Will The Shield Ever Fully Reunite?

Factions have and always will be big factors in professional wrestling. For those of you who do not know, a faction is a group of wrestlers that are tied together through some sort of alliance. Whether that alliance is from the sharing of a manager or a common goal, factions generally stick together and will try to eliminate everything that stands in their way. Even though factions usually rise to power before breaking up, a reunion between the faction’s members down the line is usually inevitable. From groups like the Four Horsemen, the New World Order, and D-Generation X, factions have proven that even though it appears that the wrestlers that formed the group have parted ways, there is always a possibility of a reunion.

In the current WWE landscape, the most successful faction has been the Shield. The trio of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns burst on the scene in 2012 as a group of renegades that set out to right the wrongs that they believed tainted the WWE. The Shield was booked as a three man wrecking crew that steamrolled opponents such as Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Ryback, and John Cena among others. They made waves by triple powerbombing the Undertaker through an announce table on SmackDown and by capturing the United States Championship and the Tag Team Championships on the same night at Extreme Rules 2013.

As the trio rose in power, so did their popularity. It became more apparent with each passing week that this faction was destined for greatness as Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns began to become some of the most popular wrestlers on the roster. After dominating 2013, the group looked to do the same in 2014. They waged war with the Wyatt Family, the New Age Outlaws, and Evolution, and it appeared that the era of the Shield would never end. That is until Rollins leveled Ambrose and Reigns with a chair and dismantled the brotherhood that he helped bring to power. Rollins aligned himself with the Authority, and Ambrose and Reigns embarked on singles careers while still remaining tag team partners.

Even though the Shield went their separate ways, their careers continued to intertwine as they battled each other multiple times in their quest to become the best in the professional wrestling business. All three eventually captured the top prize in the industry: the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins won his first title at Wrestlemania 31, Reigns would earn his first championship at Survivor Series 2015, and Ambrose would finally become champion at Money in the Bank 2016. In fact, Money in the Bank 2016 was the night that each Shield member was WWE World Heavyweight Champion as Reigns was defeated by Rollins who was then defeated by Ambrose after Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. The Shield battled for the title in a triple threat match at Battleground 2016 with Ambrose once again emerging victorious.

Since Battleground 2016, Ambrose has been on SmackDown while Rollins and Reigns have been on Raw. The faction briefly reunited at Survivor Series 2016 when they triple powerbombed A.J. Styles through an announce table, and they shared screen time during 2016’s Tribute to the Troops special. While hints have been dropped of a Shield reunion, it still has not fully happened. The trio continues to pursue singles glory, and any interaction between the three wrestlers has been brief aside from a few tag team matches and a recent alignment of Reigns and Rollins on Raw.

As it stands now, a Shield reunion does not appear to be happening anytime soon. Ambrose is on SmackDown, Rollins is gunning for Triple H, and Reigns is in the midst of a feud with Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal Championship. That isn’t to say a full-fledged reunion is out of the question. As WWE has proven before, never say never. The New World Order reunited in 2002 and D-Generation X in 2006. With all three wrestlers currently being faces, all it would take is for them to be on the same show. Ambrose could easily be traded to Raw, or WWE could decide to end the brand extension. Until then, the only thing WWE fans can do is wait for the hounds of justice to once again reign supreme over WWE.

Believe in the Shield!