Evolution of Excellence: The ever-changing line up of the Four Horsemen

For as long as most wrestling fans remember, sticking four fingers in the air has a specific mythology.

When you put those fingers in the air, you are acknowledging the excellence of pro wrestling's premier group, the Four Horsemen.

Though the line up changed over the years, the Horsemen were always the standard by which all other wrestlers were judged. Here's a look at the Horsemen's ever-changing lineup, and speculation about which variation was the 'best'.

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The Beginning

Ole, Tully, JJ, Arn, and Ric.

It's a story that's legendary, but it bears repeating.

The Horsemen were created utterly by accident!

In order to save TV time, the scheduled interviews for Tag champions Ole and Arn, US champ Tully Blanchard and World champion Ric Flair were squashed together in one mass segment.

The wrestlers, while friendly with each other backstage (particularly Ric and Arn) weren't in any sort of alliance. But since all were heels, it didn't break kayfabe for them to associate with each other. Then Arn said the words that would be scrawled across the face of wrestling history;

"The only time this much havoc had been wreaked by this few a number of people, you need to go all the way back to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!"

It was meant to be a one-off, a device to save television time. But Jim Crockett looked at the four men standing together and saw a license to print money. They were bundled into a group, and not for the usual reasons.

Most of the time, when wrestlers are banded into a stable it's because management doesn't believe the individual wrestlers can draw on their own. But in the Horsemen's case, it was quite the opposite. All of the wrestlers were fabulously over with the crowds, getting wall to wall boos, and they were also arguably the most skilled wrestlers of their generation.

The result was instant magic. With the addition of veteran wrestler JJ Dillon as manager, the Horsemen in 1986 seemed nigh unstoppable.

Ole's out, Luger's in.

The Horsemen underwent their first line up change in 1987

Time has a way of catching up to us all, and for veteran performer Ole Anderson the sands of time were running out.

Knowing that his body wasn't able to produce the kinds of matches that made him famous anymore, Ole Anderson proposed retiring from actual wrestling to become a booker (the man who makes the matches) backstage.

Instead of just retiring, Ole crafted a plan that would put a new, younger man in his role with the Horsemen while cementing their evil status. Ole would be blamed for the Horsemen losing the tag gold, and then missing a show because he wanted to watch his young son wrestle in an amateur tournament.

Though Ole had full permission and the blessing of the Horsemen backstage, it was used to generate kayfabe heat between Ole and the others on television. Eventually, they beat down Ole with the help of a new recruit; The supremely chiselled Total Package Lex Luger.

With the help of the walking wall of muscle that was Lex Luger in the 1980s, the Horsemen seemed poised to dominate the future as well as the past...but it was not meant to last.

Luger's out, Barry's in

The Horsemen with Barry Windham. Was this their strongest lineup?

Egos often get in the way of wrestling factions, and this was no exception.

Because Dillon's cheating attempts to help Luger win backfired, and caused Lex the US title, he had heat with the Horsemen's manager. That heat got even worse when Luger didn't allow JJ Dillon to win the Bunkhouse Stampede, a precursor to the Royal Rumble match.

Luger would split from the Horsemen, and team up with a young second-generation star named Barry Whindam. Luger and Windham even won the tag gold off of Tully and Arn, and all seemed well.

Then Barry turned on Lex and joined the Horsemen as his replacement. It was a swerve no one saw coming and enraged the fans so much that Tully Blanchard would be threatened by a knife-wielding fan at a tavern later that evening.

With the addition of Windham, the Horsemen were once again one and all master technical wrestlers. During this era, they held every major title in the NWA save the TV strap, which was around the waist of Mike Rotunda.

Many call this the strongest Horsemen line up, and the most iconic even though they were not the first.

Horsemen no more

The Horsemen split in 1989, with Tully and Arn joining the then-WWF.

Money talks in pro wrestling. When Arn, Tully, and Barry all left the NWA for the greener pastures of WWE, the Horsemen were left in shambles.

Knowing that the group couldn't survive such a mass defection, the NWA decided to drop the Horsemen name entirely. Instead, Ric Flair would be joined by Michael Hayes and Kendall Windham--Barry's younger brother--in the Yamasaki Corporation, managed by Japanese legend Hiro Matsuda.

With bigoted Americans claiming that Japanese companies were buying up all of America (Though in reality the UK did, and does, own more land in the US than any foreign power) the NWA figured it would be a great way to get cheap heat. The effort fell mostly flat, and the Yamasaki corporation died a quiet death with little mention on television.

