10 Best Rookie Years in WWE History
How much can change in 12 months...
8. The Shield
Sometimes, it can take wrestlers coming from WWE’s developmental system a long time to make it, if indeed they make it at all.
Stop-start pushes, 50/50 booking and a general apathy or indifference are all things that can stunt the careers of a hot prospect.
Luckily for the members of The Shield, they encountered no such setbacks after they debuted at the 2012 Survivor Series.
It helped that they were aligned with CM Punk, top star and then-WWE Champion, but Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns all did the work and were good value for their winning streak, which lasted through June 2013.
Not that it was a bad time for the Hounds of Justice or anything, as each member won their first WWE title in May, Ambrose bagging the US Title while Reigns and Rollins captured the tag straps.
They continued defending their titles and put on some incredible matches over the summer and autumn and were associated with WWE COO Triple H, a sure sign that the company had big plans for them.
The Shield were stars and were clearly being positioned as the future of the company, potential world champions one and all, and they continued to go from strength to strength as they entered their second year.
Written by Lewis Howse
Features journalist for Cultaholic.com and script writer for the Cultaholic YouTube Channel.
