There have been some great factions in the history of professional wrestling. Iconic groups like the Four Horsemen, the Freebirds, the New World Order (at least initially), and the Bullet Club have all impacted the industry and helped propel the careers of some of the most legendary and utterly ridiculous figures in sports entertainment. However, other groups have come along and either made no impact at all or were just straight-up repugnant.
Here are 32 factions we didn’t need in wrestling…
NWO 2000
The New World Order changed the wrestling industry back in the summer of 1996 when Hulk Hogan turned heel and joined up with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, but the group became overstuffed with a growing roster and various off-shoots. Then came NWO 2000, a group consisting of Nash, Hall, and a heel Bret Hart that did nothing for anyone and is largely forgotten.
D-Generation X 2006 & 2009
D-Generation X was legitimately one of the coolest groups in wrestling in the late ‘90s, but the same can’t be said about Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ later attempts at catching lightning in a bottle. The 2006 and 2009 variations of the edgy and crude group were toothless, toned down, and unnecessary with that terrible merch and dependence on glow sticks.
The New Blood
The final 18 to 24 months of WCW were home to one terrible idea after another, and few come close to the “too many cooks” nature of The New Blood. Led by Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff, the group attempted to showcase new talent, but they never did much and were often overshadowed by the two authority figures and older WCW stars.
Raven’s Flock
Raven, though different and admittedly pretty cool, led a group of followers like a cult leader back in the late ’90s. Raven’s Flock, which consisted of the on-the-rise talent like Kidman and Saturn, as well as others like Lodi, had its own section on the WCW/NWO: Revenge roster, but they never really did anything besides mope around and have “Raven’s Rules” matches.
The Dungeon Of Doom
Though the Dungeon of Doom was a fun diversion from the standard in WCW at the time, this group consisting of The Taskmaster, The Giant, Kamala, Hugh Morris, and the Barbarian, among others, felt like they were just around as foils for Hulk Hogan. When Hogan turned heel, they seemed totally unneeded.
Right To Censor
Maybe it’s just the group’s annoying entrance song (it’s just a siren and “warning” over and over again), but Right to Censor isn’t looked back upon too fondly these days. A heel faction made up of Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan, The Goodfather, Val Venis, and Ivory, the group wore button-up shirts and ties in the ring where they tried to turn people away from the violent and sexual tones of the Attitude Era.
The Social Outcasts
Bob Dallas, Curtis Axel, Adam Rose, and Heath Slater, not happy about not getting proper booking or championship opportunities, started what can be described as one of the worst stables in mid-2010s WWE: The Social Outcasts. Pretty much a more modern version of The J.O.B. Squad (or any other jobber group), this quartet of talented yet underutilized wrestlers did a whole lot of nothing.
The Blue World Order
When one company would get something going in the wrestling boom of the ‘90s, everyone else would try to replicate it. Such was the case for the Blue World Order, a satirical faction made up of ECW talent Stevie Richards, The Blue Meanie, and several others. Sure, it was fun watching ECW make fun of one of the hottest things in wrestling at the time, but it went on way too long.
The Misfits
The Misfits are not only one of the most influential horror-punk bands of all time, but also a short-lived stable in WCW. Near the end of the company’s existence, Vampiro teamed up with the “teenagers from Mars” for one of the sloppiest and most forgotten partnerships in wrestling history. It was bad, and not a fun bad.
The Cosmic Wasteland
Remember when Cody Rhodes, under the Stardust gimmick, teamed up with The Ascension to form The Cosmic Wasteland? No, You’re better off for it. This wild, wacky, and totally ridiculous faction wasn’t around all that long, but even that was too much.
Retribution
Retribution could have been one of the coolest factions in wrestling when the group debuted in August 2020, but things just never panned out for the sextet. Led by Mustafa Ali, the heel team consisting of T-Bar, Mace, Slapjack, Reckoning, and Retaliation (how’d names like that not take off?) had a cool look but that’s about it. Imagine Tom Hardy’s Bane but without Christopher Nolan’s nuance or believability.
3 Count
Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, and Evan Karagias were three of WCW’s up-and-coming stars when they were paired together as 3 Count in late 1999. Made to look like a combination of the Hardy Boyz in WWE and the big boybands of the day, this N’SYNC and Backstreet Boys knockoff was long gone by the time WCW closed its doors in March 2001.
The Union
Want to talk about short-lived and mostly forgotten factions from the height of the Attitude Era? Well, look no further than The Union, a team consisting of Mankind, The Big Show, Test, and Ken Shamrock. Coming together in May 1999, the four-piece spent a little more than a month trying to defeat The Corporate Ministry. But when Mankind was put on the shelf with injuries, the group quietly faded away into obscurity.
Mean Street Posse
Pete Gas, Joey Abs, and Rodney, known collectively as The Mean Street Posse, were brought into WWE storylines in March 1999 as Shane McMahon’s muscle in various feuds. From the mean streets of Greenwich, Connecticut, this trio of goons were mostly used as cannon fodder or title holders of the carousel that was the Hardcore Championship.
The New Nexus
A few months after The Nexus, Wade Barrett’s stable that was super hot until going up against John Cena in the height of his “Super Cena” days, called it quits, a pre-Pipe Bomb CM Punk took over the group. However, they weren’t around that long and were on the way out by the time the “Summer of Punk” got in full swing.
