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Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have established themselves as two of WWE's most respected superstars over the last decade. However, the former Shield members' reputation among their co-workers has not always been as good as it is now.
In 2013, rumors emerged that Reigns and Rollins received backstage heat after an incident with Randy Orton during an untelevised tag team match. At the time, they were the Tag Team Champions while Shield stablemate Dean Ambrose held the United States Championship.
The Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez reported the story in the Figure Four Weekly Newsletter:
"There was heat on The Shield in recent weeks. It was said that Rollins and Reigns were the two the office was upset with (…) Another WWE source said the issue with Reigns was that there was a house show tag match which Reigns and Randy Orton were in, and they botched up a spot and got into a shouting match about it backstage. A guy in Reigns' spot arguing with a guy in Randy Orton's spot is a great way to get massive heat on you." (H/T Cageside Seats)
According to Alvarez, then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon disagreed with his son-in-law Triple H on how the two should be reprimanded:
"Regardless of what happened, we were told that there was a power struggle of sorts in that Vince McMahon wanted people punished and Triple H didn't want them punished, so he was fighting to keep them strong on TV."
Alvarez also reported that The Big Show had a problem with Rollins around the same time. The Architect allegedly upset the former WWE veteran due to his "improper conduct" backstage.
How Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins overcame their backstage heat
The report on The Shield's behind-the-scenes drama was published on July 26, 2013. Two weeks earlier, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins defeated The Usos in a classic match on the Money in the Bank 2013 kickoff show.
Bryan Alvarez added that WWE's higher-ups soon forgot about the backstage problems due to the high quality of The Shield vs. The Usos:
"I don't know if things have changed, but another good source in WWE claimed that while there was heat, the pre-show match with Shield vs. Usos was so good that pretty much all the heat dissipated afterwards."
Almost a decade later, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins remain two of WWE's star attractions. The former tag team partners will celebrate their 10-year main roster anniversary on November 18, 2022.
What were your early impressions of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins? Let us know in the comments section below.
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