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It has been an entire decade since Survivor Series 2012, with it marking the debut of one of WWE’s most popular and dominant stables of all time, The Shield. For the last ten years, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose have been climbing the ranks of the wrestling ladder, to the point where they are all now at the top of their game, featuring in the top spots in their respective promotions. With it being ten years since the night of their debut, it is interesting to go back and look at their first appearance on WWE’s main roster, especially with how significant of a moment it ended up being.
The Shield Were Mostly Unknowns Upon Their WWE Main Roster Debut
When introducing new names to the main roster, it is now hard for WWE to bring in wrestlers who are mostly unknown. WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, was formerly a touring show until a recent decline, but it is still televised every week. This means that budding wrestlers who are being prepared for the main roster are already in the spotlight and receiving some recognition due to that. That makes it very hard for someone completely new and fresh to debut on the main roster, with perhaps the last person being Omos.
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Back in 2012, NXT as fans know it today had only just begun, with Seth Rollins reigning as the NXT Champion, though the brand didn’t have too many eyes on it. This allowed WWE to make quite a big impact and a talking point when three completely fresh faces to WWE programming in Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose, made their debut. To do this in the main event of one of their “Big Four” PPVs was a major risk, and when it comes to unproven and new names, this was a huge rarity on the part of Vince McMahon.
The Shield Interfered In The Survivor Series 2012 Main Event
The main event of Survivor Series 2012 saw CM Punk defending his WWE Championship against Ryback and John Cena in a triple threat match. In the lead up, both those babyfaces had competed for the top belt, but by hook or by crook, Punk had escaped with the gold. The match itself was fine, though with the triple threat stipulation, it was expected that Punk would find a way to cheat his way to victory, especially given the no disqualification stipulation.
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Ryback was presented like a monster throughout, and he laid Cena out with his finisher, looking like he was set to pull off a major upset. However, the trio of The Shield emerged, attacking him and beating him down. Michael Cole slowly recognized the three, calling them out as roster members of NXT. They delivered what would become their signature triple powerbomb on Ryback through the announce table, and watched as Punk crawled on top of the still prone Cena, and pinned him for the win.
This was a chaotic ending to the PPV, adding lots of questions to the end of the show, and making it a great way to close out a main event. Those questions included; “Why did they target Ryback?”, “Are they working for CM Punk?”, and “What are WWE’s plans for them going forward?”
The Shield Members Became Huge Stars After Survivor Series
WWE did in fact commit with their booking of The Shield, with them becoming a dominant force in the company, which makes this moment a hugely iconic one which has so much importance to the wider wrestling world, especially when looking at the huge stars the three men have become today. In the aftermath, it was revealed that The Shield were paid mercenaries for CM Punk, with the group even said to be his brainchild, though initially it was supposed to be Kassius Ohno in Roman Reigns’ position. When looking at the mega star he has become today, it was the right choice for WWE to go with their handpicked future of the company.
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The Shield would continue feuding with Ryback, with their debut match coming a month later at the TLC PPV in a Match of the Year contender against Ryback, Daniel Bryan, and Kane. They continued to win, win, and win again, rising in prominence over the next couple of years, until they got so over that they naturally turned babyface. Eventually, the group would disband with the three becoming singles stars, but that wouldn’t have happened had WWE not booked them in such a notable debut in such a high profile match. It was a bold and brave move from WWE creative, but it was one which clearly paid off.
