Editorial: Hittin' The Ropes #5 - Warfare!

D-Generation X. The 4 Horsemen. The nWo. The Freebirds.

A long time ago, every single match was contested as one man versus another. Then someone introduced the idea of two men facing another two men. And as with everything, the business changed with the times and now it seems like the more men involved, the better. With the emergence of the Main Event Mafia, TNA Front Line, Priceless and the New Hart Foundation, stables/factions/alliances are back in style. What I find interesting is how long it took for this idea to hit the main stage once again.

Now alliances have never really gone away. Yes you have the big guns you always remember fondly. Whether it be the era of the Freebirds and the Horsemen. Or the 90s dominant groups of DX, nWo and the Corporation, factions have had their boom period as well as their lows (Spirit Squad anyone?). This week I thought I would take a look at the top 3 factions of all time, the bottom 3 and the 3 with the most promise in the coming year. And damn you WWE.com for stealing my thunder.

Top 3:

3. The Hart Foundation.

Now I went back and forth between ranking D-Generation X or The Hart Foundation as the #3 ranked faction of all time and it was extremely difficult?until I went back and watched some old tapes of the Foundation at its peak. There was not a more hated group of wrestlers in the modern era. Add to that the twist that they were absolutely beloved everywhere but America and it gives you a dynamic that hasn't and may never be replicated. The talent of the group lay solely in the laps of Owen, Bret and Pillman but there was no way to deny the force or absolute loyalty they all had towards one another. That is what defines a group plus they never actually dissolved. And think about it, there really never would have been a DX without the Foundation.

2. The Four Horsemen

This is the group that many would consider to be the standard bearer for all future factions and it's hard to argue that point. Every single member of the Horsemen held gold and lived their gimmick. They were the epitome of champions. Their one flaw would have to be the time in which they were at their peak. Wrestling was still widely a territorial business and the Horsemen were not given the national stage that the group rated at number one had. But there is no denying that the Horsemen were at the top of the talent heap.

1. The nWo

No group, in the history of the wrestling business, had the type of worldwide effect that the nWo did. What started as 3 men launched a company into the general populace's mind and established WCW as a viable contender to the WWF/E's throne. While the core group eventually grew too large and watered down for its own good (there was nWo Mexico and nWo Japan!), there is no denying the impact this one idea had on the landscape of wrestling. It can be argued that this one idea is the basis for what we watch weekly. The Horsemen might have been the original group that everyone after wanted to emulate but the nWo was able to do it on a larger stage and with a larger historical impact.

Bottom 3:

3. The J.O.B. Squad

I know what a good idea would be: let's put a bunch of our worst performers together, make them goofy and see if they can get over. Yea?a group of guys where their whole gimmick is to lose will have an AWESOME following.

2. No Limit Soldiers

They were a group of men who thrown together because WCW felt the need to sign rapper Master P to a talent contract. No one really knows why and it shows by how quickly this group vanished off of television.

1. X-Factor

3 career underachievers that were put together just for the hell of it. Slap them with a slow Kid Rock theme song and you have the moment of the night when the audience headed for the concession stands. Now? The leader, X-Pac, is working in Mexico and slips in and out of rehab. Justin Credible cooks at my local Olive Garden. Albert is mildly successful but only in Japan. Can't get much worse than that.

3 With Most Potential

3. Main Event Mafia

Now don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of this angle and this group. But they have no future. Sting wants to retire, Nash can barely get into the ring and Angle and Steiner are lucky they haven't broken their necks by now. How do you build a long term stable around men who are entering or already in the twilights of their respective careers? As of right now, yes they are the greatest collection of champions in history. But as we are always reminded, this business is a business based on a strong future and these men probably won't be around longer than 5 years.

2. TNA Front Line

I am liking the idea behind the name (my idea: TNA-Made? "TNA born, TNA bred, TNA-Made!") but it's not as catchy as the Mafia. Kudos to TNA's creative department though on the logos for the 2 factions. Now back to the Front Line. This group had promise?HAD. I understand the addition of Rhino, you need one strong established voice and he's done a very good job so far but Team 3D? Buh Buh and Devon fit much more into the idea of the Mafia since they cannot go a whole promo without mentioning they are 20 time world champions. I did like the swerve at the end of Impact (though it really wasn't that shocking) but I don't really understand how the idea of the Front Line faction fits in with Team 3D except that they needed to do something with 3D and AJ/Joe needed partners. Now we'll have to listen to Buh Buh speak every week for 20 minutes instead of giving the time to the young guys. This group has potential but it is slowly slipping away.

1. Priceless (?)

There is not a stronger group of young men in the business right now. The only downside I see is what they do with DiBiase. Will he come back and succumb to Orton and fall in line or step up and take on the hottest heel on Raw? That will be the sink or swim for this group because a faction consisting of Manu, Rhodes, DiBiase and Orton just appears to be golden. Raw should pull the trigger on this faction very soon because sooner rather than later people will get bored with this storyline.

So what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Let me know! I want to know you're reading and what your thoughts are on this as well as on the past Hittin' The Ropes articles. You can email me at hittintheropes@yahoo.com or head over to HittinTheRopes.paidtoblog.com and leave me comments after the articles.