Shelton Benjamin attacks Seth Rollins as The Kingslayer trades verbal jabs with Paul Heyman.

PITTSBURGH — The Shield’s final match was as pure a feel-good moment as you’re ever likely to come across in WWE — Corey Graves doesn’t get choked up over just anything — but The Road to WrestleMania moves fast, and with Roman Reigns’ blessing, The Hounds of Justice's farewell address quickly morphed into business of a different kind. That would, of course, be the start of Seth Rollins’ fateful trudge to Suplex City, where Universal Champion Brock Lesnar lies in wait.

Never one to miss a chance to get ahead of the competition, Paul Heyman re-emerged for the first time in weeks to remind the would-be Beastslayer of what, exactly, it is he’s looking to slay: Not only did The Advocate cue up a highlight reel of Brock Lesnar in action, he even brought out Shelton Benjamin, a veteran of Lesnar’s collegiate wrestling room who was once described as the only man who could go toe-to-toe with The Conqueror in his youth. The Gold Standard ambushed Rollins from behind, dishing out a series of Lesnar-esque German suplexes to The Architect in a display that was half rude-awakening, and half-reminder that Rollins’ run through the glory days with The Shield might have come with a steep price. After all, Team Brock had that much longer to prepare, and Rollins is starting from behind.