The incredible work of the Nation of Domination in WWE makes them one of the most underrated factions in wrestling history. Few fans will rank them as highly as the top tier factions like the New World Order, Four Horsemen and D-Generation X, but the Nation of Domination belongs on that next tier of highly successful groups. The use of playing into racial tension and the lack of top roles for African American performers in WWE created the faction.
Quite a few underutilized wrestlers would get paired into the stable and given their best chance at success in WWE. The stable would see a couple of different leaders along with a few wrestlers coming in and out. One constant is that most careers benefited from being in the group. We will look at just how things would play out in the long game by ranking the Nation of Domination by how successful they would become.
10 Clarence Mason
WWE added manager Clarence Mason to the Nation of Domination with a character inspired by lawyer Johnny Cochran. Mason would accompany the Nation to the ring and mostly just stand in the background during their promos
The role of Mason was to threaten lawsuits when other wrestlers wanted to attack them outside of the confines of a match. Mason would see his run in the Nation end quickly. Following one more run in WCW as J Biggs with the Harlem Heat, he would leave the industry to return to his roots as a practicing attorney.
9 Ahmed Johnson
Ahmed Johnson should be towards the top of this list if his planned trajectory from WWE worked out. Vince McMahon was a huge fan of Johnson and wanted him to become a top star for the company as he often teamed with WWE Champion Shawn Michaels.
A couple of injuries and the inability to improve would lead to WWE giving up on Johnson. The Nation of Domination would welcome him into the group for a short time before turning on him to kick him out. Johnson would get released from WWE, have a short run in WCW, and he never lived up to his potential in wrestling.
8 Crush
Brian Adams aka Crush had an underrated career with his success coming in the 90s. WWE used him in a few different roles from Demolition to a singles run to joining the Nation of Domination. Crush started to show a more intimidating look that led to him embracing the Nation.
The overall success for Crush would never match the opportunities given to him. Crush would eventually start the Disciples of Apocalypse faction after leaving the Nation before getting released and joining WCW. It was a decent run, but Crush did not have the same success as most of his NOD peers.
7 Savio Vega
Savio Vega found his way to WWE in the 90s following a great international run as a top star in Puerto Rico. The face run did not work to start, and WWE ultimately turned him heel when joining the Nation of Domination faction.
Vega did his best in the role, but he could not break out as much as the others and didn’t appear to have the same chemistry with them. His WWE stint never hit the expectations he had when joining and would find most of his success in wrestling when returning to Puerto Rico.
6 D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown was one of the wrestlers to get his first big opportunity in the Nation of Domination. WWE would introduce him as one of the henchmen before his own skills started to get fans to take notice of him over some of the others.
Brown was known for delivering a beautiful Frog Splash as his finisher. The stints as the Intercontinental Champion and European Champion each helped him showcase his talent during the Attitude Era. Brown still occasionally wrestles on the independent circuit and is an agent for Impact Wrestling today.
5 The Godfather
The career of The Godfather would see many different names and gimmicks. It took him a long time to find his ideal role with runs as Papa Shango and Kama the fighter not lasting long. The placement in the Nation of Domination was pivotal for him breaking out in WWE.
It helped that he was a bigger athlete than most of the Nation along with a fighting background that essentially made him an enforcer of the group. The Godfather character was introduced during the time in the Nation and it helped him land a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
4 Ron Simmons
The name of Faarooq was given to Ron Simmons when he made the move to WWE. Many fans expected him to be a top player since he made history as the first African American WCW Champion in WCW history. The start of run as Faarooq disappointed until he formed the Nation of Domination.
Simmons did a great job in the early portion of the Nation cutting intense promos and wrestling with a physical style. Time would see him get overshadowed and kicked out of the group. Simmons was able to bounce back by creating the APA tag team with Bradshaw to cement his place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
3 Mark Henry
Mark Henry was extremely new to wrestling when he joined the Nation of Domination stable. WWE tried to push Henry as a patriotic hero due to his background competing in the Olympics weightlifting action representing the United States.
Henry struggled on his own until finding more success with the Nation. The larger size of Henry made him a great source of the muscle most stables will need. Henry would find his biggest success over a decade after the Nation ended as he became a World Champion and is now retired as a Hall of Famer.
2 Owen Hart
Fans were shocked when Owen Hart made a surprising move of joining the Nation of Domination in 1998. WWE was trying to find a new role for Owen months after his brother Bret Hart and other relatives left the company following the Montreal Screwjob.
The stint in the Nation was quite entertaining as Owen continued to produce great matches and promos. Despite his passing away at a young age before his career ended, Owen had a legendary stint in WWE and is viewed as one of the all-time great in-ring performers.
1 The Rock
There is no doubt that The Rock is the wrestler that went on to find the most success in the Nation of Domination. Rock was sinking badly after debuting as a generic face character until he turned heel to become the newest member of the Nation.
A new heel character allowed Rock to showcase his charisma by cutting incredible promos. Rock naturally replaced Faarooq as the leader of the Nation into their amazing feud with D-Generation X. The run in the Nation allowed The Rock to break out on his path to becoming a wrestling legend and pop culture superstar.