The Nation Of Domination and Los Guerreros
The Rock's Big Break And One Of Wrestling's Greatest Families
Apr 11, 2009
Our look at the stables that changed professional wrestling history continues with a look at two more great factions - The Nation of Domination and Los Guerreros.
The Nation of Domination
Faarooq, The Rock, Ahmed Johnson, D'Lo Brown, The Godfather, Mark Henry, Owen Hart and others
From its inception in late 1996, The Nation of Domination was one of the most controversial stables in the history of the then-WWF. Led by Faarooq, more recently known merely as Ron Simmons, the Nation was a militant black extremist group based loosely on the Nation of Islam, and was a prime example of the exciting storylines and edgy social statements often made by the WWF during the most popular period in its history, the 'Attitude Era' that lasted from 1997-2001.
In its early stages, the group's wrestling contingent was formed of Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, Savio Vega, and Crush. This incarnation of the group was only moderately successful, with Vega and Crush being ejected from the group by Faarooq in June 1997. They were replaced by Kama Mustafa - later The Godfather - and Ahmed Johnson; the turning point in the group's history, however, was its recruitment of the failing babyface midcarder, Rocky Maivia.
Shortly after joining the group, Maivia shortened his name to The Rock, and one of the most popular characters in wrestling history was born. The Rock quickly earned himself the Intercontinental Championship, and during the same period the group recruited 'The World's Strongest Man' Mark Henry as its 'muscle'. In early 1998, The Rock usurped Faarooq as leader of the Nation, and the group's focused changed from black extremism to a more cocky and arrogant heel style.
The Rock's leadership of the Nation oversaw an extremely popular feud between his faction and the famous D-Generation X, under their burgeoning new leader, Triple H. This culminated in a fantastic Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship between The Rock and Triple H at SummerSlam 1998, which catapulted both men into the main event scene for years to come.
The Rock's immense popularity would eventually force a face turn for him, a move which left the other Nation members trailing in his wake - despite this, the breakup of the Nation of Domination saw the passing of a crucial component of the WWE midcard scene during the 'Attitude Era', and one which served to further the career of many a talented superstar.
Los Guerreros
Gory Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Mando Guerrero, Hector Guerrero, Eddie Guerrero, Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero Jr.
While Los Guerreros are less of a faction than they are a real-life family, they nonetheless represent a group of individuals who have had an everlasting effect on the wrestling business as a whole. Patriarch Gory Guerrero's four children Chavo, Mando, Hector and Eddie all followed in their father's footsteps and entered the professional wrestling business at a young age. While Chavo Sr., Mando and Hector would all go on to make their mark on the business in various American and Mexican promotions, it was Eddie and his nephew Chavo Jr. who would go on to the greatest success.
With Eddie and Chavo Jr. having earned the respect of many in the business during their time in World Championship Wrestling, their arrival in World Wrestling Entertainment was greeted with excitement from fans and fellow wrestlers alike. Eddie and Chavo were first put together as a tag team when Chavo joined the company in 2002, and they achieved great success as a heel team under the motto, "We lie, we cheat, we steal."
While Los Guerreros' run as a tag team in WWE was hugely popular and successful, the success of Eddie as a singles wrestler led to the eventual breakup of the team, as he shot to the top of the card with a WWE Championship win at No Way Out 2004. Eddie's huge success continued into 2005 as he feuded with longtime Guerrero family friend Rey Mysterio, in a rivalry that saw the first involvement of Eddie's wife Vickie in WWE.
In November 2005, however, the tragic death of Eddie Guerrero was met with great sadness among wrestling fans. As one of the greatest technical wrestlers and mic workers of all time, and as a man who succeeded in conquering his considerable personal demons, Eddie was to be looked up to by any aspiring wrestler. The Guerrero family's contribution to the wrestling business lives on, in the form of Chavo Jr. and Vickie, who both continue their involvement in WWE today; Rey Mysterio also regularly pays tribute to his fallen friend. The Guerrero legacy will never be forgotten. As Eddie himself would say:
"Viva La Raza!"
If you missed the beginning of this series, check out the first part of our study of great wrestling stables, where we look at The Hart Foundation and Evolution; or, move on to Part Three, where we look at D-Generation X and The Four Horsemen.
