3 reasons The Shield may never reunite in WWE again
When The Shield hijacked the WWE Championship match at Survivor Series 2012, few could have predicted that the trio would have such a long-lasting impact on the landscape of professional wrestling.
The group of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose (now known as Jon Moxley) ran roughshod over the entire roster for two years. The Undertaker, John Cena, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, and many others fell prey to the numbers game of The Hounds of Justice. The Shield cast a formidable shadow on the locker room, and their dominant run was unprecedented.
However, The Architect of the group, Rollins, stabbed his brothers in the back in June 2014, and the three men began their singles careers. They reunited several times over the next few years, but the reunions always left much to be desired.
Given the trio's popularity and the lack of a memorable reunion, there are sufficient grounds to bring The Hounds of Justice back, but the odds seem pretty thin now.
#3 A Shield reunion has not been teased on WWE programming.
"I'll never forgive you for what you did to us." - @WWERomanReigns to @WWERollins about breaking up The Shield #SmackDown https://t.co/S7jrXVrc1f
While they have reunited multiple times briefly since their split, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose have also been at each other's throats countless times. The three men competed in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship at Battleground 2016, which Ambrose won.
The Lunatic Fringe and The former Architect were bitter rivals for most of 2014. Rollins' Heist of the Century took away Reigns' WrestleMania moment in 2015. In late 2018, following The Big Dog's leukemia announcement, Ambrose turned on Rollins, executing karmic justice.
More recently, The Visionary and The Tribal Chief collided at Royal Rumble 2022 for the Universal Championship. They used their history as members of The Shield to fuel their storyline, but the two men borderline despise each other beyond description.
Reigns, Ambrose, and Rollins are not on good enough terms for a reunion. From a storyline perspective, the three men are enemies. Given that it hasn't been teased, WWE does not seem willing to re-unite them and would prefer they remain rivals.
#2 Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose have found tremendous success as singles stars.
A man living in #GODMode.
#Smackdown #WWECastle https://t.co/wEvufucUiI
Roman Reigns may be the top star of WWE, and Seth "Freakin" Rollins is not far behind. The Tribal Chief and The Visionary are two of the most over Superstars in the locker room and have racked up multiple records in the last decade.
Dean Ambrose may have been the least successful member of the trio in WWE, but his fortunes changed drastically for the better upon his departure. Jon Moxley is one of the top stars in AEW, a rival promotion, and currently holds the most prestigious championship in the company.
Considering each man's tremendous success in singles competition, there may be no need for them to reunite. A full-fledged reunion where they lay waste to everyone in the locker room could be out of the question.
In a recent interview, Rollins expressed the same belief, claiming that a Shield reunion was implausible before a Hall of Fame Induction. He also added that it might be unnecessary.
#1. A Dean Ambrose return to WWE is very unlikely
While his AEW contract will expire in 2022, Moxley will most likely ink a new one. The former WWE Champion has repeatedly suggested that he enjoys working for Tony Khan's company more, citing creative freedom and stronger booking as the biggest incentives.
He left the company on bad terms and the relationship between Ambrose and WWE has soured. The Lunatic Fringe has taken some shots at Vince McMahon, and even some top Superstars like Brock Lesnar. These conflicts are not unresolvable, but it will likely take time for old wounds to heal.
Fans will allude to Cody Rhodes' miraculous return at WrestleMania 37. The American Dragon left AEW, a company he took to great heights, for WWE. Despite the fact he had a disappointing first tenure.
That's not to say that an Ambrose return is impossible, but there aren't any indications that it may happen any time soon, not even under Triple H's regime.