CM Punk Feud

Verified Timeline

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.

In Their Own Story

The arena lights dimmed at Survivor Series on November 18, 2012. Ryback stood ready for the triple threat main event when three figures emerged from the crowd, ambushing him and allowing CM Punk to pin John Cena and retain the WWE Championship. The trio introduced themselves on the November 26 episode of Raw as a group fighting against 'injustices,' though they denied working for Punk or Paul Heyman. For weeks, they targeted Punk's rivals. At the Royal Rumble, during a blackout, The Shield attacked The Rock, letting Punk retain—until Mr. McMahon restarted the match and The Rock won the title. The next night on Raw, the truth emerged: The Shield had been secretly working under Paul Heyman's direction all along. Months later, in late November 2013, the tables turned. The Shield started a feud with Punk, leading to a handicap match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15. Punk won after Ambrose was accidentally speared by Reigns, causing The Shield's lack of coordination. Punk's taunts increased tension into 2014. On the January 6 episode of Raw, Reigns defeated Punk in a singles match with a distraction from Ambrose. At the 2014 Royal Rumble, Ambrose tried to eliminate Reigns, who retaliated by eliminating both Ambrose and Rollins.

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. On the January 6 episode of Raw, Reigns defeated Punk in a singles match with a distraction from Ambrose. At the 2014 Royal Rumble, Ambrose tried to eliminate Reigns, who retaliated by eliminating both Ambrose and Rollins.

Did You Know?

• The Shield debuted at Survivor Series on November 18, 2012, by ambushing Ryback to help CM Punk retain the WWE Championship.
• 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.
• CM Punk defeated The Shield in a handicap match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, 2013, after Ambrose was accidentally speared by Reigns.
• Roman Reigns was the only Shield member to defeat CM Punk in a singles match, doing so on the January 6 episode of Raw with a distraction from Ambrose.