5 Superstars who left WWE fans stunned by joining a faction

One of the most crucial aspects of WWE programming, or pro wrestling as a whole, is the idea of a faction. A group consisting of a bunch of Superstars who aim to put down everyone in their path has been one of the most used ideas in WWE history, and it has delivered on a bunch of occasions.

Be it DX, Evolution, or The Shield, some of WWE's biggest Superstars were once part of factions and worked alongside others to put themselves over. Another interesting aspect in regard to factions is the addition of a new member. These reveals are mostly met with a loud reaction, be it positive or negative. In this list, we will take a look at five faction member reveals that left the WWE Universe stunned.

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#5 WWE Superstar Seth Rollins turns on The Shield and joins The Authority

Rollins turns on The Shield

Back in mid-2014, The Shield was feuding with a newly-reformed Evolution, consisting of Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista. The Shield had turned face by helping Daniel Bryan against the collective might of Triple H and others, and The Game was hell-bent on putting an end to the stable. The Shield took on Evolution at WWE Extreme Rules in a six-man tag team match, plus in a No Holds Barred Elimination contest at WWE Payback.

The Shield won both matches, leading to Batista leaving WWE for good. But things weren't as simple as they looked. In one of the biggest surprises of the year, Triple H revealed that there's always a Plan B, followed by Seth Rollins attacking his Shield brethren. Following the attack, Rollins joined Triple H and turned heel, thus imploding The Shield. All three members of The Shield would go on to become main event Superstars over the next few years, with each winning the WWE World title.

#4 Former WWE Superstar CM Punk joins The Nexus

CM Punk

In late 2010, CM Punk hinted that he was going to attack John Cena with a steel chair on an episode of WWE RAW. But then he proceeded to sit on the chair and pick up The Nexus armband lying in the ring. To a huge pop, Punk wore the armband, thus making it clear that he was now a part of Nexus. While Wade Barrett started a new group named Corre on WWE SmackDown, Punk became the leader of The New Nexus, and the stable began targeting Randy Orton on the road to WWE WrestleMania 27.

Punk had a valid reason for targeting Orton. The Viper had punted Punk back in 2008, thus prematurely ending his World title run. As WrestleMania approached near, Orton punted all members of Nexus, leaving Punk to fend for himself. At The Show of Shows, Orton and Punk met in the ring, with Orton picking up a major win over the Nexus leader. Punk would soon turn face by delivering the legendary Pipebomb promo, and kicking off what is now famously dubbed "The Summer of Punk".

#3 WWE Superstar Triple H turns on DX and joins The Corporation

WWE EVP Triple H

By the time WWE WrestleMania 15 arrived, DX had become the most popular faction in all of wrestling. It had been a long time since Shawn Michaels had left, and the group had only thrived further under Triple H's leadership. At WrestleMania, X-Pac met Shane McMahon with the latter's WWE European title on the line. The match was marred with a string of run-ins, which was a staple during the Attitude Era. In the end, Chyna distracted the official while Triple H hit a devastating Pedigree on X-Pac.

The Game proceeded to allow Shane to pin X-Pac, and he retained the European title as a result of the heel turn. The New Age Outlaws came out to even the odds and began a brawl with Triple H and Test. Suddenly, Kane's music hit as the lights went out, but the villains had fled the spot by the time the lights came up. Triple H had turned on DX and was on his way to becoming a main event star.

#2 WWE Superstar Mustafa Ali is revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION

RETRIBUTION

Mustafa Ali had been a babyface throughout his WWE career, but it all changed recently on an episode of WWE RAW. On the October 5 edition of WWE RAW, Ali took on MVP in singles competition. Things suddenly took an interesting turn when Ali approached the RETRIBUTION members standing outside the ring. Ali then revealed that he had aligned with RETRIBUTION, and ordered the members to launch an attack on The Hurt Business, who were standing inside the ring.

Ali has consistently performed well on WWE TV for the past few years but never managed to catch that big break that would launch him to superstardom. It seems like Ali's chance has finally come, now that he is revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION. The notorious group has been wreaking havoc on the WWE roster for a while now, and Mustafa Ali's addition could lead to a string of intriguing possibilities. If the latest rumors are to be believed, RETRIBUTION will have a major role to play at Survivor Series.

#1 WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is revealed as the third man of nWo

nWo is one of the most influential stables in history

Back in 1996, former WWE Superstars Scott Hall and Kevin Nash made their way to WCW and announced that they were here to wage a war against the promotion. The duo took on Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger in the main event of WCW Bash at the Beach, with the third mystery member nowhere to be seen. In the end, Hulk Hogan of all people came out and joined hands with Hall and Nash, thus turning heel in the process.

Hogan then announced that he was done with the fans and it was time for the trio to take over the promotion. The group was labeled the nWo and this was a moment that would change the landscape of pro wrestling forever. Although the incident happened at a WCW show, it goes without saying that every pro wrestling fan was left stunned with this reveal, no matter if they watched WCW or WWE. The group gave WCW some of its biggest ratings but was also a major reason why WCW's ship sank in the end and the promotion was bought off by WWE.