Why Factions Will Always Work in the WWE

Factions have always been a big draw for wrestling.  When you take powerhouse guys and put them together, more often than not magic happens, especially in WWE.

Sometimes you get the biggest stars, at the moment, banding together, and sometimes you get stars, who were lost on their own, together to become overnight sensations.

From a psychological perspective, factions have always been a draw because of the gang/mob mentality.  It’s allows fans to feel like they can become a part of them.

As the saying goes “Less in more”, isn’t always true when it comes to beating people up.  More is always better.

The Shield debuted in 2012.  In NXT all three members (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) did well on their own, but it wasn’t until they stormed Survivor Series 2012 that they blew up.

They took over the WWE.  Everyone wanted to be apart of the Shield.  Fans everywhere were putting their fists out just like the Hounds of Justice.

Each character was bringing something different to the table, but as a faction, it all blended together to create a perfect team.

When they started, their promos were awful.  None of it made sense, but no one cared.  The fans ate every word these three spit out.

When the Shield broke up, each went on to become very successful, but they weren’t quite as successful as they were as a unit.

They all ran with the heat from The Shield, until they were running on fumes.

The New Day is another prime example of how teams really strive.

With exceptional mic skills, exciting in ring performances and a heavy hitter, The New Day skyrocketed to success

Individually, Kofi had a decent career, but Xavier Woods and Big E would not be anywhere near their level of success they have today.

Photo by WWE.com

Currently, The New Day have had the highest merchandise sales for over a year.

Putting them together and giving them a team name, once agains connects the fans to them even moreso.  When you buy a Shawn Michaels T-Shirt, you are buying as a fan.  When you buy a D-Generation X shirt, you feel like you are apart of this gang.

Like in sports, you don’t go to a hockey game wearing a Wayne Gretzky shirt, you go wearing his team’s jersey.

We have always been asked to chose, Coke or Pepsi? Microsoft or Apple? RAW or SmackDown?  nWo or DX?  WWE or WCW?

Photo by WWE.com

D-Generation X and the nWo revolutionized factions and creating the gang mentality.

I remember in school, you were either a DX’er or part of the Kliq.

They made it so much more than just WCW vs WWE.  They made you want to watch both shows simultaneously, just so you could feel like you’re apart of it.

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When Triple H and Shawn Michaels formed DX they were the bad boys of WWE.  Class clowns, always going against authority figures.  They made the fans feel like one of them, not as a wrestler but on a personal level.

Eventually, people in the locker room took notice and either hated them or wanted to be them.

DX teamed up with Chyna and shortly after, they acquired the New Age Outlaws.

The tag team was a perfect fit into these degenerates reign.  They owned the mic and engaged the crowd like the best of them.

To this day, I can still recite Road Dogg’s promo word for word.

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash went into WCW as “The Outsiders”.  They stormed the show with the intent to take it over.  And that’s exactly what they did.

This was what really gave the Monday Night War sustenance.  Two of the WWE’s largest stars had just jumped ship and are now employed by the competition.

Hulk Hogan would team up with them, changing his name to Hollywood Hogan and wearing all black and white attire, signature nWo colors.

They would also team up with Sean Waltman, known in the group as Syxx as he was the sixth member to join the Kliq.

On March 30, 1998 during an episode of RAW, Triple H formed the DX army.

"“When you start an army, you look to your blood… you look to your buddies… you look to your friends… you look to The Kliq.”"

Out came Waltman, now going by the name X-Pac.

Back then, this was mind blowing.  You had one of the members of nWo leave the pack and cross over into enemy territory.

These bigger than life factions changed the way fans connected with wrestlers.  DX and nWo paved the way for so many others.

The Four Horsemen, JBL’s Cabinet, Ministry of Darkness, Evolution, The Corporation, Nation of Domination, Right To Censor, The Union, The Nexus, The Wyatt Family, The Authority.

All these factions, bringing superstars together to create powerful, unstoppable teams.  No matter if you hated them or loved them, fans couldn’t get enough.

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Factions allowed the fans to be apart of their movement.  They were able to create the bonds between fans and stars.  It made the reality of joining the nWo or DX that much more attainable.