Best Old-School WWE Stables, Ranked
Mia Russell During the 1980s and early to mid 1990s, stables weren't so common on WWE programming. The Attitude Era popularized factions up and down the roster, as while main event groups were also prominently featured, midcard and undercard factions also got added to the mix. This common tendency of factions didn't occur during the Golden Era or New Generation Era.
Every Current WWE Faction, Ranked From Worst To Best
WWE is loaded with stables, but how well does each faction rank from worst to best? Let's find out!The lack of stables during that time made the existent stables feel even more important, much like the Four Horsemen. WWE mostly used heel factions in order to rival a babyface, which was a formula that worked perfectly.
8 Sergeant Slaughter Formed His Own Faction After Becoming An Iraqi Sympathizer
Members: Sgt. Slaughter, General Adnan & Colonel Mustafa
- Sgt. Slaughter Turned His Back On His Country
- Slaughter Won The WWE Championship At Royal Rumble 1991
- This Run Was Extremely Controversial And Garnered Immense Heat
In 1990, Sgt. Slaughter returned to WWE after a six-year hiatus. Vince McMahon wanted Slaughter to come back as a heel, and due to the political tensions in the Middle East, Slaughter became an Iraqi sympathizer and turned his back on America. At the time, WWE's babyfaces were extremely patriotic, so one of America's most beloved wrestlers turning his back on his country would become extremely controversial.
Slaughter formed his own faction alongside General Adnan and Colonel Mustafa (Iron Sheik). At the 1991 Royal Rumble, Sgt. Slaughter won his first WWE Championship by defeating The Ultimate Warrior, and fans were enraged at the sight of a traitor carrying the company gold. Hulk Hogan ended up beating Slaughter for the title in the main event of WrestleMania 7, which created a feel good moment for fans. At SummerSlam 1991, Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior defeated Slaughter's group in a 2 on 3 handicap match, which put an end to Slaughter's heel gimmick.
7 Demolition Held The Tag Team Titles For 478 Days
Members: Ax, Smash & Crush
- Crush Joined The Team In 1990
- They Won The Tag Team Titles For A Third Time In 1990 And Used The Freebird Rule To Defend The Championships
- The Group Disbanded In 1991
Demolition, consisting of Ax and Smash, were one of the most iconic tag teams of the Golden Era. They won the tag team titles for the first time in March 1988 and held it for 478 days, which was a record that ended up being broken by the New Day in 2016.
10 WWE Tag Teams From The Golden Era That Disappeared Into Oblivion
Certain WWE tag teams from the company's Golden Era completely disappeared.At WrestleMania 6, Demolition won the tag titles for a third time after defeating the Colossal Connection. After the event, Crush joined the team, which officially turned Demolition into a faction. Throughout 1990, Crush and Smash wrestled most of Demolition's matches. At SummerSlam 1990, Demolition lost the tag team titles to the Hart Foundation in a 2 out of 3 falls match, which was one of the best tag team matches of the Golden Era.
6 Jimmy Hart Elevated A Lot Of WWE Wrestlers In The 1980s
Members: Honky Tonk Man, Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart
- Jimmy Hart Began Managing The Hart Foundation In 1985
- After Honky Tonk Man Turned Heel In 1986, Jimmy Hart Became His Manager
- The Group Feuded With Randy Savage
Possibly one of WWE's most forgotten factions was the group of Honky Tonk Man and The Hart Foundation, all under the tutelage of Jimmy Hart. They achieved some championship success in the 80s, with the Hart Foundation spending most of 1987 as tag team champions and Honky Tonk Man becoming one of the longest reigning Intercontinental champions of all time.
In September 1987, Savage initiated his face turn and began feuding with Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship. They faced off on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event in October 1987, in which the Hart Foundation attacked Savage during the match, causing a disqualification. Jimmy Hart's stable continued to feud with Savage, and this program led to the formation of the Mega Powers, as Hogan helped Savage in fending off the heels.
5 Jim Cornette Led Some Of WWE's Most Menacing Heels
Members: Jim Cornette, Vader, Yokozuna, Owen Hart & The British Bulldog
- The Original Version Of Camp Cornette Consisted Of Owen Hart & Yokozuna
- The British Bulldog And Vader Would Later Join The Group
- After Vader's Debut, Yokozuna Was Kicked Out Of The Faction
In 1995, Owen Hart and Yokozuna formed a tag team and won the tag team championships at WrestleMania 11. Jim Cornette managed the duo and referred to them as "Camp Cornette". Both men had a dominant reign as tag team champions, and in the summer of 1995, The British Bulldog turned on Diesel and joined Cornette's group, therefore becoming a heel for the first time in his career.
