The Shield is one of the most successful modern-era groups, dominating WWE during their stay. It aided in the development of three main eventers, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and The Shield, all of whom went on to have successful careers outside of this group.
The Hounds of Justice are remembered favorably by fans, because to their excellent booking. However, this is not mean that there aren’t aspects of this group that the organization would rather fans forget about. When it comes to The Shield, there are some scenarios that WWE does not want its fans to think about, whether it’s stories or booking choices.
#10 Originally Protecting CM Punk
When The Shield first appeared as a faction, it was to protect CM Punk and his WWE Championship reign. This is why, in their Survivor Series debut, they interfered in the WWE Championship match, assaulting everyone who wasn’t CM Punk.
But WWE never addresses that, and to their credit, the group wasn’t linked with him for very long. With the bad blood between Punk and WWE, the corporation would probably prefer that everyone forgot this was the reason they were introduced in the first place.
#9 Roman Reigns Wasn’t In the Plans
Because the purpose of this squad was to defend CM Punk, the business consulted with him about which three wrestlers he wanted to bring from developmental to be a part of it. While Punk selected Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, he did not choose Roman Reigns.
He first requested that Kassius Ohno join the faction, which makes sense given his independent past. Ohno was more like the rest of the bunch, but WWE wanted Roman in this faction, which was a wise decision.
#8 Losing Their First Match on SmackDown
WWE had The Shield dominate everyone during their time, which contributed to their distrust of other talents. This was one of the reasons viewers took them seriously, but they would finally lose. Most people expected that to be a major PPV moment to beat another team.
However, this was not the case, as their first defeat occurred at random on a SmackDown program. While Team Hell No and Randy Orton were difficult opponents to defeat, WWE does not want this scenario to be brought up.
#7 World Titles
When people think about the greatest factions of all time, someone in the group usually gets to wield the World Title for the duration of their involvement. That wasn’t the case with The Shield, since none of the members won the big one while part of the group during their primary run.
Of course, all three guys have held the top title after The Shield disbanded, but when it comes to what they did together, that title eluded them. Instead, they only held the Tag Team Championships and the United States Championship.
#6 WWE Wanted Them to Have a Shield
The Shield’s appearance developed, gratefully abandoning the hideous jumpers that they began in. While they were able to appear nice, the corporation wanted to add a dreadful prop to them, which would have seen the three carry and utilize genuine shields.
Thankfully, it did not happen, which was the correct decision given how outrageous and foolish they would have appeared. WWE would prefer that people forget they even thought of this notion in the first place because they weren’t used.
#5 Injuring the Undertaker
Working alongside The Undertaker was a great honor for The Shield because they were young wrestlers on the rise at the time. However, despite the angle being shot for it, the planned feud with the Brothers of Destruction did not take place.
The Deadman was power bombed through the announce table, which was meant to commence the construction. Unfortunately, The Undertaker was actually hurt here, which abruptly halted everything.
#4 New Members Joined For the Night
The Shield is recognized for only three wrestlers, which is what brought them together as a team. However, Roman Reigns was once afflicted with a virus epidemic within the corporation. As a result of his absence, the corporation chose to replace him.
Kurt Angle took the position on PPV, while Triple H took the job at several live events. Neither man felt like he belonged or fit in, nor the image of them in this faction never fully worked out.
#3 Dean Ambrose as United States Champion
Winning the United States Championship while being a member of The Shield early in his WWE career felt like a decent plan. The difficulty was that he seldom defended the championship, leaving everything seeming hollow. Even though Ambrose was in a featured group, it wasn’t a good time for the title.
The crowd had little reason to care about the championship because Dean was usually performing in six-man tag team fights rather than defending the belt. During this time, it became more of a prop, which WWE would brush over.
#2 CM Punk Beat Them All
The Shield crushed everyone WWE threw in front of them, which contributed to the group’s popularity. Instead of recalling the 2013 TLC PPV, this is what people remember about them, and this is what the business will want to continue.
The Shield lost a three-on-one handicap battle against CM Punk on that evening, despite having a clear numerical advantage. It was a humiliating setback that did not assist their standing, which is why WWE would prefer spectators to forget about it.
#1 Great WrestleMania Match
The Shield competed as a group at WrestleMania twice, once in 2013 and again a year later. Both matches were six-man tags, although neither was particularly impressive. This was not one of them, despite their brilliance and the spectacular matches they did put together.
They beat a team of New Age Outlaws and Kane before defeating Sheamus, Big Show, and Randy Orton. It is something that the faction lacks, as there were several alternatives available to them.