9 Greatest Factions Never To Appear In WWE

Any member of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club knows that no matter how you're feeling by the end of the day, or how out of key you sing, you can get by with a little help from your friends.

Wrestlers in particular must be fans of the Fab Four: how else can we explain why for the past forty years or so, they've been ganging together to share the spoils of their collective dominance? They say a job worth doing is worth doing yourself. These chaps don't do jobs. That's what mates are for.

Most of the finest examples of these gold-hogging gangs mowed WWE turf. Bands of brothers such as D-Generation X and The Hart Foundation ran roughshod over the promotion during the Attitude Era, setting the template for the next generation. The Legacy took on board this industry heritage. Nexus looked to dismantle it.

Even the poisonous posse of the nWo popped its head through WWE doors, albeit about half a decade late. But residence in Stamford has never been a prerequisite for factional fortune. Some of the industry's most successful stables furnished their super-studs without ever stepping foot in a WWE ring. And that includes one of the greatest - no matter how hard Triple H tried to cosplay them.

ECW's Triple Threat was Shane Douglas' answer to The Four Horsemen, albeit with the former teacher failing to correctly do his sums.

Originally comprised of Douglas, Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit, the faction dissolved when the latter pair departed for WCW, and Douglas himself was allured by WWF's offer of a baby-blue gown. When the 'Dean' gimmick inevitably flopped, Douglas returned to Philly with his mortarboard between his legs, and set about restoring his reputation.

The Triple Threat was reformed, this time with workhorse Chris Candido and muscle Brian Lee supporting The Franchise, alongside temptress Francine. Lee's betrayal at Barely Legal threatened to tear the group apart, but it only grew stronger with the addition of Bam Bam Bigelow. The threesome dominated Paul Heyman's promotion; at one point, all three members held gold, with Douglas carrying the World strap, Bigelow the TV title, and Candido part of the tag champs alongside Lance Storm.

The Triple Threat ended when Bam Bam Bigelow left for WCW in 1999 - even if the trio did briefly cross paths at the turn of the millennium. Following WCW's decline, none were picked up by WWE. Even if there had been a home for Candido and he ageing Bigelow, Douglas had long since burned his bridges with the company. Six years later, both the former had passed away before time.