WWE went all in the appeal of stables towards the end of 1997 to provide a new form of storytelling. The Nation of Domination was the established group when former members formed their own stables of Los Boricuas and the Disciples of Apocalypse. All three factions feuded for months with a couple of other short-term stables getting involved.

The hope was that fans would want to see the scenario of multiple groups going after each other at the same time. Wrestling fans had shown interest in the faction vs faction story, so adding more to the mix should have created more interest. Unfortunately for WWE, it turned into a huge flop and regretful idea. The gang warfare deserves another look at how things ended in such a disappointing fashion.

It Was A Promising Idea

The Nation of Domination got over huge relatively early into their start as a faction. However, fellow members Savio Vega and Crush started to grow frustrated with their secondary role in the stable. Savio started Los Boricuas of his fellow Puerto Rican wrestlers creating their own group. Crush formed the Disciples of Apocalypse with the biker gang of tough tattooed wrestlers working alongside him.

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WWE placed the three factions into a feud throughout the summer and fall of 1997. The hope was for the groups going at it with each other to build interest in them to boost the mid-card picture. However, it was a disaster to see them having group attacks without any deeper layers to the story or reason for fans to care about the new stables.

Nation Of Domination

Things played out for WWE to completely sell the angle based on the Nation of Domination. The best-case scenario would have seen the other factions getting over and making it must-see television. It turned into two factions the crowd barely remembered facing off with the top heel group. The Nation was the only relevant faction before, during, and after the faction warfare.

The Biggest Problem Was In Its Execution

The main reason that WWE couldn’t get the gang warfare storyline going was the poor execution of introducing new members. Savio Vega recruited Miguel Perez, Jesus Castillo, and Jose Estrada Jr. to join Los Boricuas all going back to their time working in Puerto Rico together. WWE did nothing to make fans develop an interest in any of the three new members. Each wrestler barely spoke and just followed Savio’s lead to make Los Boricuas a disappointment.

The Disciples of Apocalypse were able to show a little more personality, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t avoid the same issues. Brian Lee joined WWE for the first time since his failed run as the Fake Undertaker. Ron and Don Harris shaved their heads to come back with a different look than their previous WWE stint as the Blu Brothers. The issue was that they also lacked an identity beyond riding bikes and following Crush’s orders.

Los Boricuas

WWE even tried to implement the Truth Commission into the storyline towards the end, but no one in their group showed much potential beyond Don Callis as The Jackyl. The Nation of Domination was the only faction with much character work and multiple members holding relevance with the WWE audience.

Gang Wars Ended Without A Great Payoff

The gang warfare segments and television progression lasted months without having many important matches. Savio Vega defeating Crush and Faarooq in a triple threat match on PPV felt like the peak of the angle. Many fans expected Survivor Series 1997 to be the night to pay it off since the event had the theme of multi-team elimination matches.

The Truth Commission defeated the Disciples of Apocalypse to come out stronger at the event. WWE removed Los Boricuas from the equation and had a face team of random singles wrestlers defeat the Nation of Domination on the same show. Both of the secondary stables ended without much of a storyline presence. Crush leaving for WCW ended the D.O.A. with the remaining three wrestlers having little impact in WWE again. Los Boricuas remained a secondary team until Savio left them to compete in the Brawl for All.

Disciples Of Apocalypse

WWE wanted to build new stables and showcase a new form of storytelling to make the show exciting and unpredictable. Things never worked out that way with the lack of faith or coherent booking dooming the concept. The Nation remained popular due to The Rock becoming a bigger star and replacing Faarooq as the leader. However, Los Boricuas, the Disciples of Apocalypse, and even the Truth Commission all flopped as a weak part of the WWE gang warfare storyline.