This week's episode of WWE Countdown ranks the top ten greatest factions of all time. Speaking of which, the Greatest Factions DVD set was released this week. Coincidence? The voice over lady says "We list them, you rank them". Again......that's the problem. So here is the list presented. I am the messenger of said list, and I do not endorse this list. If it angers you, seek help. It's a wrestling list! CLICK "READ MORE"!
10. The Heenan Family - Bobby Heenan was one of the more successful managers of the 80's. Dean Ambrose states that if you're in the Heenan Family, you had instant credibility. Brodus Clay brings up that Heenan wanted to manage the champion, and Hulk Hogan stood in the way, making him a constant target of the Family. Heenan's coup was supposed to be Andre the Giant, but we know how that turned out. Cesaro says that Heenan never cheated, he just helped his clients win. Mean Gene says the Heenan Famly is the greatest faction of all time, but they're only #10 on this list.
9. The Dangerous Alliance - Paul Heyman brought together one of the more talented factions to the forefront. Heyman says that their favorite target was Sting, because Sting was the face of WCW at the time. Of course, Steve Austin was being groomed as the next big star. The Dangerous Alliance held every major title except for the World title.
8. The Nation of Domination - The Nation was memorable because they were controversial. Rocky says that when he joined, he was able to be himself. They show the members in their various less successful incarnations (Papa Shango, Gladiator Faarooq, Olympian Mark Henry, etc). They bring up Rock's ousting of Faarooq, and Faarooq says that he should have whipped Rock's ass sooner.
7. The Corporation - This group was borne from Vince McMahon's need to have guys in his back pocket to carry out his efforts to control everything. Steve Austin was the biggest adversary because of his refusal to cower to The Boss. Vince brought The Rock into the fold because he saw him as a foil to Austin. They bring up Vince's Royal Rumble win due to the help of the other Corporation members.
6. The Hart Foundation - The group formed during a match between Owen Hart and The British Bulldog, when Bret Hart came out and reunited everyone. This kicked off the excellent Canada vs. USA angle. Dean Ambrose says that was a revolutionary idea. Bret himself says some Americans thought Bret had a good point. No tears in his eyes there, however. Canadian Stampede saw every member of the Hart Foundation get a bigger pop with each individual entrance. One of the hottest crowds ever, in my opinion.
5. Evolution - Three generations came together in one group, with Ric Flair, Triple H , Batista and Randy Orton. Their peak was at Armageddon 2003 when all four won titles in one night. Everyone was banking on Orton being the breakout star of the group. Batista says that before Evolution, he was lacking that credibility he needed. Of course, it all started to go downhill when Orton won his first World title, then Batista felt that Triple H was holding him back. Orton and Batista would go on to become big stars after their stint.
4. The Four Horsemen - Each individual member of the Horsemen was an accomplished wrestler. They considered themselves the elite of the business. With JJ Dillon at the helm, they won title after title. Mean Gene says that one prerequisite to be in the Horsemen was you had to have a strong liver. Rolexes, limousines, fancy suits; the party never stopped. However, they still took care of business, breaking various bones of guys like Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Morton and Nikita Koloff. Should be #1, honestly.
3. The NWO - The goal of the New World Order was to take over WCW. It was the height of the Monday Night War, and when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash showed up, WCW made no bones about WWF stars invading the company. Hulk Hogan revealing himself to be the ringleader was a bombshell that turned the ratings tide to Nitro's favor. It seemed that every week, people were tuning in to see who would join next. The group became so hated that it became cool to cheer them. NWO merch went through the roof, and a lot of people got rich.
2. The Brood - Dafuq?? Gangrel, the gothic blood-drinking vampire, taking Edge and Christian under his wing. Their entrance was attention grabbing, with them rising from a ring of fire. The bloodbath gimmick came about due to the lack of verbal communication from the group, but they thought they needed a calling card. Eventually, Edge and Christian went on to become huge stars. Gangrel......not so much.
1. D-Generation X - It started out as Shawn Michaels and Triple H acting like a couple of frat boys, enjoying ruffling those feathers. When Shawn Michaels left due to injury, they brought in Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac with Chyna as the straight man. The crotch chop transcended wrestling. When HBK and HHH reunited in 2006, it really became more of a comedy routine every week.
