Everyone loves wrestling factions. Even when factions are poorly planned and poorly executed - you’d better believe that we’re looking at you TNA - there is something exciting about watching wrestlers band together and work towards a common cause. Of course, there have been times when factions - most notably the nWo and DX - have helped cause significant popularity spikes for their respective companies. All things considered, it’s really a shame that WWE hasn’t properly used factions for years. We’re seeing the beginnings of a faction war develop in NXT, but that’s about it.
Of course, even if WWE decided to go all-in with faction battles, there’s a good chance that we wouldn’t get the factions we really want. Actually, there’s an even better chance we would get the factions that Triple H wants. Triple H is apparently a huge fan of wrestling factions, meaning that he would probably be in charge of an eventual faction uprising in WWE. If that does come to pass, you can bet that there are certain factions that would top Triple H’s most wanted list just as there are other factions that fans are begging to see. These are the eight new factions Triple H would love to form and seven the fans would want to see.
15 15. Triple H - The New Two Man Power Trip: John Cena and Randy Orton
In an effort to salvage the botched Stone Cold Steve Austin heel turn, WWE decided to turn Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin into a tag team called the Two Man Power Trip. The angle was ruined when Triple H tore his quad, but the idea of having two veterans tear through the roster was brilliant. We imagine Triple H would love to revive the idea just to show how great of a story it could have been. There are certainly no two men better suited for the role than Randy Orton and John Cena. We’ve seen these two feud quite a few times in the past, but seeing them on the same team would actually be quite refreshing. If Triple H is wary of presenting Cena as a heel, Chris Jericho could certainly fill-in for him.
14 14. Fans - The Balor Club: Finn Balor, AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Becky Lynch
WWE’s usage of the Balor Club name has been downright bizarre. Anyone in the know realizes that the name is a reference to Balor’s formation of The Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Everyone else is left wondering what club Balor is a part of. We say that it’s time WWE changes that by finally putting Finn Balor, AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Becky Lynch into a faction. Now, Styles, Balor, Gallows, and Anderson just kind of make sense. They were all Bullet Club members at some point. Lynch, meanwhile, would be a natural fit due to her real-life history with Finn Balor. Considering that most of the people involved with this faction need something new to do, we’d love to see this come to fruition.
13 13. Triple H - The Authority/Evolution: Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Adam Cole, Samoa Joe
This will probably come across as a boring concept, but that’s kinda the point. As forward-thinking as Triple H usually is, he still loves to return to the old “Authority” angle whenever possible. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen the Authority, but we think they’re due for a return. So who is in the new Authority? That’s a good question. Triple H and Stephanie are obvious inclusions, and we like Samoa Joe as the group’s enforcer. As for the gem of the Authority, there are a couple of good candidates out there. Bobby Roode is obviously one, but if Triple H is looking for somebody a bit younger, then we think Adam Cole would make for a tremendous candidate. You know, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
12 12. Fans - A** Kickers Inc.: Braun Strowman, The Authors of Pain, Nia Jax
Sometimes, a faction is formed by wrestlers who want to increase their chances of winning titles. Sometimes, they are formed by wrestlers who share similar ideas. Other times, factions consist of wrestlers that just want to kick a**. This is an idea that WWE has tested in the past with groups like the Acolyte Protection Agency. This new faction could follow that same path, or they could be a group dedicated to cutting through the political noise and just beating guys up. For this one, we like Braun Strowman as the group’s leader for obvious reasons. The Authors of Pain also seem like a natural inclusion given that they’re kind of playing this role already. For the final spot, we like Nia Jax as the women’s representative.
11 11. Triple H - Women of Wrestling: Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay
When is the last time we had a great female heel faction in WWE? Actually, have we ever had a great female heel faction in WWE? Sure, there was Vince’s Devils and PMS, but the less said about those groups, the better. This, however, could be something special. The idea here is that Stephanie McMahon will play up her claims of starting the women’s revolution by hand picking a group of the “real” women of wrestling. In reality, they are a mix of lackeys and tenacious stars. Who is in the group? Stephanie McMahon would obviously be the head of the faction. Sasha Banks is a great choice because this would afford her the chance to turn heel. Rounding out the group would be NXT call-ups, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay.
10 10. Fans - The Shield: Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose
There’s really not much to this one, which is kind of the point. The Shield is one of WWE’s best creations ever. They realized that Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns were all going to be future stars, so they put them in a faction and booked them to be as strong as possible. The breakup of the Shield left a lot of fans feeling empty. The group just had a presence that few other teams or stars have been able to replicate. Not wanting to mess with a good thing, most fans would be perfectly happy seeing Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins team up for a little “reunion tour” that can end with betrayal or an amicable split-up.
9 9. Triple H - Working Class Heroes: Heath Slater, Rhyno, Luke Harper, and Viktor
Here’s one WWE ran recently but didn’t take far enough. Remember when Rhyno and Heath Slater initially teamed up and caused half of WWE’s audience to groan? Remember when they played up the “Doing it for my family” bit and became awesome? We’d love to see WWE re-explore this idea of a group of wrestlers who treat the business as a blue collar job. Slater and Rhyno are obviously already in this group, but who fills the remaining spots? Well, Luke Harper certainly has the looks for this. Granted, Harper deserves more, but at least this gives him something to do. For the final spot, it’d be cool to see Viktor play up the role of a guy just trying to stay employed.
