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5 of the greatest stables in WWE history

By Ryan Anderson

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns celebrate their victory at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns celebrate their victory at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images) /
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D-Generation X

Members: HBK, Triple H, Road Dogg, X Pac, Billy Gunn, Chyna, Tori, and Rick Rude

D-Generation X was formed in the middle of the infamous Monday Night Wars. Its founding members were Shawn Michaels, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Rick Rude, and Chyna.

When DX was formed, WWE was treading water from an entertainment standpoint. The wrestling characters were inauthentic, and the in ring wrestling was systematic.

DX sparked a change in how WWE portrayed its wrestling characters. The days of generic characters were gone, and were replaced by wrestlers like HBK and HHH who peeled the curtain back for fans.

This shift in character presentation for WWE was aided by the rise of the internet. The days of fans being in the dark with major WWE storylines were gone. Fans were gaining more access to the behind the scenes activities in pro wrestling. That access would push fans to demand more realism from pro wrestling.

In pro wrestling’s past, a character would come over from a rival promotion, and they would receive a character reboot. When WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ron Simmons showed up on WWE Monday Night RAW as Faarooq, fans knew that the character Faarooq was once Ron Simmons.

DX was not the only stable in the Monday Night Wars to blur the lines of reality and story. They were one  of the more credible stables to do so.

DX had legendary feuds with The Hart Foundation that often left fans guessing if what was said in a promo was real or scripted.

At the time that DX was founded, Shawn Michaels was one of the top WWE superstars. Triple H was his second in command, as both men ran roughshod over WWE for their time. HBK unfortunately then had to leave D-X as he recovered from a broken back that appeared to be career threatening.

This change in leadership allowed Triple H to deliver an iconic promo where he declared he was the new leader in DX.  HHH would go on to be a 14 time World Champion in WWE. Triple H’s rise in DX was paramount to him becoming one of the most consistent main event talents the the history of WWE.

Members like Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and X Pac had their characters reinvigorated in DX. Before DX, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn were floundering characters. After DX ,those two men were iconic figures in WWE history.

In the last 10+ years there have been countless DX reunions. The edgy content had given way to a more PG style of DX. What is true is the impact that DX has had on WWE for over the last 20 years.

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