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There haven’t been many more rookie stables as dominant as The Shield. Some of the most memorable factions in WWE history are collections of guys that either didn’t really have anything going on at the time, or friends behind the scenes joining up onscreen to replicate their own chemistry. The Shield were different.

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns all first appeared on our screens at Survivor Series 2012 as Cm Punk’s mercenaries, who were enlisted to cause destruction wherever they went. Despite combined stints in Nxt, Nxt’s predecessor Florida Championship Wrestling, and the independent circuit, the three men were new to WWE flagship programming, but did not hesitate in making an impression and ‘grabbing the brass ring’.

For almost two years, they brutalised pretty much the entire roster, working their way to mid-card championships and high-profile feuds with the likes of Cm Punk himself,...