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We are at the beginning of a new age of stables in the WWE. After a few years of the company avoiding giving any groups too much control or power, we are seeing a rise of larger groups in the company. Join us as we take a look at some of the most unique and interesting stables in the WWE as well as other organizations. This list may be surprising to people so feel free to comment below with your favorite stables!
#20 Raven's Flock/Nest:
They were grungy and dark. There was a realness to Raven's Flock because they didn't wear bright colors and big smiles. At a time when there was a battle between the realism of the nWo and the cartoonishness of Professional Wrestling, they went even more real.
Did you really believe Kevin Nash and Scott Hall as gang bangers going "Yo Yo Yo" with bandanas on? No. Do you believe that the members of Raven's Flock would all be at the same Punk Show together? Absolutely.
They got their start in ECW as Raven's Nest but then regrouped in WCW as Raven's Flock and with their group of members including Stevie Richards, Cactus Jack, Kidman, and Saturn their bizarre edge was exciting.
#19 The New Day
They're big right now, but I'm curious as to what the future has in store for them and how we will look back on this gimmick. They've had the potential to evolve but they keep ending up like "Too Cool," they come out and do their little dance and make the crowd happy. They need to keep changing.
I'm bored of them because there is nothing in 2018 with the New Day that sets them apart from 2016 New Day. Big E is a legitimate contender, but they treat him like a cheerleader. They are too silly to be taken seriously now.
They started as a statement on race, became heels that mocked the fact that they were booed, then became the spokespeople for their cereal and never looked back.
#18 The Beautiful People
I'm not going to say much about the Beautiful People, but they are most likely the best Female Faction in Pro Wrestling history. There aren't many female factions, and this one actually evolved. With their lineup including Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, Cute Kip, Madison Rayne, and Lacey Von Erich, their name is fitting.
Their lineup has changed and shifted, their antics have been hilarious, and they play into their characters in a way that makes you love and hate them at the same time. This faction has been together off and on from 2008 until 2016 and should be taken as an example for ladies that are looking to be memorable.
#17 The Hart Foundation (in its many forms)
The Hart family was integral to professional wrestling in the 80's and 90's. They were able to switch between baby face and heel depending on the situation and were amazing performers.
The family organized themselves in a number of incarnations but their members included Bret and Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya.
Their Canadian pride made them easy targets for the audience, but when it came down to it they were babyfaces at heart and didn't agree with the direction professional wrestling was going.
#16 Evolution
The irony of evolution is that they didn't evolve. It was a great idea to put Triple H together with Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista, but like with so many groups, if you don't evolve you just end up turning on each other and falling apart.
Granted that they eventually reassembled themselves for a great rivalry against the Shield, but Evolution should continue. Maybe the time has come for Randy Orton to pick up the mantle and name two up and coming workers to deem the top of the next crop.
#15 The Ministry of Darkness
The Undertaker is scary, we should give him a faction. This was great because it acted as a lightning rod for all of the really outlandish stuff that WWE was doing at the time. If you were mystical or creepy you could either join the Ministry or get involved in a feud with them.
It can be hard to carry a storyline when one person is talking about taking your soul and the other guy is talking about winning a match, so this provided a space in the card for us to handle things link that without being pulled out of the fantasy.
The group included The Undertaker, Paul Bearer, The Acolytes (Faarooq and Bradshaw), Midean, Viscera, and The Brood (Edge, Christian and Gangrel) and is a blueprint for future groups like the Wyatt Family.
#14 The Corporation/The Corporate Ministry
Vince McMahon is the best heel ever. It's just a fact. Behind the scenes and on stage, he is so good at what he does, so it makes sense that he would lead one of the best Factions of all time. Before there was "The Authority" there was the Corporation and they played dirty. If you think that Stephanie McMahon played dirty when she was in charge, you must not have been paying attention when her dad was center stage.
This group included Vince, Shane, the Big Boss Man, The Rock, Ken Shamrock, Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, Sgt. Slaughter, Shawn Michaels, Test, Kane, Chyna, Big Show, Triple H, Road Dogg. They even had a merger with the Ministry of Darkness to make the Corporation Ministry, talk about an all-star team. The Corporation was Vince McMahon's commentary on corporate society as he has admitted that he often saw himself as Steve Austin sticking his finger up to the establishment.
#13 The Social Outcasts
So there are these guys that are all good workers, but no one wants to put a belt on them or even really cheer for them. They are a kind of social outcasts, so why don't we put them in a group called the Social Outcasts. God, I loved this. This is an example of when creative doesn't have anything going for someone and the reality of the situation bleeds into the characters.
