The Shield were originally set to suffer the same fate as The Nexus, according to former WWE Superstar
The Shield spent a large part of the last decade dominating WWE as Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins were unstoppable. Recently, former Intercontinental Champion Ryback claimed that the original finish for Elimination Chamber 2013 was John Cena going over the trio at the event.
In 2010, Cena feuded with The Nexus over the summer and some controversial choices were made during the rivalry. The Leader of the Cenation went over the upcoming stable and defeated them in the main event of that year's SummerSlam, ruining their momentum.
A similar booking decision was originally planned for The Shield's second-ever PLE match, as the faction faced off against John Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback at WWE Elimination Chamber 2013. Speaking on Ryback TV, the former Intercontinental Champion explained the original plan. Check it out:
"So knowing what I knew about that and knowing what was going on with our current story that we had going on and not knowing that it was never going to not be paid off, I saw The Shield in the locker room in New Orleans and we had a conversation."
Ryback claims he spoke to the trio about the match and the trio went to Vince McMahon to change the finish.
"They knew deep down that this was not the right call with [John] Cena going over on The Shield and they knew ultimately what this was going to lead to as we've seen historically with John Cena programs and they were next... Fast forward, they go have that conversation and then I'm notified hours later that John Cena will no longer be defeating The Shield." (From 0:55 to 2:10)
The Shield's last WWE match was in 2019
In 2014, The Shield broke up after defeating Evolution twice. Seth Rollins sold out to The Authority and attacked Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to join the villainous group on WWE RAW.
Over the past decade, the trio have often united and left each other on numerous occasions. In 2017, the trio reunited for the first time in years before Dean Ambrose got injured and went on a hiatus.
The Trio once again reunited in 2018 but Roman Reigns went on a hiatus due to leukemia. Dean Ambrose betrayed Seth Rollins and feuded with The Visionary for months before The Big Dog's return.
In 2019, the trio united for one last run as Ambrose's contract with WWE was set to expire. The trio headlined Fastlane and defeated Bobby Lashley, Baron Corbin, and Drew McIntyre in their last match at a premium live event.
Do you want the group to reunite on WWE RAW? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit Ryback TV Official and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.