10 Best Heels From WWE's New Generation Era, Ranked
WWE's New Generation Era was a time of transition for the company, supported by some truly fantastic heel performances.Vader made his debut in the 1996 Royal Rumble match and became Camp Cornette's newest member. During the match, Vader and Yokozuna began brawling, which ended Yokozuna's status as a member of Camp Cornette. Yokozuna turned face for the first time in his career and joined forces with the likes of Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts to oppose Cornette's faction. Camp Cornette were mostly dominant throughout 1996, as they ran through a lot of babyfaces and even feuded with Shawn Michaels. The faction came to an end in late 1996, as Cornette lost the group's managerial rights to Clarance Mason.
4 The Nation Of Domination Turned The Rock Into A Star
Members: The Rock, Faarooq, Savio Vega, Crush, Mark Henry, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, Owen Hart & Ahmed Johnson
- The Original Version Of The Group Consisted Of Faarooq, Savio Vega And Crush
- Faarooq Lead The Group Before The Rock Took Over The Faction On The Raw After WrestleMania 14
- The Group Officially Disbanded In October 1998
In November 1996, Faarooq adopted a gimmick change, as lawyer Clarence Mason became his manager. While Faarooq was feuding with Ahmed Johnson, he formed the Nation of Domination alongside Crush, Savio Vega, D'Lo Brown, PG-13 and other associates.
The group quickly rose to prominence and various versions of the faction were created. Most notably, The Rock joined the group after his heel turn in the summer of 1997, which paved the way for him to become one of wrestling's biggest stars. He led the group throughout 1998 in their battles with D-Generation X before the group officially disbanded later that year.
3 The Million Dollar Corporation Were Led By Ted Dibiase
Members: Nikolai Volkoff, Bam Bam Bigelow, Fake Undertaker, Sycho Sid, I.R.S, Tatanka, King Kong Bundy, Xanta Claus, The 1-2-3 Kid, Kama & The Ringmaster
- After Retiring From In-Ring Action, Ted Dibiase Became A Manager And Formed The Million Dollar Corporation
- Nikolai Volkoff Was The First Member Of The Group
- The Group's Biggest Rivals Were The Undertaker And Diesel
In 1994, a year after retiring from in-ring competition, Ted DiBiase became a manager and formed his own faction, The Million Dollar Corporation. The group was born after DiBiase purchased the services of Nikolai Volkoff, Bam Bam Bigelow and Irwin R. Schyster. As time went on, other wrestlers would join the group, which included Tatanka, King Kong Bundy and Kama.
10 Worst Wrestling Factions Of The 1990s, Ranked
While the 1990s saw some of the best wrestling stables ever, there were a handful of factions that were absolutely terrible.The Fake Undertaker was also apart of the faction, but after the Undertaker vs Undertaker match at SummerSlam 1994, he was written off television. In 1995, the group was involved in many main event angles, as Sycho Sid feuded with Diesel for the WWE Championship and various members of the group feuded with The Undertaker. In late 1995, The 1-2-3 Kid turned heel and joined the faction, but the group had lost a lot of relevancy, and after DiBiase left for WCW in 1996, the Million Dollar Corporation was no more, with Steve Austin becoming its final member.
2 Bobby Heenan Is One Of The Greatest Managers Of All Time
Members: Adrian Adonis, André The Giant, Big John Studd, The Brain Busters, Harley Race, King Kong Bundy, Lex Luger, Mr. Perfect, Paul Orndorff, Ric Flair & Rick Rude
- Bobby Heenan Managed WWE's Biggest Heels During The 80s And Early 90s
- The Heenan Family First Had Members In The AWA, NWA And WWA
- The Heenan Family Came To An End In 1993
Bobby Heenan left behind a huge legacy in the wrestling business, as one of the industry's biggest personalities. Nicknamed "The Brain", Heenan excelled in managing wrestling's biggest heels and entertaining audiences in the commentary booth.
Heenan managed several wrestlers in multiple companies throughout his career. The wrestlers Heenan managed were referred to as The Heenan Family, and this stable of wrestlers spanned across wrestling's biggest territories from the 70s to the 90s. Some of Heenan's most iconic partnerships include Nick Bockwinkel in the AWA and André The Giant in WWE.
1 The Hart Foundation Were Steve Austin's Biggest Rivals In 1997
Members: Bret Hart, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart & Brian Pillman
- The Original Hart Foundation Came To An End After WrestleMania 7
- The Reincarnated Version Of The Hart Foundation Was Formed After WrestleMania 13
- The Faction Disbanded After The Montreal Screwjob
After Bret Hart's heel turn at WrestleMania 13, he reunited with Owen Hart and The British Bulldog, as the pair were experiencing some issues between each other, and Bret reminded them that they're family and that family should always be united. This created a new heel stable that would oppose Steve Austin throughout the rest of 1997.
The Hart Foundation established themselves as heels, but they were babyfaces outside of American soil, which was a formula that worked perfectly. Jim Neidhart and Brian Pillman eventually joined the group, and the Hart Foundation became a dominant force in WWE. Their rivalry with Steve Austin became extremely iconic and played a huge part in his rise to superstardom.