One of their first steps was to help Daniel Bryan. During that time, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were trying hard to keep Daniel Bryan from becoming WWE Champion.

At the Monday Night Raw following WrestleMania 30, The Shield came to the aid of Daniel Bryan. This was the first time the members portrayed themselves as anti-heroes of the red brand as opposed to the babyface they were playing all these days.

This turn marked a storyline with The Evolution which consisted of Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton.

Seth Rollins turned heel on Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose

At Extreme Rules 2014, The Evolution and The Shield. The match around the entire arena and The Shield emerged victorious. The next time the two factions collied was at Payback PPV 2014. Even though The Sheild won the match, The Evolution won the war.

In a shocking turn of events, Orton and Triple H coerced Seth Rollins on turning on his brothers. He attacked them with a steel chair and sided with Triple H.

A triple Threat match between the three of them was in the books from the second they split up. The match was well-executed with Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose performing at peak.

Initially, Roman Reigns was predicted for the win. However, Dean Ambrose used Dirty Deeds to take down The Big Dog and won the match.

The reunion of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose

The fans started wondering if The Shield would ever get back together. While it was never done officially, the stable came back together in the ring on a couple of occasions.

One, The Shield aligned to take down AJ Styles at Survivor Series 2016.

Next, on October 9th, Monday Night Raw, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose stood in the ring together as one unit. They defeated Curtis Axel, The Bar, and The Miz before striking the signature pose to mark a return.

The final fall of The Shield

At an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2019, Roman Reigns announced that his leukemia was back. He announced that he was leaving WWE for a while to improve his health, but this was not his retirement.

This left only Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

In a classic turn of events that very episode, Dean Ambrose attacked Seth Rollins like a maniac. This attack arrived right after they secured the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship by defeating Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. Rollins kept questioning the action, but the angered lunatic did not stop.

This marked the end The Shield.

Soon afterwards Dean Ambrose quit WWE and joined AEW as Jon Moxley. He has been a thriving champion in the AEW Universe.

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are both working with WWE under SmackDown. They have their individual storylines. WWE has made no sign of bringing them together for a segment or match.

Considering Ambrose is no longer with WWE, a reunion is unlikely. Roman Reigns once claimed that it was Ambrose’s exit from WWE which truly marked the end of The Shield.

Read More: “Moxley Really Sc*ewed that up” – Roman Reigns Takes a Shot at AEW World Champion

Keeping the feud, storylines, matches, and factions aside, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns continue to be good friends outside WWE.