These guys got no love from the officials and still managed to get over and become fan favorites before inexplicably disappearing. Heath got a nice ride with Rhyno after this, and Bo and Curtis joined the Miz, but this was a great commentary on what their situation really was. Fine, you want to treat us like outcasts, we'll wear that label proudly.
#12 Latino World Order
At the height of the nWo, everyone wanted to get in on it and the Luchadores in WCW decided to get in on the action as well. The members of the group read like a list of Lucha Libre legends.
Led by Eddie Guerrero, they included Rey Mysterio Jr, Juventud Guerrera, Psychosis, La Parka, and more. At a time when it was hard to get on a card unless you or your opponent wore an nWo shirt, this was a great way for the undercard to grab some attention.
#11 Aces and Eights
This was a great faction storyline. TNA took their time and this was going so well until it suddenly crumbled apart out of nowhere. It started with a group of masked bikers that would attack people and cause havoc. No one knew who they were or what they wanted.
For months TNA shows became a host to inquisitions as to their identities, but the reveal was slow. One by one members were revealed including Devon Dudley, Garett Bischoff, Knux (Mike Knox), Taz, D'Lo Brown, Doc (Luke Gallows), Mr. Anderson, and Wes Brisco. At its height, Aces and Eights spoiled Brooke Hogan's wedding to Bully Ray only to later reveal that Bully Ray was, in fact, their leader.
Honestly, though that was when things started to go poorly. As soon as he was revealed tensions skyrocketed in the group, leading to him basically kicking everyone out except for his new Girlfriend Brooke Tessmacher and Bellator fighter Tito Ortiz (who was pulled out by Bellator within a month). At their best, they felt very primal and brutal, at their worst they were like a bunch of kids pretending to be a motorcycle gang in a clubhouse.
#10 Right to Censor
Looking back at this gimmick, it is actually interesting to see how times have changed. At this point in WWE's history, things were so violent, offensive, vulgar, or sexual that the top heel group was a set of puritans complaining about the WWE's content.
15 years later it seems that they've won as the WWE is so afraid of offending people or showing controversial content.
Their lineup was golden, Ivory was one of the best women's wrestlers in the world going back to GLOW, Val Venis and the "Goodfather" had turned a new leaf in their careers, and Stevie Richards was an incredible mouthpiece for the group. You truly loved to hate them. Two of them are already Hall of Famers and more will be with time.
#9 The Dudley Boyz
The Dudley family has quite a wide family tree. Back in ECW, the original concept was that there was a father Dudley that was a professional wrestler who had gone around the country working and had kids with a lot of women along the way. This made it so that literally anyone could be a Dudley.
Though Bubba Ray and Devon have been the only two consistent members, the groups other two most popular members were Spike Dudley, the little man with no fear, and Stacy Kiebler.
#8 Main Event Mafia
When the Main Street Mafia started it was Kurt Angle, Sting, Kevin Nash, Booker T, and Scott Steiner. All of these guys may have been past their prime, but they did great work together. The group stood as a symbol of status, the members of the group were the big names that drew people to TNA and to stand by them meant you had to be on their level.
They later reformed as Sting, Kurt Angle, Magnus, Samoa Joe, and Rampage Jackson, and we all started having flashbacks to Evolution. It appeared as though Sting and Angle were giving Magnus and Joe their stamp of approval, and Rampage Jackson added mainstream attention to a 2nd class wrestling show.
Now that Impact has said that their former wrestlers are allowed to use their former gimmicks, could we see a third incarnation of the Main Event Mafia in WWE with Sting, Angle and Joe picking the next batch of champions?
#7 The Authority
The moment Triple H's music hits nowadays you immediately feel like something serious is happening. Uh Oh, you woke up dad. With Stephanie and Triple H as the leaders, the word authority was very fitting. They commanded Evolution, the New Age Outlaws, J&J Security, the Big Show, and Kane.
At the time of Occupy Wall Street, Daniel Bryan was facing off against them to Occupy Raw, and how could you forget Yestlemania when Daniel Bryan overcame months of Authority meddling to beat Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton all in one night. They were a great group of villains because they had force and numbers.
#6 Wyatt Family
The modern horror show, Bray Wyatt led the Wyatt Family and with those three giants behind him, Bray should have been pushed into more of the main event picture to establish himself as the new Undertaker. He brought Braun Strowman onto the main show and taught him a lot.
