Opinion
Cook’s Top Five: New Members of Factions
With MJF’s new induction to the Inner Circle, Cook looks at the Top 5 new members that stuck out in his memory!
Every faction needs to shake things up from time to time. New members are the best way to do that. Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle has had the same membership for over a year now, so why not add some new members? MJF won his way into the group be defeating Jericho at Full Gear, and Wardlow gets a spot too because why not?
It remains to be seen what MJF or Wardlow will add to or take away from the Inner Circle. Some additions go well. Some don’t. These are the top five additions to wrestling factions over the years…
5. AJ Styles joins Bullet Club
Bullet Club has managed to remain relevant through the years by bringing in new members at the right moment. No faction has gone through the number of leaders Bullet Club has while continuing to dominate. Each leader has left their mark on the group, but AJ Styles was the first Bullet Club leader to take the group to the absolute top of New Japan. He was the first to become IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Styles attaining that honor so soon after joining New Japan proved that the Bullet Club was the force to be reckoned with.
4. The New Age Outlaws join D-Generation X
A lot of people will tell you that the first version of DX was the best. Shawn Michaels, Triple H & Chyna (along with Rick Rude for a mintue there) were all that were needed to form one of wrestling’s greatest factions. They definitely had some great moments. That being said, business really picked up and DX became one of wrestling’s greatest factions once HBK went on hiatus.
X-Pac was a natural fit, of course, but the addition of the New Age Outlaws gave DX a team that could dominate the tag team ranks. The Road Dogg Jesse James & Badd Ass Billy Gunn also had enough attitude to take that aspect of DX to the next level too.
3. Eric Bischoff joins the New World Order
This marriage couldn’t have worked out better for the individual and the group. Up until joining the NWO, Bischoff was known as the voice of WCW Monday Nitro. Fans wondered why he even had that job, since he wasn’t great at it and Tony Schiavone was the senior member of WCW’s announce team. Of course, people in the know were aware that Bischoff was an Executive Vice President and was making all the decisions in WCW. That bit of knowledge became more public once Scott Hall & Kevin Nash showed up and everybody started breaking kayfabe. Things eventually got to the point where the NWO was so dominant over WCW that somebody on the inside had to be behind the group.
Ted DiBiase was serving as the NWO’s spokesperson & financial backer, and did a fine job of it. However, Eric really took things to the next level once he assumed the position of being the NWO’s mouthpiece. WCW’s figurehead being an asshole and having the NWO run roughshod over Ted Turner’s company was just more interesting than an evil group financed by the Million Dollar Man. I’m a big fan of DiBiase’s work back in the day, but it’s a true story.
2. Rocky Maivia joins the Nation of Domination
The Nation of Domination went through a lot of changes during the Gang Warz. Savio Vega left to form Los Boricuas. Crush went off with the Disciples of Apocalypse. Ahmed Johnson’s tenure with the group was cut short by injury. They needed something big to remain on top of the heap, and they got it when Rocky Maivia joined the group. Rocky’s early face run hadn’t gotten over well with the audience, but the company still saw a ton of potential in him. Creative decided the best thing for Rocky to do was turn heel and embrace the hate of the audience.
Rocky kicked things up a notch right away when he talked about how the fans disrespected him by chanting “Die, Rocky Die”. That charisma we know the Rock for today started to come out during his time in the Nation. This is when he became the Peoples’ Champion. The Nation helped make the Rock what he would become, only the most electrifying man in sports & entertainment.
1. Barry Windham joins the Four Horsemen
It was always going to be hard to top the original Four Horsemen. Even if Ole Anderson was nearing the end of his in-ring career, he was still a tremendous promo that formed a dangerous tag team with his storyline nephew Arn. The combination with Ole, Arn, Tully Blanchard & Ric Flair, with James J. Dillon by their side, was unlike anything most wrestling fans had seen before. Replacing any of the members was going to be a tough responsibility.
Lex Luger tried to replace Ole. Despite Luger’s presence and potential, it didn’t quite work. He ended up leaving the group and forming a tag team with Barry Windham. They would win the tag team championship from Arn & Tully at the first Clash of the Champions. Unfortunately, trouble was on the horizon for Lex. See, the Horsemen had been scouting Barry Windham for a long time. They were impressed with his ability and thought he would be the perfect fourth member. Dillon would convince Windham the Horsemen were the best thing for his future, and he ended up being right.
The Windham version of the Horsemen is widely regarded as the best version of the group. It was the most successful in-ring, holding the World, US & Tag Team Championship simultaneously during 1988. The Four Horsemen somehow managed to improve on perfection by adding Barry Windham to the group.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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