Hostile Takeovers; Degenerates - 5 greatest WWE stable implosions of all time

WWE has had its fair share of factions and stables over the years. The Hart Foundation, Nation of Domination, D-Generation X, Evolution, The Heenan Family, The Shield. There has been a plethora of stables that have come and gone in the company’s history.

The impact these factions have made on the organization is memorable, but as they say: “all good things must come to an end.”

Today, we look at five of the greatest WWE stable implosions.

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#5. The Shield

The trio of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins burst onto the scene at the 2012 Survivor Series, destroying everything in their path. The trio announced themselves as The Shield, with a mission to rid WWE of all injustices, targeting stars John Cena, Kane, Daniel Bryan, and Ryback.

As time went on, the trio would become a part of The Authority, alongside Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Randy Orton. As the group grew popular amongst the WWE Universe, they would eventually turn babyface and have one last rivalry with Evolution.

After sweeping Evolution in a series of matches, Seth Rollins turned his back on Reigns and Ambrose. He attacked them both with a steel chair as he aligned himself with Triple H. The Shield was effectively split at that point, as all three men would venture off and have singles careers.

The trio had one last reunion in 2018 before Ambrose left WWE. Their last match together against Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre took place at a special live event called: “The Shield’s Final Chapter.”

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#4. D-Generation X

D-Generation X was formed in 1997 by Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, and “Ravishing” Rick Rude. The group of degenerates raised hell and quickly became popular in the early days of the Attitude Era with their pranks, crude gestures, and over-the-top antics.

After WrestleMania XIV (1998), Shawn Michaels was forced to retire following a severe back injury. Triple H would take over as leader of DX and bring in Sean “X-Pac” Waltman and The New Age Outlaws to join the faction.

From that point on, DX continued to be an integral part of WWE up until late 2000. Triple H had aligned himself with Stephanie McMahon and the two decided to break away from the group, disbanding DX at the time.

DX has been reunited on and off since 2006. Shawn Michaels and Triple H get back together for one-off reunions over the years to continue raising hell on WWE television.

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#3. Evolution

Evolution consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista. The Game formed a stable to help build and make stars out of Orton and Batista. The group dominated throughout 2003 into 2004, having won all the WWE gold at one point in time.

Orton was kicked out of the group after winning the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam (2004).

As the group headed to WrestleMania 21 the following year, Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble match. He chose to face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Title rather than jump to SmackDown and challenge for JBL’s WWE Championship. Batista turned face and defeated The Game at WrestleMania 21 to capture the title.

The group was officially disbanded from that point onward. They would reform again in 2014 to battle The Shield (minus Ric Flair). The group disbanded yet again after The Shield dominated them in a series of 6-man tag matches with Batista quitting the group.

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#2. The Nexus

The Nexus was formed in 2010 using wrestlers who were a part of the inaugural NXT (Season One), led by Wade Barrett. The group’s sole purpose was a direct response to the mistreatment given to them by WWE management, along with the “pros” that had misguided them throughout NXT.

The group targeted John Cena since he was the face of the company at the time. The group would attack Cena, along with Superstars John Morrison, Chris Jericho, Edge, Randy Orton, The Undertaker, and WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart.

The group would undergo many changes and member shifts as time went on. Wade Barrett was eventually kicked out of the group and replaced by CM Punk in early 2011.

The stable would disband by July 2011 after Punk delivered his pipe bomb promo that would ultimately turn him into a babyface and branch off on his own.

The rest of the group wrestled under the “New Nexus” banner in tag matches. The concept was ultimately dropped altogether as well, effectively bringing The Nexus faction to its end.

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#1. New World Order (n.W.o) takes over WCW and WWE

The New World Order was the biggest faction in wrestling history. They dominated the 90s, giving WCW the added advantage over WWE television during the Monday Night Wars.

The group was formed in 1996 by Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, who exited WWE months before executing a hostile takeover of WCW. Bringing Hulk Hogan into the group and having Hogan become the biggest heel in the company was the icing on the cake.

The New World Order would dominate WCW television between 1996 and 2000. The group grew with so many members that it became difficult at times to keep track of. In 1998, the group split between the heel n.W.o. Hollywood faction and the babyface n.W.o. Wolfpack faction.

The group ultimately got back together and form the short-lived n.W.o “Elite” in 1999. They disbanded and reformed once more by early 2000 before disbanding for good.

WWE brought back the n.W.o. in 2002 with the original core members of Hogan, Hall, and Nash to capture the same magic they had in WCW.

However, plans were drastically changed when Hogan turned babyface following WrestleMania X8 and the n.W.o lost momentum. The group was disbanded in June 2002 by Vince McMahon himself during a segment on Monday Night RAW.