5 wrestling factions that ended sooner than they should have

Factions are a group of talented male and female wrestlers that have come together to make a statement. Throughout history, there have been a number of groups that have been beloved and revered during their time together. Some of these factions achieved a great deal of notoriety and will go down as among the best ever.

Factions could be fantastic in that they were new and interesting and unlike anything we've seen before. Their new and innovative look resonated, their cutting-edge and contemporary style was exciting to watch. The factions were creative and funny in and out of the ring. They have had a great build and an exciting following.

However, some factions, good as they seemed, were cut short, perhaps because creative didn't know how to develop them more; regardless, they were unquestionably different from the norm.

They attempted to blaze a trail of innovation, only to be sadly lost in the creative shuffle. What would have happened if they were given more time to succeed? How could they have been better developed? Here are five wrestling factions that ended too soon.

#5 Filthy Animals

Mysterio, Kidman, Konnan, Guerrero and Torrie Wilson were an underrated group.

When friends have an opportunity to come together with the result, is often exciting to watch, in development and execution. That was the case for this faction of friends, consisting of Konnan, Kidman, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero.

When speaking with Konnan in the past about this group, he said that the concept of the group was simple: “…if they are going to bury us, might as well bury us together,” with ‘they' being WCW. The group officially came about during an on-screen interview where Kidman said they were friends that were ‘just a bunch of filthy animals'.

The group's camaraderie and ability to work together make them fun to watch. From stealing wallets to mocking older wrestlers, this young and athletic group loved to have fun and fans had fun watching them.

Much like Degeneration X, their often silly and inappropriate antics made them easy to enjoy and had fans clamouring for more. They were unfortunately not given the time to develop like fans would have hoped, and sadly split up before they got completely over with the crowd.

#4 The Brood

Gangrel, Edge and Christian provided fans with a dark collection of characters in the late 1990s.

Without question, if one thing stood about this group right from the beginning, it was their entrance. Christian, Edge and Gangrel rose from below the stage surrounded by a ring of fire, and if that doesn't scream the coolest entrance ever, it really is hard to tell what would.

Upon entering the ring Gangrel would drink from a chalice and spit out what is believed to have been, blood. The faction's name appears to have come from the David Cronenberg film ‘The Brood,' which was rather dark in its own right. The group debuted long before the ‘Twilight' series was all the rage.

Author Anne Rice's best-selling Vampire series appeared to be where Gangrel got the idea for his attire, which had a very gothic look that suggested he came from a different century. There was something so new and different about the group.

Eventually, they joined the Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness, before the group split with Edge and Christian turning on Gangrel. Gangrel was later affiliated with the Hardy Boyz, but The Brood had come to an end.

#3 The Dead Pool/Dark Carnival

Raven, Vampiro and the Insane Clown Posse provided WCW with a dark faction.

A faction in World Championship Wrestling that brought to mind Stephen King's IT was this Insane Clown Posse led collaboration. Many fans know about Raven and his Flock, which consisted of a number of miscreants and slackers.

However, after that group ended, the former leader was searching for meaning and purpose. He was actually off of television until the following year, which was intended to be a period of ‘self-discovery'.

He eventually formed a new group that was originally known as the Necro Ward, Raven was in a leadership role and aligned with Vampiro.

They were later joined by the ICP, and after Raven left WCW the group was rebranded the Dark Carnival, moving the collection of talent in a different direction. The style, feel and look of the group was compelling enough that fans wondered what could have been with the group, had they been given more time to develop.

#2 The Radicalz

Malenko, Saturn, Benoit, and Guerrero were a stellar group.

The Four Horsemen are arguably the greatest faction of talent based on both in-ring skill and ability on the mic, but one has to wonder how good the Radicalz could have been had they been given time to develop.

As many will recall, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko all came to WWE after becoming disenchanted with WCW and asking for their release. They debuted sitting at ringside during a New Age Outlaws tag team match and were inevitably provoked to get involved.

Announcer Jim Ross referred to the groups a bunch of ‘radicalz' because of how they had acted. The group didn't last all that long as a unit, and generally, only Saturn and Malenko remained in a loose alignment, while Benoit and Guerrero moved on to different things and were rarely associated with one another.

Whether they were heels or faces, their alliance could have been something more, but sadly they were disbanded prematurely. Each man brought an incredible set of in-ring skills, and all became a champion at one time or another.

#1 Straight Edge Society

CM Punk led a group of men and women seeking refuge from the darkness of drugs and alcohol.

The idea behind the group was focussed on CM Punk's very real lifestyle, the ‘straight edge' lifestyle which promotes no smoking, drinking, or drugs. They were initially considered a militant group, looking down at those that did indulge in those recreational substances, and offered to ‘purify' them.

One of the most notable instances of purification was the shaving of the head of the group's only female member, Serena Deeb who proclaimed herself now ‘straight edge' by clearing her head of substances.

The group was led by Punk and also included Luke Gallows, who himself shed his old Festus character when he was purified. Punk's rivalries during the faction's existence included Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio.

Unfortunately, the group's time together was cut much too short, and perhaps it could have included other talent. Despite the inclusion of Joey Mercury towards the end, the faction dissolved.