The Post-Game Opinion: The Brood being on the list surprised me. The actual factions that should be on the list are here, but the order is out of whack, as per the usual for this show. I do not have too many complaints with the list other than the Horsemen should have been #1, as they are the bar for all factions to meet. NWO should be #2. Thoughts?
10. The Heenan Family - Bobby Heenan was one of the more successful managers of the 80's. Dean Ambrose states that if you're in the Heenan Family, you had instant credibility. Brodus Clay brings up that Heenan wanted to manage the champion, and Hulk Hogan stood in the way, making him a constant target of the Family. Heenan's coup was supposed to be Andre the Giant, but we know how that turned out. Cesaro says that Heenan never cheated, he just helped his clients win. Mean Gene says the Heenan Famly is the greatest faction of all time, but they're only #10 on this list.
9. The Dangerous Alliance - Paul Heyman brought together one of the more talented factions to the forefront. Heyman says that their favorite target was Sting, because Sting was the face of WCW at the time. Of course, Steve Austin was being groomed as the next big star. The Dangerous Alliance held every major title except for the World title.
8. The Nation of Domination - The Nation was memorable because they were controversial. Rocky says that when he joined, he was able to be himself. They show the members in their various less successful incarnations (Papa Shango, Gladiator Faarooq, Olympian Mark Henry, etc). They bring up Rock's ousting of Faarooq, and Faarooq says that he should have whipped Rock's ass sooner.
7. The Corporation - This group was borne from Vince McMahon's need to have guys in his back pocket to carry out his efforts to control everything. Steve Austin was the biggest adversary because of his refusal to cower to The Boss. Vince brought The Rock into the fold because he saw him as a foil to Austin. They bring up Vince's Royal Rumble win due to the help of the other Corporation members.
6. The Hart Foundation - The group formed during a match between Owen Hart and The British Bulldog, when Bret Hart came out and reunited everyone. This kicked off the excellent Canada vs. USA angle. Dean Ambrose says that was a revolutionary idea. Bret himself says some Americans thought Bret had a good point. No tears in his eyes there, however. Canadian Stampede saw every member of the Hart Foundation get a bigger pop with each individual entrance. One of the hottest crowds ever, in my opinion.
5. Evolution - Three generations came together in one group, with Ric Flair, Triple H , Batista and Randy Orton. Their peak was at Armageddon 2003 when all four won titles in one night. Everyone was banking on Orton being the breakout star of the group. Batista says that before Evolution, he was lacking that credibility he needed. Of course, it all started to go downhill when Orton won his first World title, then Batista felt that Triple H was holding him back. Orton and Batista would go on to become big stars after their stint.
4. The Four Horsemen - Each individual member of the Horsemen was an accomplished wrestler. They considered themselves the elite of the business. With JJ Dillon at the helm, they won title after title. Mean Gene says that one prerequisite to be in the Horsemen was you had to have a strong liver. Rolexes, limousines, fancy suits; the party never stopped. However, they still took care of business, breaking various bones of guys like Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Morton and Nikita Koloff. Should be #1, honestly.
3. The NWO - The goal of the New World Order was to take over WCW. It was the height of the Monday Night War, and when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash showed up, WCW made no bones about WWF stars invading the company. Hulk Hogan revealing himself to be the ringleader was a bombshell that turned the ratings tide to Nitro's favor. It seemed that every week, people were tuning in to see who would join next. The group became so hated that it became cool to cheer them. NWO merch went through the roof, and a lot of people got rich.
2. The Brood - Dafuq?? Gangrel, the gothic blood-drinking vampire, taking Edge and Christian under his wing. Their entrance was attention grabbing, with them rising from a ring of fire. The bloodbath gimmick came about due to the lack of verbal communication from the group, but they thought they needed a calling card. Eventually, Edge and Christian went on to become huge stars. Gangrel......not so much.
1. D-Generation X - It started out as Shawn Michaels and Triple H acting like a couple of frat boys, enjoying ruffling those feathers. When Shawn Michaels left due to injury, they brought in Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac with Chyna as the straight man. The crotch chop transcended wrestling. When HBK and HHH reunited in 2006, it really became more of a comedy routine every week.
The Post-Game Opinion: The Brood being on the list surprised me. The actual factions that should be on the list are here, but the order is out of whack, as per the usual for this show. I do not have too many complaints with the list other than the Horsemen should have been #1, as they are the bar for all factions to meet. NWO should be #2. Thoughts?