Seth Rollins Ends The Shield (2014)

At the Payback pay-per-view, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns defeated Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista (Evolution) in a no holds barred, elimination match in clean sweep fashion. The following night on Raw, Batista quit the WWE (giving us an iconic GIF), and Triple H famously unveiled his “Plan B” for taking out The Shield.

Rollins stabbed his Hounds of Justice brothers in the back.

The chair shots echoed long and loudly. The group’s black vests that once seemed bulletproof–thanks to two and half years of dominance–couldn’t resist the double-cross.

While Rollins’ treachery put an end to The Shield, it skyrocketed his career. He went on to win the Money In The Bank briefcase, successfully cash it in at WrestleMania 31, and hold both the WWE and United States Championships at the same time (becoming the first and only man to ever do that).

The effects of Rollins’ heel turn continue to ripple a decade later as Reigns opted to smash Rollins in the back with a chair during his WrestleMania XL contest with Cody Rhodes (electing revenge and perhaps costing victory), and Rollins refused to partner with Reigns at Survivor Series: War Games in 2024. That is long-term storytelling at its finest.