WWE's Seth Rollins vs. AEW's Jon Moxley: Who Has Had the Better Post-Shield Career?

Seth Rollins and Jon Moxley have both become far bigger stars than anyone could have ever expected coming out of The Shied.Credit: WWE.com

It was evident from the moment The Shield emphatically arrived on the WWE scene at Survivor Series 2012 that all three members were destined for greatness.

Roman Reigns was always intended to be John Cena's successor as the face of the franchise, but where Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose would end up on the totem pole was much less certain.

Ultimately, they transitioned seamlessly into singles competition and became big stars on their own. After a certain point, however, their career paths branched off in completely different directions, especially once Ambrose returned to his roots as Jon Moxley and left the company for greener pastures in the burgeoning All Elite Wrestling.

Nowadays, both Rollins and Moxley are permanent fixtures at the top of the card in their respective promotions, winning world titles and doing some of the strongest work of their career.

Both have thrived since splitting from The Shield, but only one can lay claim to having had the better run.

In the months preceding The Shield's breakup, it was heavily implied that Reigns would be the breakout babyface and Ambrose would be booked as a top heel. Thus, fans feared Rollins would get lost in the shuffle on his own.

Interestingly, it turned out to be the opposite with Rollins being the one to betray his brethren and immediately align himself with WWE's premier heel faction, The Authority. Reigns was going to get a big push out of the gate regardless, but Ambrose actually got over with the audience much more organically in the babyface role.

Despite that, Rollins was on the fast track to super stardom, while WWE clearly didn't know how to capitalize on Ambrose's unexpected popularity.

Rollins quickly captured the Money in the Bank briefcase and went on to cash in successfully in the main event of WrestleMania 31 to become WWE champion for the first time in his career. Ambrose opened that same show as one of seven Superstars in an Intercontinental Championship Ladder match.

The self-proclaimed Architect of The Shield was a made man in the main event scene early on, whereas it took Ambrose a lot longer to ascend to those same heights.

Rollins' injury at the end of 2015 created a vacancy in WWE's main-event scene that Reigns struggled to fill due to dealing with backlash from fans.

Around this time, Ambrose was bouncing around from feud to feud with little long-term direction but maintained a strong connection with crowds. That led him to building more momentum and eventually fulfilling his destiny as WWE champion in the summer of 2016.

He represented the title and SmackDown–to which he was drafted soon after–to the best of his ability and was even booked to beat the likes of Rollins, Reigns, Dolph Ziggler and John Cena throughout his reign.

Unfortunately, his time atop WWE was short-lived, as he dropped back down to upper-midcard status once his championship run concluded. Rollins remained at a similar level throughout 2017 and 2018 as well, and their 2017 reunion in the tag team ranks saw them treated as equals for the first time.

The tide turned in 2018 when Rollins got white-hot as a babyface and Ambrose gradually fell out of favor with officials. His awfully-executed heel turn didn't help matters and only allowed Rollins' stock to skyrocket, culminating in Rollins unseating Brock Lesnar as Universal champion at WrestleMania 39.

Ambrose had already announced his pending departure from WWE at the onset of 2019, but had he stayed, the company clearly had no intentions of showcasing Ambrose the same way they did Rollins. His stepping stone status was cemented in WWE's eyes and leaving on his own terms was his only solution.

From 2019 onward, Rollins was and has been a perennial main-event player for WWE, but he hasn't had the same consistent crowd connection as Ambrose.

It took a few gimmick changes and character overhauls for Rollins to finally find himself back in the good graces of the audience. He receives raucous reactions on a weekly basis these days, but that certainly wasn't the case toward the end of his second Universal Championship run in 2019.

Ambrose, now known as Jon Moxley, hasn't had to change much about himself over the years because he's been so naturally beloved by fans. It was the biggest reason why his heel run in WWE didn't pan out as well as why AEW has booked him as their top babyface time and time again.

Their ability to reinvent themselves shouldn't go unnoticed, however.

Rollins realized his run as a babyface four years ago was wearing thin and decided to switch it up by becoming a "messiah" in 2020. That led to his phase as The Visionary in 2021, a role he eventually settled quite nicely into.

Upon exiting WWE, Moxley made sure to rid his on-screen persona of all Dean Ambrose elements and go back to being the rebellious hardcore hero he once was on the independent scene. He took that shtick to AEW and felt like a perfect fit for the promotion in addition to GCW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Moxley couldn't have come into AEW a better time in 2019. He was the first major name to defect from WWE and help put the promotion on the map.

It was wise of AEW to get behind him as the biggest babyface on the roster heading into 2020 and crown him champion because of his history as a workhorse for WWE. He played a pivotal role in carrying the company through the pandemic period and delivering compelling content that kept viewers engaged despite the empty arenas they were running.

Even after losing the AEW World Championship, he remained a focal point on the program and again was relied on when CM Punk and The Elite's unfavorable actions after All Out 2021 got them suspended.

Rollins hasn't been in quite the same spot these past few years, but he too did a commendable job during the ThunderDome era and made WWE TV worthwhile without a world title present from WrestleMania 38 to WrestleMania 39.

The Visionary was rewarded for his efforts with the World Heavyweight Championship back in May and has been firing on all cylinders since then. Of course, the belt has been booked as a consolation prize as a result of Reigns' dominance, while Ambrose was firmly positioned as "the guy" in AEW during his three title reigns.

When The Shield first formed over a decade ago, no one could have expected the heights they'd reach both collectively and individually despite the immense amount of talent among them even then.

Reigns, Rollins and Moxley have essentially run the wrestling business since then and across two major promotions at that. Rollins and Moxley in particular are neck and neck in terms of the titles they've won, icons they've beaten, memorable moments and matches they've had, and more.

Fans can debate one has had the superior singles run over the other and wouldn't be wrong, but based on the aforementioned categories, Rollins gets the slight edge.

Rollins was a main-event player the moment he caused The Shield to shatter, and although he went without a world title for a few years, his position in the promotion never wavered. It took Moxley significantly longer to hit that same stride.

Moxley deserves credit for not only excelling at a high level in WWE but also betting on himself and achieving similar success in AEW. He's been a hot commodity post-WWE but arguably isn't the level of star Rollins is.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.