Seth Rollins has noted just how important The Shield’s break-up on the wrestling business.
On the Raw after Battleground 2014, Seth Rollins turned on his teammates. While Triple H and Randy Orton confronted the trio, Rollins hit Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a chair, leaving the group in tatters.
Seth Rollins spoke about the break-up with The Pivot. He noted how much of a key moment it was in the wrestling industry, given how poorly the business was doing in that time.
“I referenced breaking up The Shield earlier, and to me, that was an extremely important moment. In our industry, if you look back, we did that in 2000—was it 2014? Yeah, it would have been 2014. Business was not great then. We were not doing great; television ratings were kind of declining as, you know, TV was shifting to streaming.” Seth Rollins said.
“Live events weren’t doing well, and the talent roster wasn’t doing great either. We came in 2012 with a goal to make a huge impact, and we did great as The Shield. But you have to realize, it’s three guys in one act. You need three acts, right? So we broke up The Shield, and that was a huge moment.”
Seth Rollins: The Business Wouldn’t Be Where It Is Without The Shield Break-up
Seth Rollins continued to speak about the break-up of The Shield. He noted that the split created a butterfly effect that changed the business, and that it wouldn’t be where it is today if not for that fateful night.
“That moment took all three of us—myself, Roman, and Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley)—in separate directions. The butterfly effect of that decision changed and catapulted the business, bringing it, 10 years later, to a place that’s financially as big as it’s ever been. We’re about to jump into a new streaming deal with Netflix, a first-of-its-kind five-year, maybe 10-year deal if things work out.” Seth Rollins said.
“We’re doing things in our industry now that I don’t think would have happened if we hadn’t had that moment. If you keep The Shield together longer or do something different with it, that butterfly effect isn’t the same. I don’t know that the business, myself, Roman, Jon, or the industry as a whole would be where it is today without that moment.”