8 8. Fans - Team Angle: Kurt Angle, Jason Jordan, Drew Gulak
This one might be inevitable. As some of you remember, the original Team Angle consisted of Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin, and Charlie Haas. The group was...ok. They had a few great moments, but they never really had the chance to make much of an impact. However, people loved the idea of a faction of amateur style wrestlers that band together for a common purpose. As such, we’d love to see Kurt Angle revive this concept. If Kurt Angle could return as an active competitor, that would be great. Otherwise, Kurt Angle could lead a mini-faction consisting of Jason Jordan - his kayfabe son - and Drew Gulak; a guy who has long preached the virtues of “traditional wrestling.” This faction would likely be a heel group, but they could work face.
7 7. Triple H - The A List: The Miz, Mike Bennett, Tyler Breeze, Fandango
To be honest, we’re a little surprised this one hasn’t happened yet. There have always been wrestlers who consider themselves to be big stars even if they necessarily aren’t. The idea of a wrestler who thinks they are bigger than wrestling is just a great foundation for a heel character. At present, there are a few wrestlers on WWE’s roster that could band together and play that role beautifully. The first, and most obvious, is The Miz who has been playing this character for years. Next up, we have newcomer Mike Bennett who also has experience in a similar role. Tyler Breeze and Fandango are also working similar characters at the moment and would be a great fit. There’s a strong argument to be made for the inclusion of Dolph Ziggler, but that might be one mouth to feed too many.
6 6. Fans - The Four Horsemen: AJ Styles, The Revival, Cesaro
If the Four Horsemen are not the greatest faction in wrestling history, they are certainly the most influential. It’s funny to think that Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Ole Anderson were only grouped together because they happened to be in shooting promos on the same day. The idea of the Four Horsemen has been remade by WWE in the form of Evolution, but we’ve never see the proper group in WWE. We say it’s time to fix that. In the Ric Flair role, we like AJ Styles. He’s the prototypical champion. For the tag team specialists, it has to be The Revival. They’re arguably the best tag team in the world and would have been natural Horsemen back in the day. The last spot can either go to Cesaro or Charlotte Flair if WWE is trying to work a female into the group.
5 5. Triple H - The NXT Invaders: Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Nikki Cross
For years now, people have been waiting for NXT to “invade” the main roster. After all, the first group of NXT participants all made a name for themselves by doing that exact same thing. If we had to guess, Triple H would love to work that angle as it gives everyone a chance to see the brand he helped build. Assuming that he wouldn’t just throw every NXT wrestler out there to beat up the main roster, we think that the core group would consist of Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Nikki Cross. Again, there are a lot of ways you can go with this one, but that group feels like the performers who could make the most out of this story.
4 4. Fans - Kings of Strong Style - Shinsuke Nakamura, Tyler Bate, Aleister Black, and Asuka
The very simple reason that this will probably remain a fan dream has to do with the fact that WWE chose not to brand Shinsuke Nakamura as the “King of Strong Style” despite that seemingly being a money gimmick. The idea of a group of wrestlers in WWE who have studied the ancient - i.e. foreign - art of strong style is a fascinating concept. Obviously, Shinsuke Nakamura would be the star of this group. Asuka is the next most logical competitor given that she is one of the best strong style workers in the world. Tyler Bate is another guy who has managed to bring strong style to WWE television. For the final spot, we like the hard hitting Aleister Black.
3 3. Triple H - The Roode Crew: Bobby Roode, Kevin Owens, Apollo Crews, and Carmella
Triple H loves Bobby Roode. That’s probably because Bobby Roode is basically Triple H in terms of in-ring style and psychology. Vince McMahon also loves Bobby Roode. That’s probably because Roode oozes charisma. It’s only a matter of time until Bobby Roode is pushed to the moon. It’s also entirely possible that Roode will form a faction consisting of like-minded jerks and undercard wrestlers with ambition. Bobby Roode is clearly the centerpiece of this group and the guy that will wear the World Championship for as long as possible. For the role of mid-card star with title ambitions, we have fellow Canadian Kevin Owens. This group is also going to need a little muscle. For that, we nominate Apollo Crews. Finally, who is better than Carmella to accompany the glorious one to the ring and compete for the Women’s Championship?
2 2. Fans - Heyman’s Guys: Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, Cesaro, Chris Hero, and Rusev (w/Lana)
We’ll never quite understand why WWE hasn’t built a faction around Paul Heyman. They flirted with this concept for a brief period of time when Heyman started naming guys like C.M. Punk and Brock Lesnar as his clients. However, they never really devoted an angle to the idea of Heyman bringing these wrestlers together for a common purpose. It’s time to change that. While he’s on the roster, the obvious star of Heyman’s group will be Brock Lesnar. Beyond that, we still love the idea of Cesaro signing with Paul Heyman and Chris Hero joining the group so that those two can have one more tag team run. Rusev, meanwhile, is the perfect candidate for the mid-card star (plus he brings Lana with him). If this group ever wanted to incorporate in-ring female talent, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte Flair are all great candidates.
1 1. Triple H - The Roman Empire: Roman Reigns, The Usos, Naomi
We don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but even since The Rock became one of WWE’s most popular acts ever, Vince McMahon has put a lot of stock in Samoan wrestlers. To his credit, there have been a lot of really good Samoan wrestlers in WWE over the years. In fact, there are a few of them in the company right now. That being the case, it just seems natural that WWE eventually groups them together. Actually, they kind of tried this before but didn’t really explore its potential. The basic design is the same, however, you have Roman Reigns heading up the group, the Usos providing support, and Naomi - who is married to Jimmy Uso - rounding out the group. As for Tamina Snuka...well, we’ll let you figure out why she is omitted.