Hell Freezes Over: Sting and the Horsemen

Sting joining the Horsemen is the equivalent of Superman joining the Legion of Super-Villains, but it happened.

One of Ric Flair's chief rivals in the NWA was the face-painted surfer dude Sting. Sting and Flair wrestled in the very first Clash of the Champions, an event that made more people fans of the NWA than the previous ten years of effort. Sting and Flair would feud many times over the years. Sting would also challenge for the US and tag team titles, all held by the Horsemen.

When Arn Anderson returned to WCW after a sting with rival WWF, fans knew a Horsemen revival was imminent. Arn even claimed to have a 'hand cramp' that seemed to force him to show four fingers. Then Ole Anderson returned to active duty and all that was missing was the fourth member.

Sting and Flair had become rivals recently because Sting wanted to stand up for an injured Flair, who was being mocked by Terry Funk. The impossible happened and Sting joined his most hated rivals to form one of the few babyface variations of the Horsemen.

It would all come to an end after Sting won the right to challenge Flair for the World Title, but for a time the Stinger was proud to throw up the four fingers. Though the star power of this group is not in question, it is considered one of the weaker iterations of the Horsemen due to their babyface ways and pandering to the crowds rather than rule breaking and winning matches.

Sting's out, Sid and Barry are in

The Vicious line up of the Horsemen.

The Horsemen had a problem; They'd just kicked out Sting, who was bigger, stronger, and angry with the group. Their solution was to get someone who was bigger, stronger, and angrier than Sting; Sid Vicious.

Sid had made waves as one of the Skyscrapers along with Dan Spivey. He was put into the Horsemen to elevate his status, which was of a mere mid-carder. In fact, Flair even ceded his spot as 'main' Horseman to allow Sid to challenge Sting for the title.

This Horsemen line up was back to their old tricks, using dirty, cheating tactics to win. With the return of Barry Windham, they seemed unstoppable.

Unfortunately, Flair's departure for WWE and a vicious stabbing incident between Arn and Sid would put an end to this group.

The Horsemen Three

Paul Roma is considered the weakest of all the Horsemen.

For a brief time following Flair's departure, the Four Horsemen were really just three men; Arn, Sid, and Paul Roma.

If you're asking who is Paul Roma, you're probably not alone. Part of several tag incarnations in the WWE, Paul had a great look but lacked the technical expertise that were chief hallmarks of the Horsemen stable. He also didn't get along well with others backstage and was known to be a prima donna.

After Sid and Arn got into a vicious fight involving scissors over in Europe, WCW fired Sid--who was considered to be at fault since he attacked Anderson first--and disbanded the Horsemen without ceremony. Of all the incarnations, this version of the stable is considered the weakest by wrestling historians.

The Horsemen ride again

The 'last' variation of the Horsemen.

With Ric Flair back in the company, it was only a matter of time before the Horsemen rode again.

Adding international ring technician Chris Benoit, and--briefly--Brian Pillman, the Horsemen were back to their old heelish ways, teaming up with other bad guys as the Alliance to End Hulkamania.

While this went as well as you might expect, the Horsemen emerged with their image intact. Unfortunately, this was around the time the nWo began its meteoric rise. As a rule, there can only be one big heel faction, and new management led by Eric Bischoff decided that the Horsemen had run their course.

The fans disagreed, however, and constantly demanded a return of their beloved faction until WCW had no choice but to relent. With the addition of NFL star Mongo McMichael and Dean Malenko, the Horsemen were stronger than ever from a technical standpoint, but they were pushed down the card in favour of nWo stars.

Though this was the last incarnation of the Horsemen, it was considered the second best from a technical standpoint.

Evolution

Evolution

Make no mistake; Triple H's Evolution stable was a spiritual successor to the Horsemen.

You had the same trappings; The tailored suits, the veteran presence, and the elitist attitude. While not quite as villainous as the Horsemen--this was during an era where Heels were allowed to win without screwjobs--Evolution is perhaps the only stable to come close to matching the original Horsemen's status.

Every man in the stable was either a former world champion or would go on to become a world champion. Just four limousine riding, jet flying son of a guns!

Though the Horsemen are no more, they will live on forever in the minds and hearts of wrestling fans.

What's your favourite incarnation, and who is your favourite Horseman of all time? Be sure to comment and let us know!

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