5 Best trio factions in WWE history

Vince McMahon backstage with The Shield
Vince McMahon backstage with The Shield

Factions have always been a vital part of Professional Wrestling and three-man factions, especially, tend to be successful and have a rich history in WWE. The present-day WWE roster has a handful of factions but most of them are either trio of three wrestlers or two wrestlers and a valet/manager.

The Monday Night RAW brand currently consists of notable groups such as the menacing trio of Seth Rollins, Murphy, and Austin Theory. Whereas the Zelina Vega led group consists of Andrade & Angel Garza and despite recent troubles within the faction, the trio has been highly-successful on RAW so far.

On the Blue brand, we've witnessed quite a lot of trios over the past few months, including the recently called-up Forgotten Sons and the trio of Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura, who achieved a lot before Zayn's hiatus.

Finally, on NXT, we have The Undisputed Era, which is among one of the best factions in the world today, originally started as a trio with Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly before adding Roderick Strong to their ranks. The Black & Gold brand also consists of a newly formed trio of Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza.

Over the past few decades or so, the WWE Universe has witnessed some of the legendary trio factions step foot in the company and in this list, we'll look at 5 of the best trio factions WWE history who have had a major influence in the company and were/are hugely popular within the WWE Universe, as well.


#5 Legacy

Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Ted Dibiase Jr.- The Legacy
Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Ted Dibiase Jr.- The Legacy

About a decade ago, Randy Orton formed his very own version of Evolution known as Legacy. The concept of Orton's faction was pretty much the same as Evolution, as 'The Legend Killer' recruited the services of Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr., whereas, a few years earlier, Triple H and Ric Flair brought Orton into Evolution, after billing him as the "future".

Cody and Dibiase Jr's rich family history led to Orton's group being named as The Legacy and during the group's three-year tenure, the trio of Orton, Cody, and Dibiase established themselves as some of the finest heels in the business.

Their rivalry with The McMahon Family is regarded as one of the best feuds of all time and the group also had no shortage in terms of Championship success. Orton became a three-time WWE Champion during his run with Legacy, whereas, Cody and Dibiase became a two-time WWE Tag Team Champions and had a historic rivalry with the DX- Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

Legacy parted ways in 2010, however, there was a short reunion involving Rhodes and Dibiase in 2011.

#4. The Wyatt Family (Original version of Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Luke Harper)

Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, and Bray Wyatt- The original Wyatt Family
Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, and Bray Wyatt- The original Wyatt Family

The Wyatt Family could be regarded as one of the biggest missed opportunities in WWE history, but let's make no mistake, during their time together as a faction, they presented the WWE Universe with some unforgettable feuds.

In 2012, the WWE Universe first saw the character of Bray Wyatt, who initially formed The Wyatt Family in NXT, later that year, and guided Erick Rowan and Luke Harper to an NXT Tag Team Title win, within the first year of the faction's inception.

However, it was on the main roster where The Wyatt Family made the most noise. In 2013, Bray Wyatt led his cryptic group to Monday Night RAW, and courtesy of his amazing promo skills as well as his in-ring talent, he became an instant fan-favorite. Rowan and Harper, meanwhile, continued their domination on the tag team division and had a number of outstanding matches with The Usos. But, it was The Wyatt Family's feud against The Shield which garnered them mainstream attention in WWE.

The two factions were considerably still fresh on the main roster but beginning from their initial face-off, to their six-man tag matches, The Wyatt Family and The Hounds of Justice caused mayhem every time they shared the ring. The Wyatts eventually added the likes of Braun Strowman, Randy Orton, and also had Daniel Bryan in their ranks for a while but the original version of the group certainly stood out the most.

#3. D-Generation X (Original trio of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Chyna)

Rick Rude, Chyna, Shawn Michaels, and Triple- The original DX
Rick Rude, Chyna, Shawn Michaels, and Triple- The original DX

D-Generation X is regarded as one of the best factions of all time and is right up there along with the New World Order (nWo). The group became a mainstay for WWF during the Monday Night Wars and became very popular in the world of professional wrestling courtesy of their usual shenanigans which gave WWF a massive boost to their competition against WCW.

However, if it wasn't for the original DX trio of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Chyna, then they probably wouldn't be as successful as they had been. Shawn Michaels was already a well-established name in WWF and the formation of DX along with his real-life friends Triple H and Chyna established them as a popular faction and also further helped all three of them become bigger stars in WWE.

The trio was mostly known for its notoriety against WWE management and their hilarious, sort of heel-ish antics was also loved by fans around the world. DX eventually added some of the biggest names in the business to their ranks but the original trio, along with enforcer Rick Rude, was one of the best factions in WWE history.

#2 The Shield

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns- The Shield
Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns- The Shield

Despite the dissatisfying conclusion to the faction's eventual run, The Shield will always be regarded as one of the most popular WWE factions in modern times.

The trio of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose first broke into the scene at Survivor Series 2012 when they infamously interfered in the Triple Threat WWE Championship Match between CM Punk, John Cena, and Ryback, and allowed 'The Second City Saint' to retain his title by pinning Cena.

Since then, The Shield became an unstoppable force to be reckoned with and their phenomenal run included notable feuds against the likes of The Wyatt Family, CM Punk, and Evolution. The trio's dominance didn't go in vain, as individually, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose became three of WWE's biggest singles Superstars within a few years, with all three of them winning world titles.

The Shield certainly established their place as one of the most dominant factions in WWE history and by mid-2013, all three members of the group had Championship gold around their waists. Following their initial split in 2014, the group did undergo subsequent reunions, and with Ambrose now in AEW as Jon Moxley, it is safe to say that we have seen the last of the faction.

#1. The New Day

Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods- The New Day
Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods- The New Day

The New Day recently completed 6 years together as a faction, which is also the longest span for a stable in WWE history. Since the group's inception in 2014, The New Day had started-off as heels and eventually won over the WWE Universe with their 'Power of Positivity' and established themselves as babyfaces.

The trio of Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods has been a pioneer for tag team wrestling WWE for quite a few years now and them being in their 8th overall reign as WWE Tag Team Champions currently should tell you a thing or two about The New Day's impact in the company.

New Day member Kofi Kingston also enjoyed one of the best singles run last year when he defeated Daniel Bryan and won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 in one of the historic WrestleMania moments in history.

The New Day is still regarded as one of the top acts in WWE and the massive response that they have received and continue to receive from the WWE Universe has been a vital factor in their success story so far. Merchandise sales, Championship wins, podcast show, and brand value, The New Day has done it all in WWE so far and the trio continues to thrive.

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