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Factions have always been a huge part of WWE's history. While there has been a lack of highly successful factions in recent years, the two that have stood out and become iconic are The Shield and The Wyatt Family. Both these factions were started by NXT/FCW Superstars, which made them more special as WWE didn't choose the typical route of some veteran starting a faction around himself.
The Shield made their on-screen debut at the 2012 Survivor Series pay-per-view. The trio of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose completed dominated WWE's roster, attacking and decimating everyone, not even sparing legends like The Undertaker.
The Wyatt Family, on the other hand, was a mysterious faction led by Bray Wyatt with his two followers Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. Later, they were joined by their fourth member Braun Strowman, The Black Sheep. With some amazing storytelling and great character work, the faction became highly successful among the fans.
Interestingly, these factions could have had some interesting names in them instead of the ones that ended up being the members. Let's take a look at three WWE Superstars who nearly joined The Shield and three others who nearly joined The Wyatt Family. Be sure to let us know who amongst these would you have liked watching in these factions.
#3 WWE Superstar who nearly joined The Shield: Kassius Ohno
The Shield is one of the few factions which saw all its members become top singles Superstars even after the faction was dissolved. All three of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose went on to become world champions for WWE and won several other titles as well.
Interestingly, Roman Reigns was never meant to be a part of The Shield initially as the idea was to have former NXT Superstar Kassius Ohno be in the faction. But the WWE management replaced him with Roman Reigns, who later went on to become the "powerhouse" of The Shield and is one of the top guys for the company, having main-evented four WrestleManias in a row.
Kassius Ohno, also known popularly as Chris Hero, is a pro wrestling veteran who has worked for several promotions including WWE. Most recently, he was working for the NXT UK brand until his release in April 2020 under the COVID-19 budget cuts.
#3 WWE Superstar who nearly joined The Wyatt Family: Kaitlyn
The Wyatt Family has arguably been the most mysterious faction in WWE's recent history. One of the reasons for that was the continuous mention of the character of Sister Abigail, which was supposed to be the source of Bray Wyatt's supernatural powers. While there were many opportunities for WWE to debut this character on-screen, we never saw Sister Abigail being played by any Superstar.
During an interview on The Agenda Podcast, former WWE writer Tom Casiello revealed that there was a pitch made for former Superstar Kaitlyn to be in The Wyatt Family, possibly playing the role of Sister Abigail.
Kaitlyn won the Divas Championship in January 2016 and dropped it to AJ Lee at WWE Payback in June 2013. The Wyatt Family made their main roster debut around the same time and Kaitlyn could have perfectly fit in the faction.
However, WWE decided not to go ahead with the pitch and Kaitlyn ended up leaving the company in January 2014. Kaitlyn has since made a few appearances for WWE in 2018 where she competed in the Mae Young Classic tournament and then in 2019 in a backstage segment during the RAW Reunion show.
#2 WWE Superstar who nearly joined The Shield: Big E
Another massively successful WWE faction in recent memory other than The Shield and The Wyatt Family is The New Day. Consisting of Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods, the faction has been highly popular among the WWE Universe. They are also one of the most highly accomplished factions in WWE history.
Interestingly, Big E could have been a member of The Shield instead. As revealed by Seth Rollins during his appearance on Chris Jericho's podcast, he thought the faction was going to be a foursome with him, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Big E.
"I remember they had brought... it was Big E, Roman, myself, and Dean all up at that same time. So we were like... we thought it was going to be a foursome at first. Can you imagine Big E in a big, black tactical vest? As much as he sweats just like in life he would not be able to survive in something like that."
It's certainly worth considering how things would have been had Big E been in The Shield or whether that would have led to The New Day never being formed. Nonetheless, WWE decided not to go ahead with this plan.
#2 and #1 WWE Superstars who nearly joined The Wyatt Family: Baron Corbin and Judas Devlin
Former NXT Superstar Judas Devlin revealed in an interview with Solo Wrestling that WWE tried both him and Baron Corbin to become members of The Wyatt Family, but that never materialized.
“I actually did a few promos with Bray Wyatt in front of the camera with Dusty [Rhodes]. They tried a few people, Baron Corbin kinda tried out for it as well. Ultimately, I think I could [have gotten] that spot, but then I got injured.”
For those who might not know, Judas Devlin was released by WWE in 2014 following a severe injury. He later returned to pro wrestling and joined Lucha Underground. Currently, he is part of All Elite Wrestling, working under the ring name Luchasaurus.
As for Baron Corbin, he has had a decently successful career in WWE. Making an impact by winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32, Corbin is currently one of the top heels on WWE's main roster. He is a former WWE United States Champion, King of the Ring (2019), and Money in the Bank winner. But it would have been interesting to see him as a Wyatt Family member.
#1 WWE Superstar who nearly joined The Shield: CM Punk
Former WWE Superstar CM Punk has gone on the record to claim that The Shield was his brainchild and the company stole it from him without giving him any credit. During his appearance on Colt Cabana's podcast, CM Punk stated that he came up with the idea of having three guys from FCW join him in a faction, which was supposed to be his group.
"The idea was they were supposed to be my group. Things f*cking change. They like to take other people's ideas, make it their own idea, and then tout how awesome they are. So it then became Hunter's idea and up until the PPV they were like 'oh, we were told we might not be with you.' And I was like 'this whole entire time you're supposed to be with me' because the idea was they're with me, they're with me, they're with me, I go on to fight Undertaker, and then I have these three guys to work with after WrestleMania. ... I pitched all that"
In the few months after The Shield's debut, the faction was highly involved in the storyline of CM Punk, helping him retain his WWE Championship mysteriously. Paul Heyman even went on to claim that he had hired The Shield to help CM Punk. Things then changed and The Shield became a proper faction of their own, serving as The Hounds of Justice.