The Corre
When The Nexus burnt out, several of its members, including Wade Barrett, went on to form The Corre. Along with Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and Ezekiel Jackson, Barrett’s second faction was pretty much dead on arrival and amounted to nothing.
Misfits In Action
WCW, well into its “throw it into the wall and see what sticks” phase at this point, introduced Misfits in Action (not to be confused with The Misfits). Though the group included some major talent like Booker T. and Chavo Gurrero Jr., everyone had terribly juvenile names like G.I. Bro, Lt. Loco, Sgt. AWOL, Major Gunns, and others are better suited for a Bart Simpson crank call than a wrestler. Nothing good came from this.
Aces & Eights
Remember when Sons of Anarchy took over pop culture and everybody and their mother became obsessed with motorcycle gangs? Well, that worked its way into wrestling when TNA introduced Aces & Eights to the world. Bully Ray, D’Lo Brown, Devon, Taz, and other notable stars were all part of the gang at one point or another, but it was all just so unnecessary and buddy.
Truth Commission
Portrayed as a group of commandos from South Africa, The Truth Commission went from USWA to WWF in 1997. Though initially made to look like a rough and tough group of mercenaries willing to do what others wouldn’t, the stable ended up being relegated to multi-man matches.
The Oddities
The Oddities stable felt like someone took everything a teenage boy loved about the late ‘90s and started a wrestling faction. The involvement of the Insane Clown Posse, wrestlers wearing Cartman shirts (and holding Cartman stuffed animals), and those bizarre dances made Raw feel more like a freakshow than a weekly wrestling show.
The Natural Born Thrillers
There were so many factions and stables in the dying days of WCW, including Natural Born Thrillers. Playing off the title of Oliver Stone’s controversial 1994 film, Natural Born Killers, this short-lived group consisting of wrestlers like Chuck Palumbo, Mark Jindrak, and Johnny the Bull, seemed like they were going to be the next big thing, but ultimately fizzled out into obscurity.
The Welcoming Committee
Though women’s wrestling has vastly improved over the past decade or so, there have been some missteps during that time. One of those was The Welcoming Committee, a faction led by Natalya featured during the SmackDown Live days. Going up against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, the team never really did much of anything.
The League Of Nations
The League of Nations – Sheamus, King Barrett, Rusev, and Albert Del Rio – could have been the hottest thing in wrestling, but that wouldn’t be the case. All four members had experienced a lot of success in WWE prior to the group’s November 2015 formation, but things just didn’t work out. They went their separate ways shortly after being embarrassed by Mick Foley, Stone Cold, and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 32.
The New Breed
For a few months back in 2007, The New Breed – Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, Ariel, and CM Punk – tried to make a name for themselves in the revamped ECW. However, the stable didn’t do much besides take on the ECW Originals at WrestleMania 23 that April. Though CM Punk would become one of the hottest stars in wrestling, the rest of the team didn’t have as much luck.
Immortal
Putting together the biggest stars of WCW and WWE in a massive faction of heavyweights and legends is a recipe for success, right? Well, about that… Back in 2010, Immortal, a team consisting of Hulk Hogan, Jeff Jarrett, Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, Tommy Dreamer, Jeff Hardy, and others got together for one of the most bloated factions of all time. Though the faction had some success, it was honestly kind of sad watching these aging stars of yesteryear go out and “play the hits.”
The Mexicools
If you thought taking the masks off some of the most successful luchadors of the ‘90s was bad enough, wait until you see what WWE did to Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera, and Super Crazy in 2005. The Mexicools, who came out on lawn equipment, were made to look like jokes, which is a bummer considering their in-ring talent.
Dogs Of War
So many teams tried and failed to take out The Shield over the years, including the Dogs of War. This short-lived and unneeded faction consisted of Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, and Dolph Ziggler, who got together in 2018 to take on the “Hounds of Justice.” They were around all too long before someone took these “Dogs of War” to the “farm.”
The Cabinet
It makes sense why JBL would want to put together a “The Cabinet” during the early days of his run as SmackDown’s top heel – he needed bodies to take the beating when he evaded the babyfaces. However, this group of mid-carders (at best) did a whole lot of nothing to help themselves or JBL before going away.
X-Factor
Back in early 2001, X-Pac got together with Justin Credible and Albert to form X-Factor. The group could have probably turned into something fun, but they didn’t last all that long before splitting due to the Invasion storyline.
The NWA
What? The NWA has one of the worst stables in wrestling? Don’t get your underoos all in a bunch because this is about the “invasion” group and not the historic alliance of territories. Back in 1997 and 1998, Jim Cornette attempted to invade WWE with the likes of Jeff Jarrett, the Rock n Roll Express, and several others. A poor attempt at capturing the spirit of the NWO, this plan failed.
Los Boricuas
After getting the boot from the Nation of Domination in 1997, Savio Vega started Los Boricuas, a team consisting of Puerto Rican wrestlers Miguel Perez, Jose Estrada Jr., and Jesus Castillo. Like a lot of teams in Attitude Era WWE, Los Boricuas were just bodies thrown into the meatgrinder of multi-man tags and battle royals.
The Alliance
The Alliance, a supergroup consisting of ECW and WCW wrestlers, as well as a few WWE turncoats, was supposed to make the Invasion one of the hottest stories in wrestling. But due to the fact that none of the big WCW stars like Sting, Goldberg, or The NWO took part, it ended up being a lot of relatively unknown wrestlers.