5 Best wrestling factions of the 2010s

What's better than a pro wrestling faction? In wrestling, I mean. Not, like, overall. That would be weird.

There's something compelling about a group of three or more wrestlers coming together with a common purpose. The Four Horsemen were a team of like-minded heels who combined their forces to dominate the NWA of the 1980s and 90s. The nWo were portrayed as their own wrestling organization (originally alluded to be the WWF at the time) out to destroy WCW. The Misfits in Action were... there for the puns, I guess.

The decade known as... wait, what are we calling it? The "Tens"? The "Tensies"?... Well, whatever we're calling it, it saw some great factions come together during that time.

How many factions? Well... at least five of them. And here they are.

#5 The Wyatt Family (Formed 2012)

The Wyatt Family (left to right in back: Braun Strowman, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, front: Bray Wyatt)

Members: Bray Wyatt, Eli Cottonwood, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, Daniel Bryan, Braun Strowman, and Randy Orton.

The story of Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family may be one of wasted potential, but you can't say that they weren't successful. In fact, this wacky swamp-dwelling, dirty-shirt-and-butcher's-apron-for-some-reason-wearing cult has been has been a central cog in some of the decade's biggest WWE stories.

Windham Rotundo's journey from Husky Harris to Bray Wyatt is worth an article in of itself. But, the Family's influence began when they made their debut on the main roster in 2013, attacking Kane and leading to a Kane/Wyatt Inferno Match at SummerSlam that year.

Since that point, The Wyatt Family has:

Had an epic 6-man tag team clash with The Shield
Been a major part of Daniel Bryan's rise to superstardom pre-WrestleMania 30
Introduced Braun Strowman to the world
Saw Bray get his first world championship

That's... a lot of pretty incredible stuff. It's also, as you can see by the list of names up above, included some pretty impressive names amongst its ranks. While Harper may have left WWE (and Cottonwood has basically vanished), the rest of the clan are still making their mark.

The Wyatt Family may not be a thing anymore, but its impact still lives on.

#4 The New Day (formed in 2014)

Members: Kofi Kingston, Big E., Xavier Woods

When, arguably, the most popular... thing... in pro wrestling of the past five or so years is only No.4 on this list, that says something.

Kofi Kingston, Big E. (and, at the time) Langston, and Xavier Woods were all (and still are) incredible talents that, in 2014, weren't really going anywhere. And then Woods came to Kofi and Big E. with a proposition (jump to 2:30 of this video)

So, that was actually interesting. A bit of a rehash of the Nation of Domination, but it's not like WWE hadn't rehashed worse idea before. But, after a short while, Xavier's vision became this:

When that didn't really work out, WWE did something unprecidented - they didn't give up on the team. Instead, they let the three men turn heel and control their own destinies. Soon, they were sprinkling pop culture references in their promos, wearing unicorn horns to the ring, and playing the fanfare from the Final Fantasy games after winning their matches.

When it started getting over huge, WWE quickly had them back as babyfaces, but still gave them the creative freedom that led them to success in the first place. Soon, they were breaking records as tag team champions and selling merch like hotcakes (in this case, almost literally). They even got their own breakfast cereal.

While they've had the most success in the tag team arena - including a WWE Tag Team Championship Reign of a record 483 days - they arguably had their greatest success in 2019, when Kofi Kingston defeated Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.

Outside of the ring, Xavier Woods has a wildly successful YouTube video game channel, UpUpDownDown, currently sitting at over 2 million subscribers. The faction has also started their own podcast, The New Day: Feel The Power, where the guys discuss their experiences in the wrestling business.

Most of all, The New Day have shown what can happen when a company puts its faith in their talented performers.

#3 The Nexus (formed in 2010)

Nexus members (l to r) Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Wade Barrett, David Otunga, and Michael Tarver attack The Undertaker

Members: Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, David Otunga, John Cena, Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, CM Punk, Mason Ryan.

It's hard to believe that The Nexus debuted nearly ten while years ago. It's also hard to belive that ten years ago, NXT was a game show. Let's be honest, that's totally what it was.

