CM Punk Feud

The Shield served as CM Punk's hired guns before turning against him.

via Wikipedia: The Shield (professional wrestling) · see source

The Shield's feud with CM Punk began at their debut on November 18, 2012, at Survivor Series, where they ambushed Ryback to help Punk pin John Cena and retain the WWE Championship. Although they initially denied working for Punk or his manager Paul Heyman, The Shield repeatedly targeted Punk's rivals in the weeks that followed. The group served as hired guns for Punk, attacking opponents like Ryback and The Rock to ensure Punk's victories. This partnership defined The Shield's early run and established them as a dominant force aligned with the reigning champion.

Lore & Background

The Shield debuted as mercenaries for CM Punk at Survivor Series on November 18, 2012, ambushing Ryback to help Punk retain the WWE Championship against John Cena. Despite publicly denying working for Punk or Paul Heyman, they repeatedly targeted Punk's rivals. On the January 7 episode of Raw, The Shield again assisted Punk by attacking Ryback during a WWE Championship TLC match. Two weeks later, they attacked The Rock, prompting Mr. McMahon to warn that any interference in Punk's upcoming title defense at the Royal Rumble would cost him the championship. At the Royal Rumble, The Shield attacked The Rock during a blackout, allowing Punk to retain, though McMahon restarted the match and The Rock ultimately won. The next night on Raw, it was revealed that The Shield had been secretly working under Paul Heyman's direction all along. In late November 2013, The Shield started a feud with CM Punk, leading to a handicap match between Punk and The Shield at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, which Punk won after capitalizing on The Shield's lack of coordination when Ambrose was accidentally speared by Reigns. Going into 2014, Punk's taunts increased tension between The Shield members. Reigns emerged as the only Shield member to defeat Punk in a singles match on the January 6 episode of Raw, albeit with a distraction from Ambrose. All three members competed in the 2014 Royal Rumble, during which Ambrose and Seth Rollins ganged up on Reigns, who then eliminated both.

Reader's Guide

The feud began at Survivor Series on November 18, 2012, when The Shield debuted by ambushing Ryback to help CM Punk retain the WWE Championship against John Cena. They denied working for Punk or Paul Heyman but continued targeting Punk's rivals. On the January 7 episode of Raw, they attacked Ryback during a TLC match. Two weeks later, they attacked The Rock, leading Mr. McMahon to warn that interference at the Royal Rumble would cost Punk the title. At the Royal Rumble, The Shield attacked The Rock during a blackout, allowing Punk to retain, but McMahon restarted the match and The Rock won. The next night on Raw, it was revealed The Shield had been secretly working under Paul Heyman's direction. In late November 2013, The Shield started a feud with Punk. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, Punk defeated The Shield in a handicap match after Ambrose was accidentally speared by Reigns. Going into 2014, Punk's taunts increased tension.

Did You Know?

The Shield denied working for CM Punk or Paul Heyman for months before it was revealed on the January 28 episode of Raw that they had been secretly working under Heyman's direction.
At the 2014 Royal Rumble, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins ganged up on Roman Reigns, who retaliated by eliminating both.