Factions – who doesn’t love them? I’m a big fan of factions, and I love what they represent and what they bring to a show and to a company. A good faction can lead a TV show, provide gusto for a PPV and get people buying merchandise. They can elevate wrestlers, allow a multitude of storylines and can show what a wrestler can do. In this column, we are going to look at 4 different factions from 4 different eras. These factions have been used for one of the following reasons
To enhance – to allow talented wrestlers the outlet, TV time and PPV positioning to show what they are capable of
To introduce – to allow wrestlers new to a company a platform and grouping to introduce themselves to the crowd
To take over – to allow wrestlers to take over a TV show/brand for themselves
To utilise – to allow wrestlers who aren’t in a long term storyline or generally not being used the chance to show what they can do
To enhance: Evolution – Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista
One of WWE’s most dominant factions, the group of Triple H, Flair, Orton and Batista were a fantastic group of heels who helped establish Raw as a show after the Brand Extension. Before Evolution was a faction, Orton was new to the company and unfortunately got injured. This led to a slow burn of promo videos, where fans could email Randy get well soon messages. Batista was on SmackDown, and in a tandem with “Reverend” D-Von Dudley, acting as his Deacon.
However, when Orton and Batista got the time, the working relationship and mentorship from Triple H and Flair, their popularity exploded. Evolution allowed Orton and Batista to get over with the crowd. If it weren’t for this faction, would Orton still be a mainstay in WWE? Would Batista have had a successful run in WWE before transitioning to Hollywood? Who knows.
To introduce: Undisputed Era – Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong
Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly were introduced to the WWE audience together at the conclusion of NXT TakeOver Brooklyn III, attacking the then NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, as well as the SAnitY and AoP tag teams. Before that, however, O’Reilly and Fish tagged as reDRagon and O’Reilly and Cole had tagged together as Future Shock on the independent circuit. So WWE had to find a way to introduce all three wrestlers to the audience and Undisputed Era was born. They soon added a fourth member, Rodrick Strong, 8 months after their debut, to bring them into the currency package they are today.
As a group, they have been involved in key storylines throughout their time on NXT and have given the brand value, despite the number of wrestlers who have moved onto Raw and SmackDown. Without the introduction they had though, would they have been able to build and build? Who knows.
To
If the nWo haven’t had taken “control” of WCW, would we have the same product we have today? The original incarnation of the nWo feature Nash and Hall joining WCW from WWF. These two already established wrestlers said that there was a 3rd member, which we found at Bash at the Beach to be Hogan. Turning Hogan heel, after being a face his entire wrestling career, was a stroke of genius and a massive gamble at the same time
However, the three wrestlers alone would not be able to take control of WCW. They soon added the likes of Ted DiBiase, The Giant, and X-Pac among others. This expansion was, however the downfall of the nWo, with 6 evolutions of the nWo taking place during the lifespan of WCW. The nWo will always be remembered for taking over WCW, in both a metaphorical sense and a physical sense.
To utilise: Right to Censor – Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan, The Good Father, Val Venis, Ivory
Right to Censor were initially created as a parody of the Parents Television Council in the US, who were up in arms about the content of WWE programming. The talent they used weren’t in any title pictures or major storylines at the start of their time. The core of the group was Richards, Buchanan and Good Father, and they later added Val Venis and Ivory to their ranks. By the end of their run as a faction, Buchanan and Good Father had a run as Tag Team Champions and Ivory started a great feud with Chyna, which continued after Right to Censor disbanded.
The Right to Censor faction allowed entertainment and storylines for the wrestlers, allowed WWE to stick its proverbial middle finger at the PTC and were genuinely fun to watch. It allowed wrestlers the time they needed to push their characters, to switch from face to heel and to allow different dynamics to take place in and out of the ring.
Closing Thoughts
As I said at the start of the column, factions are a lot of fun. Factions have a lot of potentials and, if done correctly, can be the focal point of a TV show, a PPV or even an entire company. Looking at the current landscape of WWE, there are a lot of wrestlers who could be put into a faction. Garza, Andrade and Theory looked like they were coming together as a group, MVP looks like he might be putting a group together.
Right now, the main thing that WWE needs is creativity, especially in the current pandemic filled world we are living in. Allowing wrestlers to be part of something, allowing them to have that time to show their skills can lead to that creativity coming into fruition.
WWE could use a faction to enhance wrestlers they currently employ. They could use a faction to introduce talent (or re-introduce furloughed talent). A faction could be launched to take over a show. Or they could just utilise the talent currently employed to show off their skills. Factions are a lot of fun, so let’s bring them back to WWE.
What are your thoughts on the current WWE Factions, and who would you add to a faction to get them over? Let us know below or tweet @maruwe22 or @SLTDWrestling with your thoughts.
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