Factions are an integral aspect of a professional wrestling presentation and give the company an opportunity to create engaging storylines that could be continued for months or even years on end. WWE's rich history has witnessed a long string of factions that have impacted the promotion in more ways than one.
A large number of these factions didn't succeed in turning heads and faded into obscurity. But there are a select few that have etched their names in the annals of pro-wrestling. These WWE factions have given us a bunch of in-ring legends and Hall of Famers who remained a mainstay on the top for a better part of their careers.
In this slideshow, we will take a look at three WWE factions whose members failed to win a World title during their run with the company.
We will also focus on two stables whose every member won a World title at some point in time during their WWE stint.
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#5 The Social Outcasts (no member ever won a World title)
The Social Outcasts was formed in early 2016 on an episode of WWE RAW. When Heath Slater scored a victory over Dolph Ziggler, Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, and Adam Rose were at ringside to witness it. The quartet cut an intense promo on WWE Main Event, stating that they were "4 seeds in the dirt" and that they had all found the light.
Soon after, Adam Rose was arrested on domestic violence charges. WWE quickly suspended him and granted him his release after Rose asked for it himself.
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By July 2016, the remaining three members of the stable separated, and thus the faction became history without making any kind of impact on the roster. Although everyone in the stable, minus Adam Rose, won titles at some point in their careers, none of them ever won a World title during their WWE stint.
Heath Slater and Curtis Axel were released by WWE this year as a part of the cost-cutting measures stemming from the coronavirus crisis.
#4 The Shield (every member won a World title)
The Hounds of Justice were destined for greatness from day one and were treated as a big deal on the WWE roster as soon as they debuted at Survivor Series 2012. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose were originally heels. They turned babyface on the Road to WrestleMania 30 in 2014 and engaged in a feud with the newly-reformed Evolution after the event. During this feud, Seth Rollins turned on his stablemates, and thus The Shield disbanded.
Rollins won his first World title in the main event of WrestleMania 31, by cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase. In May 2016, Ambrose won the Money In The Bank briefcase and went on to cash it in on Rollins on the same night to become WWE World Champion.
Reigns was the breakout star of The Shield and WWE pushed him as a megastar for the next few years. Reigns won 3 World titles and a Universal title as well. He went on to headline four straight WrestleMania events from 2015 to 2018.
#3 Too Cool (no member ever won a World title)
Consisting of Rikishi, Grand Master Sexay, and Scotty 2 Hotty, Too Cool was one of the hottest acts in WWE during the early 2000s. Initially, the faction only consisted of Scotty 2 Hotty and Sexay, with the duo being portrayed as heels. In late 1999, Rikishi joined the two and the stable turned babyface in the process. Their act consisted of dancing in the ring together amidst flashing lights and music blaring on the speakers.
The 2004 incarnation of the group only had Scotty 2 Hotty and Rikishi in the picture. Their biggest moment came at WrestleMania 20 where they successfully retained their Tag Team titles against The Basham Brothers, A.P.A., and The World's Greatest Tag Team.
All three members, although incredibly popular at one time, never managed to hold a World title at any point in their WWE careers. Rikishi was involved in the main event scene in late 2000 and was one of six competitors in a WWE Championship Hell In A Cell match. Kurt Angle eventually won the match and Rikishi remained a mainstay on the mid-card.
#2 Evolution (Every member won a World title)
In late 2002, Triple H formed an alliance with the legendary Ric Flair and the duo soon brought in two young guns, Randy Orton and Batista. The quartet was dubbed Evolution, referring to the fact that it was an association between the past, present, and future of WWE.
The dastardly faction wreaked havoc on the WWE roster for around two years, before Orton was kicked out following his World title win over Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004. Batista went on to turn on Flair and Triple H and became World Champion at WrestleMania 21. Both Batista and Orton were mainstays in WWE for the next several years.
While Batista's popularity bagged him several major roles in Hollywood, Orton carved a legacy for himself in WWE that would be hard to replicate in the future. Triple H was the top heel on RAW during Evolution's peak and held the World title on numerous occasions. As for Flair, he is a 16-time World Champion and his record is only equalled by WWE legend John Cena.
#1 Full Blooded Italians (no member ever won a World title)
The notorious faction originated in the late 90s, back when ECW was alive and well. Every incarnation of F.B.I. has consisted of Nunzio, while other members kept being replaced by new ones with the passage of time. The group came into the picture again on WWE SmackDown in 2003, with Nunzio bringing in Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli to take on Rikishi.
Over the next few months, the stable feuded with some major names, including Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Chavo Guerrero.
As a result, the trio got a few opportunities to appear in SmackDown main events, but nothing much came of it. By late 2004, both Stamboli and Palumbo were released from WWE, and Nunzio was left on his own. Unlike his stablemates, Nunzio managed to hold WWE gold on two occasions, courtesy his Cruiserweight title reigns. He went on to reform F.B.I. with Vito, and the stable again made a return during Nunzio's ECW run alongside Tony Mamaluke and Trinity.