A newly formed stable may be coming to a wrestling arena near you once WWE gets over its WrestleMania 33 hangover.
As Samoa Joe becomes increasingly invested as the enforcer behind the COO’s attempt to potentially create a mega heel stable on Monday Night Raw, I cannot help but travel back in time to a better, more “believable” time in this business when the Four Horsemen were running wild in the NWA.
[DavidL]
According to “lore” the name of the Four Horsemen wasn’t planned. At a television taping in Atlanta in which Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Ric Flair and Ole Anderson were on hand to gloat over trying to break Dusty Rhodes’ leg, the message was delivered.
“The only time this much havoc had been wreaked by this few a number of people, you need to go all the way back to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!” The message spread like wildfire and the NWA had something special.
Now, WWE may try to catch lightning in a bottle with something that could be very good for the changing times. With Kevin Owens facing Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 33 with the United States Heavyweight Title at stake, will the former NXT Champion grab gold once again and head toward the summer as the red team’s most dominant heel?
There is real potential in a stable that reminds fans of the Horsemen and Evolution. Who fills the other two spots is open for discussion. Here is a look at a few potential additions” to Triple H’s master plan.
Bobby Roode – He is an obvious choice, but his time in NXT takes him off this list. Roode is a former TNA original and one of the greatest performers in the promotion’s history.
Roode has been compared to Arn Anderson for years for his look, his ability in the ring and his work on the microphone. Rarely does he have a bad match and immediately becomes a title contender once he moves to the main roster. His experience in tag team wrestling also makes him a perfect fit.
Austin Aries – I could watch Aries work in the ring for hours. His skill is a perfect complement to bigger, stronger wrestlers. His ability to draw heat is rare. And when you look at him in a group like this, he immediately becomes the “Tully Blanchard” of four phenomenal wrestlers.
Aries’ feud with Neville not only will blow the roof off Orlando in three weeks, but it will also showcase his immense talent that sometimes is overshadowed by bigger wrestlers. There are few performers who are as tough as the former TNA World Champion.
Roman Reigns – As odd as this looks, it makes perfect sense. No one can seem to get behind Reigns as a babyface and the new leader of the red team. While WWE continues to put him at the top of the food chain and pushes him like no other wrestler, the fans boo him out of arenas.
Reigns is good and has gotten better. He needs help on his promo work, but that is easily fixed if Triple H is the front man. Reigns, Joe and Owens are as solid a trio as there has been since the days of The Shield. Also, booking Reigns as a heel to compete for the Universal Title is a lot better than booking him as a company savior. Could Reigns become the Barry Windham of this group?
The Miz – The blue team’s power couple fit right in this mix.
The Miz as much of an underrated superstar in this company as there is one. His in-ring work is better than it has ever been, even with his WWE Title run. What makes him so great is the combination of the wrestler and his wife, Maryse.
If this stable idea is going to work, there needs to be a little sex appeal in it as well. Fans will once again get to see Maryse in a ring when the two face Nikki Bella and John Cena in Orlando. After that, could a move to the red team be in order?
Dolph Ziggler – He needs a change in the worst way. Oh, wait a minute. We just talked about this. Ziggler’s babyface run was old and stale. He turned heel and guess what? He is just as stale. Stable hides the obvious.
Ziggler is still one of WWE’s best talents and he sells better than anyone in the building night after night. Bad booking hurts him and the list of contenders in front of him make it hard to take him seriously. Also, facing Kalisto and Apollo Crews does nothing to help him get back toward title contention.