Why WWE Needs Factions and Stables to Return

There is strength in numbers, but why doesn’t the WWE believe that?

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Odds are you have a faction or stable that you have a fond memory of. Maybe because they were your favorite or because they were your favorite to hate. Either way they got your attention and made you react to them. If you’re an older fan like me you may have been a fan of The Freebirds, The Von Erich’s, The Four Horsemen, The Varsity Club or the Heenan family. These were groups of similar personalities that meshed together like a well oiled machine.

The Fabulous Freebirds were trend-setters with their rock music as they entered the ring – the swagger they had walking to the ring, the fancy robes, the way they talked – everything they did stirred up the crowd. Best known for their legendary feud with the Von Erich family – these two factions tore the house down wherever they went. It was a guaranteed sell-out whenever these two groups faced off.

The Four Horsemen were another faction that you either loved or you loved to hate. There are many different versions of the Horsemen – perhaps the best one, at least in my opinion, was Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Barry Windham with J.J. Dillon as their manager/agent. They were the headline attraction for NWA and Crockett promotions. The Horsemen would have some legendary matches – some that would eventually lead to a War Games match with Dusty Rhodes, Sting, The Road Warriors, Magnum TA and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express.

The WWE in the 80’s had the Heenan Family led by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and would have various members throughout the years including André The Giant, King Kong Bundy, Mr. Perfect, and Rick Rude. They’d also have small groups that really weren’t considered factions but they would help each other out like one, such as Rowdy Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, and “Cowboy” Bob Orton.

Fast forward about 10 years and wrestling hit a real surge of factions. WCW had of course nWo, then the watered down nWo black and white, nWo Wolfpack, L.W.O, a reformation of the Horsemen with Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Steve McMichael with Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, and who can forget the Dungeon of Doom.

WWE had the Nation of Domination, Disciples of the Apocalypse, The Oddities, Los Boricuas, the Ministry of Darkness, the Corporation, later the Corporate Ministry, The Hart Foundation, Right to Censor, and everyone’s favorite DX.

ECW would have their few groups. The bWo, FBI (Full Blooded Italians) and my favorite, The Triple Threat.

The desire of factions faded away after time. Groups would become stale – eventually one or two guys would stick out of the group as real stars and leave thus ending the group. WWE would, now and then, bring one back. Evolution which was a newer version of the Horsemen, Legacy, Shield, The Wyatts, even now with the Authority.

The Shield and The Wyatt Family showed how popular a really good stable can be and how much of a following they can have if done right – so why doesn’t the WWE look to add another one or two into the fold now?

Vince McMahon doesn’t seem to be a big fan of the faction idea it seems. D ailywrestlingnews.com reporter Eric Arrington echoed what my hunch was at the time of the Wyatt’s break-up. Arrington said, “with the talent roster so thin and Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose working towards the top of the card, Vince feels that by splitting The Wyatts, they can end up with two top acts instead of one.”

That feeling has been wrong so far. Harper, who is very talented in the ring and underrated on the mic, has been put on the back burner. Wyatt is still strongly apart of the main roster but not as hot as he was last year with the group intact. They should have been kept together and Rowan and Harper should have had their run with the tag straps – also helping Wyatt claim the World Title or at the very least helping him with that battle.

The New Day, I think, was a bad attempt at trying to put together a stereotype group and hope it turns into something. Right now. that something is nothing the fans want to see. Could it be the start of a new Nation of Domination and try to make a strong heel group? We will see.

I think that a new Horsemen group with a tweak may happen. With Ric Flair on and off again on television and his daughter Charlotte apart of the company and could come up soon to the main roster – a new generation of the Horseman but with the fourth being a female could work. Think of a Cesaro, Kidd, and Charlotte Flair group led by Seth Rollins or Dolph Ziggler with The Nature Boy playing the role of J.J. Dillon.

Maybe Flair could even dip into NXT and start from there – with the group running over all of NXT then taking over WWE’s main roster. Alex Riley has the look for what they used to be, as does Baron Corbin as the enforcer.

They have the talent to form an interesting group and if they do – they need to leave them be for a good run. You can always subtract one lower member for another as proof with the days of the Four Horsemen showed.

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