OK, so a quick history lesson for those unaquainted. NXT was originally a game/reality show where talent in WWE's developmental territory at the time, Florida Championship Wrestling, would compete in weird competitions - such as singing karaoke or running around the ring and carrying a keg - and participants would, one by one, be eliminated from the show via audience vote. The winner got a main roster call-up and a WWE Championship match.

Following the end of the first season, all eight contestants on the show appeared on an episode of Raw and... well... did this:

I'm not here to go over the entire history of the group - at least, not until it gets closer to the actual anniversary date, I suppose (June 7th, in case you were wondering). Nor, do I intend to do a "Where Are They Now?" for every member, either - although, I think I have a good idea what happened to that Darren Young fellow.

What was extraordinary about The Nexus was that it was an attempt by WWE to bring in a bunch of new blood at once, and in a dramatic way. And, if you've watched the footage above, you know I mean dramatic.

Now, out of all the members listed above that weren't on the main roster already when the group debuted, only four of them are still active WWE wresters (David Otunga is still part of WWE as a commentator). However, the most successful of them all (and, ironically, the one in the group for the shortest amount of time), Daniel Bryan, is a sure-fire Hall of Fame candidate.

Let's not forget another former Nexus member you may have heard of. He just happens to now go by the name Bray Wyatt.

While the group did sort of fizzle out well before it got started, their debut kicked-started last decade off with a smash. Literally.

#2 The Shield (formed in 2012)

Members: Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose (w/ honorary members Kurt Angle and Triple H)

When The Shield came running through the crowd to interfere in the main event of Survivor Series 2012, we all had the same thoughts on our mind. Who are these guys? And why are they all dressed like Steve Jobs?

We knew we had seen something special - in fact, some of us were having flashbacks of The Nexus debut two years prior. And, while this new group didn't destroy the entire ringside area, they certainly destroyed reigning WWE Champion CM Punk's opponents.

Their look was instantly iconic - all black riot gear (I'm surprised they weren't dubbed The Big Boss Men) - as was their entrance through the crowd. The Shield would appear at the top of the cheap seats, head to the ring, and dispense what they considered the justice severely lacking in WWE. When they eventually imploded - with Seth turning on his brothers on the Raw after Payback 2014.

Now Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose (he goes by Jon Moxley now for some reason) are WWE Grand Slam Champions - each having won the WWE, United States, Intercontinental, and Tag Team Championships at least once - some of those wins as members of the Shield, most on their own.

While thematically different from all of them, The Shield were the Fabulous Freebirds and Degeneration X of their era. Now, they're each a driving force on their own, no matter where they happen to be working.

In fact, they's be number one if it wasn't for a group that not only blew up in popularity, but kind of changed wrestling forever...

#1 Bullet Club (formed in 2013)

Members: Look, this article is already way past deadline as it is...

It's not unreasonable to compare Bullet Club to the original nWo in WCW. It's the reason why the group uses the "Too Sweet" hand gesture. However, if the nWo help send the popularity of pro wrestling skyrocketing in the United States, Bullet Club took it international. In fact, there's probably a dude in Alpha Centauri wearing a Bullet Club t-shirt.

That's what makes Fergal Devitt's little wrestling group such a big deal. It's a group based in a Japanese company (New Japan Pro Wrestling - you, uh, probably knew that) that became, arguably, the hottest act in the business. Not only did it move a bunch of t-shirts and hoodies, but it spurred genuine interest in wrestling outside of WWE.

Not just outside of WWE, but outside of the United States, as well. It's part of the reason why there's an NXT UK - no joke. I mean, I can't prove that but look at the situation. Bullet Club's international popularity spurs interest here in the US in wrestling outside of the country. A bunch of new UK groups pop up (or, in the case of World of Sport, gets revived). Suddenly, we've got WWE creating their own brand in the Kingdom.

Wrestlers join Bullet Club, move on, and become household names. Devitt (aka Finn Balor), AJ Styles, Anderson & Gallows and Adam Cole. Others became the anchors of AEW and, arguably, also became household name: Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Page.

Bullet Club (and, remember - it's just "Bullet Club", not "THE Bullet Club") is probably the most influental force in wrestling, if not since the nWo, then at least after the closing of WCW. It may not be the pop culture force it was before... and, honestly, it doesn't need to be. The real only club that matters has made its mark, and that's why it's the #1 faction of the 2010s.