Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins: The 14 Year Saga

SummerSlam Night 2 brought an end to 14 years of storytelling, at least for now. Because with neither man retiring, there is still a chance for them to wrestle again down the road. But for now, it seems the story of the Shield has been finished. And aside from the Owens vs Zayn saga, I struggle to think of another epic decade-plus-long story in modern times. Orton vs Cena is close, but that one always felt a bit forced.

I have long championed the Shield as one of the best stables ever. Most stables have one top guy, one veteran, and either a couple of up-and-comers or a solid tag team. For example, The Four Horsemen: Ric Flair was the top guy, JJ Dillon was the veteran voice, and the Andersons or Tully & Arn were the solid tag team.

The Shield debuted as three guys with no prior main roster experience; they were put into the main event and held their own. And now we have metrics showing how they became the three most dominant men in wrestling today. With there being very little time without one of them holding a World Championship. And with Mox in AEW, they pretty much run the top two companies in the world. No other stable has taken three unknowns and thrust them into the top spots in the business as the Shield did.

And with the story now complete, I wanted to look back and share some of my favorite moments and look forward and predict the future of each man.

Memories of the Shield

From the moment they showed up, the Shield was in the spotlight. They acted as hired muscle for Paul Heyman. Paid to take out Ryback for CM Punk. And what an exclamation point of a debut it was. They went out and beat the crap out of Ryback and hit the soon-to-be iconic Triple Power Bomb through the table.

I remember seeing this and being fully on board. I worried we would end up with another Nexus situation, where they would end up jobbed out. But I tried to be hopeful they would escape that fate. And over the next year and a half, they would prove they wouldn’t be held down. Reigns and Rollins would win the Tag Team Championships, and Ambrose would hold the United States Championship for almost a year.

I was hooked on every match and promo; all three men worked hard to set themselves apart from everything else in the WWE at the time. And it was refreshing during a time when everything felt very stale. Even then, it did feel like Reigns was getting set to be a future star, but Ambrose and Rollins refused to fade into the background. And that refusal is probably what saved them. They were young and hungry and would not be regulated to being bit players.

Solo Runs

Dean Ambrose

When Rollins turned on the Shield and joined the Authority, it secured his spot in the main event spotlight. Reigns was never a question. But it was Ambrose who could have easily fallen down the card. He didn’t fit the mold of what the WWE wanted for a top guy; he was small, he wrestled an unorthodox style and just didn’t have the overall look that the WWE tended to get behind.

Ambrose was always my favorite of the three. When he first signed to the WWE, I was excited to see what he would do. I had been watching clips of his promos for a few years at that point. And I knew he was something special. After the cancelled feud with Foley, I wondered if he was going to last in the WWE or not. So, when he showed up with the Shield, I was all in (pun intended).

And the fact that he was the last one to win a World Championship probably speaks to this. But the fact that he is a former WWE Champion speaks to his refusal to be held down. If he had stayed in the company, there is a chance he would have had a few more runs with the top prize. But after constantly having to explain to Vince why his ideas for Ambrose’s character were dumb but being forced to do them anyway, he decided to leave the company. And I can’t blame him.

Of course, leaving was for the best; he is now the only four-time AEW World Champion, the ace of the company, and sober. Leaving was probably the best thing to ever happen to Mox.

Roman Reigns

It was obvious Reigns was being groomed for a top spot, maybe not THE top spot, but a top one. When it became apparent that Vince wanted Reigns to be Cena’s replacement, the fans revolted. Dumb stuff like being told to say “suffering succotash” like he was a Loony Tunes character didn’t help. He also wasn’t ready in the ring for what was given to him.

It might seem crazy for newer fans, but it wasn’t until Reigns took time off during COVID and returned as the Tribal Chief that he truly matured into his role. And what sucks is that I think most of us knew that guy was there the whole time. Reigns has always been so effortlessly cocky and able to switch up from serious to being a sarcastic ass. But Vince tried to shove him into the Super Cena role.

Unlike Cena, they figured out that Reigns needed a heel turn, and like The Rock, that heel run is what made fans love him so much now. He was able to be himself, and fans love that. Because, as all the greats say, the key to a successful gimmick is just turning yourself up to 11. We just had to suffer through years of crap booking and forcing Reigns down our throats for them to figure it out.

Seth Rollins

Rollins has never been situated as THE guy, but ever since the Shield ended, he has been a perpetual main eventer. The Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels to Reigns Hulk Hogan/John Cena. And while he was small like Ambrose, he was an undeniable in-ring talent, and his promos improved significantly from his ROH days.

Rollins has won six World Championships and is the second two-time Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. At this point, the only thing Rollins hasn’t achieved is King of the Ring. Not bad for a guy many didn’t expect to make it in the WWE. And while he has stayed at the top of the company, he has had to fight against some awful booking as well. The Fiend feud probably being the worst, mainly because of that awful Hell in a Cell match they had.

Rollins has constantly found a way to turn crap into gold and is usually a highlight of the show. I know some fans are tired of him, and I get it. And the man has more than earned his spot. He is one of the most consistent wrestlers in the ring and works hard to elevate others around him. I have long since appreciated Rollins’ willingness to put others over and to be unselfish in the ring.

The Future

So, what does the future hold for the former Shield? For Ambrose, I think he has a few more years of being the ace of AEW. He will continue to be their go-to guy and be a veteran voice for the roster. As far as his post-in-ring career goes? It’s hard to say; I don’t know if Mox is the kind of guy that would do well in a producer role. What I do see is eventual AEW and WWE Hall of Fame inductions. In AEW, it will be for his solo work, and in WWE it will be as part of the Shield.

Reigns, I can see hanging it up in the next year or so; this run seems like a swan song. He is determined to do it all on his own and prove he is everything he claims to be. After that, he can hang them up and move on. He could try his hand at Hollywood and just enjoy life.

Rollins is the life of the group. Once he hangs them up, he most likely will move into a role like AJ Styles: producer, scout, and trainer. He will lend his knowledge to the next generation of talent and help them get to where they want to be.

No matter what actually happens for each man, their legacy is forever cemented in the history of this business. And their contributions have left it a better place.