Wrestling stables are the best, aren’t they? I mean, maybe not in recent times, with the likes of The Social Outcasts and The League of Nations, but through the years in the world of professional wrestling, stables have formed an important part of the industry.
From the early days of the WWE to the Monday Night Wars and the Attitude Era through to the New Era, stables are a tried and tested way to get new talent over with the crowd and elevate them to main event status. After all who can forget what Evolution has done for Randy Orton and Batista or what The Shield has done for Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns.
But, that’s not all. For the years that they’re active, stables can make or break the fortunes of a company. Just ask Vince McMahon and Ted Turner who tried to one-up each other with great stables as WWE and WCW went head to head for domination.
So, without any further ado, let’s get into our list of 10 greatest wrestling stables of all time. And yes, this list is very much ranked:
#10 The Shield
Perhaps the only reason The Shield ranks so low on this list is because of how recent the trio are in the history of wrestling. Consisting of three prodigiously talented wrestlers from NXT – Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns – the team quickly became the most dominant force in all of WWE.
Everything about them was perfectly booked. Their debuts, their climb up the card, their title domination, and finally their dissolution. All three men were elevated into the main event scene as legitimately amazing wrestlers even if Reigns is universally hated at this point.
#9 Bullet Club
Another fairly recent stable, but one that comes to us all the way from New Japan Pro Wrestling in the Far East. Bullet Club is perhaps the hottest stable on the planet today. Boasting some truly awesome talents with the likes of The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, and leader Kenny Omega, Bullet Club has dominated the indy scene over the past few years and seemed primed to do so going forward as well.
This wasn’t the case in early 2016, though, as former leader AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows all left NJPW for the WWE. But, they persevered. Before that, it seemed like they were going to fade away when founder Prince Devitt (better known to you and me as Finn Balor) also moved over to Vince’s company. But, they persevered.
It seems like no matter how many top men they lose, they replace them with stars that are just as bright.
#8 The Corporation
One of Vince McMahon’s on-screen creations as part of his heel Mr McMahon character, the whole purpose of The Corporation was to take out one Mr Stone Cold Steve Austin. With too many members to mention, but at various points containing the likes of The Rock, Triple H, Kane, and The Big Show, The Corporation was Attitude Era heelishness at its best.
Feuding with the likes of the aforementioned Austin, The Ministry of Darkness, The Nation of Domination, and D-Generation X, Vince’s team of heels was one of the cornerstones of The Attitude Era.
#7 The Fabulous Freebirds
One of the prime heel stables of the early days of wrestling, The Fabulous Freebirds were the ones opposing the John Cena-esque von Erich family. They were truly despised in a time when kayfabe was real, faces were worshipped as Gods and heels were derided in the streets.
Their importance cannot be understated as the trio of Michaels Hayes, Buddy Roberts, and Terry Gordy even invented The Freebird Rule – allowing any two members of a stable to defend Tag Team Championships in matches. They are also members of the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame.
#6 The Dangerous Alliance
Paul Heyman was once known to the wrestling world as Paul E. Dangerously. Despite the ridiculous moniker, the current advocate of Brock Lesnar used his exception promo skills to put over a team of heels he assembled to take over WCW – The Dangerous Alliance.
With a team consisting of the likes of Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, and a man who went by the name of Stunning Steve Austin, The Dangerous Alliance was a superb heel faction that was unfortunately disbanded much too early into its lifespan.
#5 Evolution
Evolution was probably the most dominant faction of the noughties and helped launch the career of two young Superstars, consolidate the dominant career of another, while breathing life into the career of a fourth member.
Both Randy Orton and Batista rode off the momentum they received from being part of the team to become multi-time World Champions while Triple H continued on his path to wrestling immortality. And, last but not least, it gave Ric Flair a new lease on life and allowed him to embark on one full run befitting someone of his greatness.
#4 The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation had something distinctly different from any other wrestling stable in the world. The members were all considered heels and booed across The United States, but were worshipped as heroes everywhere else in the world.
Comprising of members from the legendary Hart Family, including the likes of Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Brian Pillman and The British Bulldog, The Foundation easily consisted of the best technical wrestlers to step foot into the WWE during the Attitude Era.
#3 D-Generation X
Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, X-Pac. Every one of those names evokes legendary memories of the group known as D-Generation X – THE most popular stable of the Attitude Era.
They defined the Attitude Era with their disrespect for authority, willingness to push boundaries, raunchiness, violence and humour. They epitomised that era and everything to do with it, and anyone who saw them during their glory years will tell you that they were possibly the best thing on the show.
#2 nWo
The New World Order was so big that it nearly drove the WWE out of business. Debuting in WCW and consisting of legends such as Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan, it was the single most important stable of The Monday Night Wars.
The only reason that the WWE survived was the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Attitude Era while on the WCW side of the things, nWo became too big for its own good and eventually crumbled under its own weight.
#1 The Four Horsemen
There will forever be only one original stable and that is The Four Horsemen. Sure, it might have gone through numerous iterations but the original four of Ric Flair and Arn Anderson combined with Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard dominated the wrestling scene like nobody else before them.
Even today the name of the stable evokes fond memories for everyone and The Four Horsemen provided the blueprint for every successful stable to come after them. That is what puts them at number one on this list.
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