The group also hosted Daniel Bryan for a week and Randy Orton for a couple months. They still have potential and ultimately I think we'll see the Bludgeon Brothers finding their way home, it is easy, Follow the Buzzards.
#5 The Four Horsemen
One of the most legendary groups ever, the Horsemen represented excellence. They represented success and pride. They were 4 of the top wrestlers of their time and their confidence has stood the test as time as athletes and rappers still try to emulate their Swagger.
Though the main group consisted of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard and James J. Dillon, the group also featured many other famous wrestlers over different periods of time including Lex Luger, Barry Windham, Sting, Sid Vicious, Paul Roma, Brian Pillman, Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael,Jeff Jarrett, Curt Hennig, and Dean Malenko.
#4 Bullet Club
The Bullet Club has earned every bit of respect that they get. They started as a group of guys in New Japan that no one in America had heard of, but within a few years Bullet Club took over the wrestling world.
They conquered New Japan, then spread through Ring of Honor, and have now made their way onto every WWE show except 205 Live. AJ Styles has made his way to the top of WWE with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson helping him "Beat Up John Cena," Finn Balor has started the Balor Club movement, and Adam Cole has started the Undisputed Era.
While they have been making waves in WWE, the Young Bucks have been leading the charge spreading the club around the world.
Originally led by Finn Balor, the Bullet Club continued its rise under the lead of AJ Styles. Many believe that Bullet Club evolved the most under Kenny Omega's lead. They reached new heights in match performance and storytelling. I could write a book about all of the great things that they are doing.
Their show "Being the Elite" is home to some of the most outlandish and entertaining moments you will ever find in professional wrestling. Their humor and ring prowess make them fan favorites and have added so much story that we wouldn't be getting otherwise. They understand how to control the story and get some headlines.
#3 New World Order
The New World Order was game-changing. When they first arrived people didn't know what was happening or what to expect. It seemed like a cross-company invasion, but both sides really belonged to Turner's checkbook. The nWo felt like gang violence coming to the cartoonish world of wrestling.
They kept growing to the point that you believed that they might actually win and take over the WCW. Wrestlers would have to try to work against the nWo to stay relevant, while others learned to just join instead which led to the eventual breakup into nWo Hollywood and the nWo Wolfpac.
Sometimes their corruption was a little too apparent and their popularity took over too much, but you can't blame them for believing in the nWo when it was the hottest thing in wrestling at the time. They were a great team of heels to set against DDP and Goldberg.
The group included many wrestling greats like; Randy Savage, Sting, Lex Luger, Scott Steiner, Dusty Rhodes, Syxx (X-Pac/1-2-3 Kid), Konnan, Disco Inferno, Buff Bagwell, Jeff Jarrett, Stevie Ray, and so many more.
#2 Nation of Domination
The Nation was a very bold move, and still would be. It was a black pride movement. They would not allow the powers that be to turn them against their brothers so they joined together with a fist in the air and demanded your respect.
Led by Farooq, they were one of the only groups that could really go toe-to-toe with D-Generation X. The group included the Godfather, D-Lo Brown, Mark Henry, Owen Hart, and was the atmosphere in which Rocky turned into the Rock.
#20 D-Generation X
We use to think that nWo would take over the WcW, well D-Generation X ACTUALLY did take over the WWE. I'm not saying that this happened on camera but behind the scenes.
DX started off featuring Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Rick Rude, and Chyna. They were vulgar and unapologetic. They made a mockery of their competition and pushed the boundaries of what was allowed on wrestling television.
After Shawn left the company, Triple H retained control of the group and rebuilt it featuring the New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg Jesse James and Bad Ass Billy Gunn) and X-Pac (Triple H's old friend that just left the nWo). They invaded Monday Nitro with military reinforcement and became a dominating force in WWE.
While nWo was able to make a huge impact on WCW, D-Generation X was able to have just as much of an impact on WWE even though they had a few members compared to the nWo's ever-expanding list.
When I said that DX took over the WWE, I am serious. Vince McMahon is still in charge, but Triple H is calling more and more of the shots. Hunter controls NXT and 205 Live and is gaining more control over Raw and Smackdown constantly. Shawn Michaels has moved to Orlando and taken a position as a coach at the WWE Performance Center helping train Adam Cole and other up and coming stars. Road Dogg is now the head writer for Smackdown Live and is often given credit as many fans believe the show produces better content than Raw.
Not only did DX have an impact on the course of wrestling history, they are taking an active role in shaping what Professional Wrestling will be for generations to come.
