Shawn Michaels, Triple H, X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, Chyna and others
There is a case to be made that D-Generation X were, and are, the most important professional wrestling faction of all time. Active for almost three years during the 'Attitude Era', and then again in 2006 with many subsequent reunions, D-Generation have entertained more than one generation of wrestling fans.
Formed in 1997, when Shawn Michaels and Triple H joined forces as Michaels fought off The Undertaker, D-Generation X's humour and rebellious demeanor was the backbone of the 'Attitude Era' in the former WWF. Triple H's association with Michaels was the springboard for his initial elevation up the card, and the faction's incorporation of members such as X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws - Road Dogg and 'Bad Ass' Billy Gunn - served to elevate them as well.
On its gradual breakup in 2000, the group's members endured somewhat different fates. X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and Chyna were all soon to depart from the WWF, but Triple H remained at the top of the card, retaining his WWF Championship at WrestleMania 2000. This was only the beginning of a lengthy main event career for Triple H, one that continues today.
There was one final chapter to be written in the group's history, however, in 2006 - Triple H and Michaels reformed the group as a tag team, running roughshod over most of Raw throughout the latter part of the year. Feuds with the McMahon family, the Spirit Squad, and the newly-formed team of 'Rated-RKO', formed of Edge and Randy Orton, kept the two 'degenerates' at the top of the card, often at the expense of younger stars.
Their sophomoric humour entertained many, but there are also many who would claim that Triple H's quadriceps injury in early 2007 came at the right time. Fans were tiring of the same old shtick, and Raw's other stars were suffering. Nevertheless, D-Generation X's legacy to the wrestling business will live on, and fans will never forget the entertainment provided by the group's earlier incarnations.
The Four Horsemen
Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard and J.J. Dillon (manager)
The Four Horsemen were arguably the first genuine professional wrestling faction to ever emerge. Formed in January 1986, the group existed in one form or another, on and off, for no less than thirteen years. Initially composed of the five members listed above, many others occupied a spot in the Horsemen's ranks at one time or another.
The Horsemen's domination of the NWA in the late 1980s was almost total - they held the majority of the titles the majority of the time, and their excellent, boastful heel promos were given large amounts of airtime on television. Following the gradual departure of many of the members - including the group's leader, Ric Flair - to other companies in the early 1990s, the group disbanded - however, it was to return in WCW a few years later.
Flair's reformation of the group incorporated many new members at various times - Chris Benoit benefitted from an association with the group, while 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig also joined them for a spell. These were just two of the famous names associated with the group - following Arn Anderson's retirement from in-ring competition in 1997 and WCW's gradual descent into anarchy, many wrestlers were trialled in roles as part of the Four Horsemen, including Flair's son David, a limited wrestler at best.
Despite WCW's best efforts to tarnish their legacy, the original Four Horsemen constituted one of the most popular and talented factions of all time. In the words of WWE announcing legend Jim Ross, "without the Four Horsemen, there never would have been a DX, a New World Order or an Evolution". There can be no greater compliment to a group of wrestlers than that.
For a look at The Nation of Domination and Los Guerreros, click here. For The Hart Foundation and Evolution, click here; and for the final part of the series, featuring The nWo and The Ministry Of Darkness, click here.
