WWE Superstars don’t often find success all on their own, so many adopt the “strength in numbers” principle to capture individual or tag team gold. During the years, countless groups have risen in an attempt to dominate the rest of the locker room, with varying degrees of success.
In compiling M&F’s list of The Top 10 Greatest Factions in WWE History, where there must be at least three members, we are using some additional qualifiers. Firstly, if you can see them on the WWE Network or they are in the WWE Hall of Fame, then they are eligible. Secondly, this is a list of factions—in other words, this is a list of wrestlers that often teamed together in one combination or another. We are not so much looking at managerial stables like that of Bobby Heenan or Paul Heyman, but regular factions. There’s also more to Sports Entertainment than mat skills, so we are looking at the story and influence these groups contributed as a whole, too. Are your favorites here?
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1 of 10
Nation of Domination
When Farooq (Ron Simmons) formed the controversial Nation of Domination in 1996, he would take on a number of recruits, one of which went on to become the world’s biggest movie star. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson might not be the entertainer he is today had he not been given some screen time on Monday Night RAW as an upstart member of the N.O.D.
While the group as a whole may not be the most successful faction on this list, the contribution that the Nation made to the future of WWE cannot be underestimated. The storyline tension between the younger, hungrier Rock and Farooq, his older mentor, provided “The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment” with a great opportunity to prove himself as a future Superstar.
Demolition made their WWE debut in 1987, comprising Ax (Bill Eadie) and Smash (Randy Colley). Their presentation included studded outfits and leather-covered hockey masks. Shortly after their debut, Barry Darsow became a replacement in the role of Smash, and he would help lead Demolition to the second-longest Tag Team Championship reign in WWE history at a whopping 478 days.
Demolition qualified as a faction in 1990 when two became three with the addition of Crush (Bryan Adams). They were able to use the “Freebird Rule” during their second reign as Tag Team Champions, meaning any two of the three could participate in title matches. This provided a hot feud with the Hart Foundation that culminated in an epic two-out-of-three falls contest at SummerSlam 1990.
3 of 10
The New Day
It’s fair to say that initial expectations for The New Day were low when they emerged as apparent members of a gospel choir back in 2014. Originally presented as over-the-top good guys, Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods soon found that relying on their comedic brilliance would earn them a special place in the hearts of the WWE Universe.
Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods have held the Tag Team Championship on five occasions, including a record-breaking run of 483 days. And despite all three being very effective athletes, this combo is still all about entertaining the fans. Recent spectacular ring entrances have included the boys flying a magic carpet and bursting out of a giant box of Booty-O’s, after all. What’s not to like?
This faction began to take shape at WWE Unforgiven in 2002 when Ric Flair interfered in a match to help Triple H retain the WWE title. In 2003, the faction was complete and Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista, and Randy Orton became the perfect combination of experience and youth known as “Evolution.”
Evolution hit their stride when each member held WWE gold at the same time: Batista teamed with Ric Flair to win the Tag Team Championship, Triple H held the World Heavyweight Championship, and Randy Orton had the Intercontinental Championship.
The group, of course, eventually imploded, and there may be more ego clashes to come. Tension was evident when the group reunited on the 1000th episode of SmackDown Live! last year, where Batista reminded “The Game” that he has never beaten the Guardians of the Galaxy star. With Batista telling reporters that he is eager to get back in the ring, should Triple H watch out?
Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns made their initial appearance at WWE’s Survivor Series in 2012, making an immediate impact by interfering in aid of CM Punk. This new faction blasted Ryback with a triple-powerbomb—a move that the threesome would use frequently over the years to dominate any and all competition.
With their mysterious presence and an exciting entrance, which saw them walk through the crowd to get to the ring, The Shield soon became one of WWE’s most popular groups. They also held multiple titles, and, like the Four Horsemen, all held gold at the same time. Not only was The Shield wildly popular, but this faction could pull its weight in the ring too. As a unit, The Shield’s only weakness was the inability to keep things together.
The first split came in 2014 when Seth Rollins turned on his partners to join Triple H’s “Authority.” Although they would later reunite, their initial dominance was never fully recreated. Then, in 2018, Dean Ambrose made it clear that he wanted nothing more to do with The Shield when he attacked Seth Rollins on the very same night that they had won the Tag Team Championship.
As the world knows, Roman Reigns recently announced that he would need to take time out of WWE to address leukemia, but we are praying for a speedy recovery, and we are still hoping that the “Hounds of Justice” will be back for at least one more run.
It could be argued that the Fabulous Freebirds were the architects of what it means to be a faction in pro wrestling. Michael “P.S” Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy, and Buddy “Jack” Roberts formed a three-member tag team in 1979, and came up with the “Freebird Rule” where any two members of the group can defend the Tag Team Championships, which is not necessarily the same paring that won them.
