Why This Star-Studded WWE Faction Failed, Explained
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It's no secret that many past factions in professional wrestling have a reputation for being so awful that the act became a punch-line. A case in point is the forgotten laughingstock of the League of Nations from late 2015 to mid-2016, a faction that no one took seriously. A group that consisted of Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Wade Barrett, and Rusev representing their nations, it seemed like a good idea to pair these superstars together in WWE. However, not long after the group got formed following Sheamus' WWE Championship win at Survivor Series 2015, they mainly became a punching bag for Roman Reigns, thus getting negative feedback from fans and critics alike.
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The Rocky Main-Event Push Of Roman Reigns
It's no secret that Roman Reigns had a rocky start when he first broke out as a singles star in 2014, especially as the WWE fans didn't take too kindly of him. And although he broke out into stardom as "The Tribal Chief" when he turned heel in 2020 over six years later, it was a long road for Reigns to achieve the level of stardom he currently has.
Furthermore, going back to one of the early years of Roman Reigns' main-event push in 2015, it's safe to say that 2015 was not a good year for WWE regarding quality TV. Much of that had to do with WWE's botched creative handling ofReigns' push, especially towards the end of the year when Roman Reigns feuded with a newly-established group that plotted to take him out of the WWE Championship picture.
RELATED: Rusev Reveals WWE's Main Reason For Creating The League Of Nations Stable
Sheamus Wins The WWE Championship And Forms The League Of Nations
Moments after Roman Reigns won his first WWE Championship at Survivor Series 2015, Sheamus successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank suitcase to win the WWE Championship from him, deepening Roman Reign's ongoing feud with Triple H and The Authority. Following the events, Sheamus allied with Rusev, King Barrett, and Alberto Del Rio to form the League of Nations, where each member represented their country as a gimmick. The League of Nations consisted of Sheamus representing Ireland, Rusev representing Bulgaria, King Barrett representing the United Kingdom, and Alberto Del Rio representing Mexico.
It was not exactly the most original idea for a faction, which may have also contributed to the downfall of the group, but an alliance that consisted of WWE superstars that all have impressive resumes of accomplishments had the potential to become a dominant heel faction. All four of those superstars in the League of Nations could've posed a threat to the top babyfaces like Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Dean Ambrose if they got booked to look strong on TV.
The Embarrassing Downfall Of The League Of Nations
It doesn't take a genius to figure out why the League of Nations didn't achieve anything after it got formed. One thing's for sure, it didn't help that the League of Nations always got shown as inferior to Roman Reigns. For instance, some might remember the time Sheamus defended his WWE Championship against Roman Reigns on a November 2015 episode of Monday Night Raw, where Sheamus embarrassingly almost got beat in under five minutes and fifteen seconds.
Arguably the best accomplishment that the League of Nations achieved is Sheamus surprisingly managed to successfully defend his WWE Championship against Roman Reigns in a TLC match at TLC 2015. However, when Sheamus dropped to the belt to Roman Reigns the next night on an episode of Monday Night Raw, everything went downhill for Sheamus and the League of Nations. The League of Nations's purpose was basically to put Roman Reigns while simultaneously looking weak in return.
RELATED: 5 Best Tag Team Partners Of Sheamus' Career (& 5 Worst)After the League of Nation's feud with Roman Reigns ended, Alberto Del Rio, who returned to the company not long before the League of Nations got formed, lost a lot of steam when 2016 came around, especially after losing the United States Championship for the second time to Kalisto at Royal Rumble 2016. King Barrett's credibility was completely tarnished to where he had no choice but to leave WWE in 2016, and Rusev's downfall got worse stemming from his loss to John Cena at WrestleMania 31.
It's worth noting that the League of Nations did win at WrestleMania 32 when they defeated The New Day in a six-man tag match, even though they got an ass-kicking courtesy of Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and Mick Foley moments after the bout. However, less than a month after WrestleMania 32, the League of Nations decided to part ways on an April 2016 episode of SmackDown, as members of the faction knew the act was a complete failure. On the other hand, Roman Reigns went on to win the WWE Championship from Triple H at WrestleMania 32, as the company continued struggling with Roman Reigns's main-event push.
