Eyes On WWE: The 5 Best Matches Of The Shield

By @TrueGodImmortal

The return of The Shield is upon us. One of the only things the WWE has booked right in the last 5 years, The Shield was a force when they were together and people still clamor for them together. This has led the WWE to reunite the most important trio of this decade, and there are some interesting possibilities going forward. However, in order to really be excited for the reunion, you have to know the history. That's why we are here today. Let's take a look back at the 5 best Shield matches in the WWE as we get closer and closer to TLC.

5. The Shield vs John Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback
Elimination Chamber 2013

-I remember going into this match being nervous. I was certain that the WWE was about to fuck up the booking of The Shield by making them lose their first match in the company to the faux superman team of Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus. I didn't have high expectations for this match, but I was very surprised, as the match turned out great. There are a few other random six man tag matches that could have taken this spot, but this match being a pleasant surprise is what earns it a top 5 spot. The Shield get the victory and maintain their dominant run in the early stages for the Hounds of Justice.

4. The Shield vs The Undertaker, Kane, and Daniel Bryan
Raw, April 2013

-It was funny. After the Undertaker and CM Punk went at it at Wrestlemania 29, Punk disappeared for a few months. Taker on the other hand, decided to stick around for a little bit to help put The Shield over. This match was excellent, and it took place in the UK, so the crowd was on fire. On top of that, anytime you put Ambrose and Rollins in the ring with Bryan, you were sure to get a classic. This is one of my favorite matches ever on RAW, and definitely a top 10 match on RAW of the decade. When the smoke cleared, The Shield stood tall once again, walking away with the victory, earning their biggest victory as a collective up until this point.

3. The Shield vs Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Ryback
TLC 2012

-The original match of The Shield. The first contest. A month after debuting, the Hounds of Justice would take part in a brutal TLC match that kicked off what would end up as one of the biggest matches of the era. The TLC PPV didn't have much to rave about, but this match would end up being a great way to close out the year. All of these men put it on the line and left everything out there, with a lot of high impact offense being the focus of the match, and some huge spots, including a Seth Rollins spot that looked beyond brutal. Luckily Seth was okay, but the match is one of the most physical debut matches in WWE, but The Shield did what they do best and earned a victory, which kicked off their career in WWE on the right foot.

2. The Shield vs Evolution
Extreme Rules 2014

-I wanted to put this at No. 1, but it just missed the mark. In what was a dream feud in many ways, we got to see the most intriguing trio of the 2010s against the most intriguing faction of the 2000s. As a result, going into Extreme Rules had a big fight feel to it, and we weren't disappointed by what we got from both of these trios. Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton worked together well again, while The Shield did what they do best here. While the Payback match was a bit more intense, this match was aggressive and seemed about as even as can be. The Shield would pull out a big victory here, and they would start the process of burying the Evolution name and faction once and for all. This match is a definite must see.

1. The Shield vs The Wyatt Family
Elimination Chamber 2014

-There was no other choice for the best. This was the culmination of a full year's worth of begging from the fans for the mega match between the two top factions in the WWE and the very moment that we got it, the world was set on fire. While this match should have been at Wrestlemania 30 instead of Elimination Chamber, the energy in the arena for this contest was electric. The actual match itself was special, as both teams gave each other eveyyhting they had, but a miscommunication led to The Shield taking a loss and The Wyatt Family reigning victorious. Surprisingly, this is the only match on this list that The Shield lost, but in a losing effort, they managed to give their best performance. That speaks to their talent.

-True