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#3 The Spirit Squad
The Spirit Squad is a controversial tag team among WWE loyalists. On one hand, the five-member stable generated a lot of heat, getting booed tremendously. On another end, the male cheerleader gimmick seemed dated and cartoony, and it may have generated the wrong kind of heat among fans. Notably, Dolph Ziggler -- as Nicky -- was part of The Spirit Squad, which has kept the collective as more than a footnote over the years.
After spending time within the OVW developmental system, the members of The Spirit Squad got their main roster call-up in January 2006. A long-term World Tag Team Championship run of over 200 days followed shortly after. However, the group was disbanded by the end of November 2006 with some of its members being released by the company and others repackaged.
In late 2016, a retirement angle was being teased by Ziggler as part of his feud with The Miz. As part of the taunting of Ziggler, Spirit Squad members Mikey (Mike Mondo) and Kenny (Ken Doane) were brought back for a Smackdown episode. This led to a couple of matches over the next month and change on Smackdown, including a challenge for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. After leaving WWE, Mikey and Kenny challenged The Young Bucks for the tag titles in Ring Of Honor.
Given that three of the five members of The Spirit Squad still appear to be active as wrestlers -- Doane was recruited by WWE while still in high school -- never say never on another Spirit Squad return.
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