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The Undisputed Era: Kyle O'Reilly, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Roderick Strong. Could they be in for a line up change?

7 of the Best Stables in Wrestling Today

There is strength in numbers.

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While that old axiom may hew toward truth, it is perfectly displayed in practice when watching professional wrestling. After all, there's nothing that rankles the fans more than seeing a popular superstar denied victory because he or she was ganged up on by a group of heels.

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For this reason, stables tend to be heel groups almost exclusively. While there are exceptions to the rule--one of them even makes this list--the fact is teaming up to dominate single wrestlers is a villain's move.

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In the early 1970s wrestling stables began to grow in prominence. The Moondogs were one of the first such groups, as were the Machines, who included illustrious legends such as Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan among their number.

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But it was probably the Fabulous Freebirds who really set the standard for wrestling stables. The group consisting of Michael PS Hayes, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy, and Buddy Jack Roberts. They would eventually be joined by Jimmy Jam Garvin. The villainous Freebirds broke the rules and brought gang warfare to wrestling for the first time.

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While the Freebirds made stables famous, it was the Four Horsemen who perfected the story telling device. The Horsemen have included many different members over the years, but the best line ups involve Ric Flair and Arn Anderson.

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The tradition of stables in wrestling continues to today. Here are ten of the best active stables in wrestling.

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Stable #1: The Forgotten Sons

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The Forgotten Sons are Jaxson Ryker, Wesley Blake, and Steve Cutler.

The Forgotten Sons are on the rise in WWE NXT, and consist of veteran Jaxson Ryker--known by the name Gunner in Impact wrestling--Wesley Blake, formerly of Blake and Murphy, and Steve Cutler.

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Their main theme seems to revolve around the fact that other wrestlers are being pushed and promoted to the main roster ahead of themselves. The trio plays off of this angst quite well, and their general similarity in appearance helps fans remember who they are.

Gunner flirted with the main event scene in Impact Wrestling, but never quite made it before he joined NXT. Wesley Blake was trained by the legendary Dory Funk Jr., and has been in NXT for several years, mostly teaming with Buddy Murphy. Steve Cutler is a relatively new face in sports entertainment, but makes up for his lack of experience with a lot of poise.

The Forgotten Sons look to be on the verge of being the top heel stable in NXT, so long as the Undisputed Era continues to have personal problems.

Stable #2: Ohio Versus Everything (OVE.)

Dave Crist, Jake Crist, and Sami Calihan make up Ohio Versus Everything. They were recently joined by Madman Fulton (not pictured.)
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Ohio Versus Everything began life as a tag team consisting of Jake and Dave Crist. The incendiary heel duo was soon joined by Ohio native and independent wrestling scene darling Sami Calihan, and have increased their number by adding Madman Fulton to the mix.

Ohio Versus Everything blends elements of hardcore stables of the past, such as the Dudleys, and newer, more innovative groups such as Los Ignorables and others.

Firmly a heel faction, the group tends to use their numbers game to great advantage, making life difficult for wrestlers like Rick Swann and Willie Mack. There's also bad blood between OVE and the Lucha Brothers. Sami Calihan serves well as the charismatic leader, and flirts with the main event scene in Impact Wrestling.

Stable #3: Lucha House Party

Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, and Kallisto are Lucha House Party.
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At times, pro wrestling has been accused of prejudice because there are many ethnically flavored stables.

The Nation of Domination was a stable of all black wrestlers--or it was until Owen Hart inexplicably joined--Jinder Mahal and the Bollywood Boys were an Indian stable, and the LWO was, of course, all Latin American superstars.

Lucha House Party falls into this category, but unlike the previously mentioned stables, they are intended to appeal to a wider audience. Perhaps because they are babyface wrestlers, the Lucha House Party manages to transcend the ethnic stable cliche and does so in style.

The trio are ostensibly the property of WWE 205 Live, but spend a lot of time on the tag team circuit for RAW. Of the three, Gran Metalik is probably the best pure wrestler, but Kallisto seems to be the most charismatic.

Stable #4: The Rascalz

The Rascalz
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Admit it; You like the Rascalz.

You didn't want to, when you first saw the poorly edited video package Impact drummed up for their debut. You weren't sure when they channeled Eric Foreman and company from That 70s Show in their psychotropic round table sessions, but you went along for the ride.

Now you realize that the Rascalz have grown on you, and what can you do? They're like a fungus that just won't go away until you realize you would miss them if they were gone.

The core of the Rascalz are Desmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz. The high flying tag team have become independent wrestling scene darlings, and one of the most exciting teams on the entire wrestling circuit. They are joined by rookie sensation Myron Reed and a Trey Miguel. Miguel, despite being only twenty five, is a ten year veteran of ring wars.

Time will tell if the Rascalz can overcome their 'comedy troupe' gimmick and rise to success on Impact and beyond.

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Stable #5: The Kingdom

TK O'Ryan, Vinny Marseglia, and Matt Taven are the Kingdom.
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The Kingdom is a Ring of Honor heel stable that has undergone many transitions over the years. Initially, it was the 'kingdom' of Matt Hardy, who served as the group's leader and inspiration. In fact, long after Matt Hardy had ceased to wrestle for Ring of Honor, the group's new leader Adam Cole would still do the Hardy hand sign and perform a Twist of Fate as his finisher.

Eventually the Kingdom would come under the dominion of Maria Kannelis, who served as the leader until she and her husband signed with WWE. Then, a new leader emerged; Matt Taven.

Taven has been a long time Ring of Honor Alum, and if you've ever had a chance to see him live you'll understand that he's one of the most underrated performers working in sports entertainment today. He has been joined by indie scene darlings TK O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia, and the trio seems poised to be the top faction in Ring of Honor.

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Stable #6: The Undisputed Era

The Undisputed Era are: Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish, and (at least for now) Roderick Strong.
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Originally, the idea of teaming up a cadre of former Ring of Honor champions seemed like a tough sell. Would their fame and notoriety from the independent scene carry over into the lime light of the WWE?

The answer was a resounding 'yes.' The Undisputed Era quickly proved they were more than just 'team ROH Alumni' by dominating the tag team scene in NXT for the past couple of years.

Adam Cole is the ostensible leader of the group, and also the biggest star. Cole is a former Ring of Honor world champion and led Bullet Club for a time before he joined NXT. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish have dominated the tag team scene around the world as ReDragon, and Roderick Strong just might be the best pure technical wrestler alive today.

The group represents a modern Four Horsemen better than any other currently working.

Stable #7: The New Day

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Xavier Woods, Big E Langston, and Kofi Kingston make up the New Day.

Remember what we mentioned before about ethnic based stables being too prevalent in pro wrestling in general, and in WWE in particular? When New Day initially debuted, fans and critics cringed to see it happening again.

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But then something magical happened. For whatever reason, the trio came together and gelled so well as a team that the fans took notice. Soon the New Day became one of the biggest merchandise sellers in the company, and wound up breaking the long standing tag team championship record set by Demolition during the WWE's classic era.

Now, the New Day has soared to new heights, because they're longest tenured member Kofi Kingston has finally broken into the main event and claimed the WWE Championship. The New Day is an example of WWE shooting for good enough and winding up with something truly special.

There you have it: Seven of the best active stables in pro wrestling today. What are your impressions of the modern day stables? Please comment and let us know, and as always thanks for reading!

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

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Edited by
Pratyay Ghosh
 
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