The Freebirds brought more than a bit of Rock ‘n’ Roll to pro wrestling and are widely credited with being the pioneers of having original entrance music with the recording of “Bad Street, USA.” This dynamic trio is also part of cinematic history, and can be seen during the opening moments of the 1986 smash, Highlander.
The Hart family truly is wrestling royalty, and the whole clan has been in the business for generations. Trained by patriarch Stu in the infamous Dungeon of Calgary, Alberta, Bret “Hitman” Hart and his brothers Owen, Keith, and Bruce regularly teamed up throughout Canada for years as a part of Stu’s Stampede Wrestling promotion. This is where the Hart boys (and so many others) honed their craft before landing in WWE.
Even the brothers-in-law and wider family got in on the action. When an updated version of the Hart Foundation formed in ’97, Bret led members Jim Neidhart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Brian Pillman against the likes of Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Over the years, we have been treated to some amazing battles where either the Harts teamed up (see Survivor Series 1993) or tried to tear each other apart (see WrestleMania X), but without doubt one of their proudest moments occurred on home soil during the Canadian Stampede pay-per-view. In an absolute belter of a match, Bret, Jim, Owen, Davey, and Pillman beat Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and the Legion of Doom.
With the nWo proving to be a ratings juggernaut for WCW, DX would soon evolve as a serious threat to Ted Turner’s cash cow. Frustrated with WWE’s cartoonish style, Shawn Michaels and Triple H were the creative brains behind the group, and were able to appeal to a younger, hipper audience. The initial formation of the group comprised Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Rick Rude, and “The Ninth Wonder of the World” Chyna.
DX was fresh, and the addition of a kick-ass female companion really set the group apart from the New World Order. Unlike the nWo, D-Generation X was able to bring in new members without diluting the entertainment. In 1998, Shawn Michaels took time off with a back injury, allowing the Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac to fill the void. This second rendition of DX proved to be just an exciting as the initial concept and perhaps went even further than the originals, culminating in the infamous “Invasion” of WCW.
In the years that have followed, we’ve seen various members of DX reunite, and there’s hope among fans that the late Chyna will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame soon.
In 1988, the Four Horsemen controlled all the major championships in the National Wrestling Alliance and completely changed the perception of what a pro wrestler should look like. They were associated with Armani suits, not spandex trunks; private jets, not rental cars. They took great pride in showing off their lavish lifestyle, and while they talked a lot of smack, they always backed it up. This combination of in-ring dominance and verbal artistry sold out arenas around the globe, and their influence is still felt more than 30 years later.
Like many factions, there have been a number of incarnations of the Horsemen over the years, but it’s the version made up of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Tully Blanchard, and JJ Dillon that is considered by many to be the best of the groupings. This is also the one that was officially inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. Other notable Horseman have included Lex Luger, Dean Malenko, Ole Anderson, Jeff Jarrett, Steve “Mongo” McMichael, and Curt Hennig—talk about a who’s who of wrestling royalty.
The seeds for the New World Order were first sewed in May 1996, when Kevin Nash and Scott Hall jumped ship from WWE to WCW. Their appearances were scripted to fool the audience and make them think that these two main-eventers had been sent by WWE as part of a hostile takeover of WCW. This angle picked up even more heat a couple of months later when Hulk Hogan turned his back on WCW’s fans and joined Hall and Nash, proclaiming that there was now a New World Order in professional wrestling (brother). It was a shocking moment that few had predicted, and the buzz shook the industry to its core.
The New World Order was WCW’s finest storyline and lead to massive TV ratings success, trouncing Monday Night RAW for 83 weeks in head-to-head competition. The nWo became bigger than pro wrestling and made an impact all over popular culture. To this day, mainstream media icons such as Kylie Jenner can be seen wearing nWo merchandise with pride. The era of the faction was back in vogue, courtesy of the nWo, and this led to the creation of many offshoot groups such as the Wolfpac, and new formations like DX and the Latino World Order.
The nWo generated so much interest that they were able turn WCW from a money pit into an entertainment force. Unfortunately, as is often the case with such mega-hits, the act soon got stale. The nWo started to lose its luster as they enlisted more and more members, and oversaturated themselves by taking up too much air time on Monday Nitro. Business started to decline, and when WCW eventually closed the doors, WWE was able to capitalize by acquiring the nWo trademarks. This allowed the company to reunite the key players on several occasions, perhaps most effectively at WrestleMania 31.
Pro wrestling fans that were around during the Monday Night Wars know that the impact the nWo had on the industry as a whole cannot be underestimated, and for those that weren’t–there is always the WWE Network!
