10 Great Wrestling Factions Who Held All The Gold
9. Imperium
Most factions with a clear and obvious leader are formed to serve as backup for that main star. In the case of Imperium, it’s a little more complex, as in no world does WALTER (or, if you must, GUNTHER) need protecting.
In the case of the meaty Austrian, it’s more like he’s surrounded himself with the only three people in the company he can actually tolerate. Along with WALTER, the contingent comprised the Italian Fabian Aichner and the Germans Marcel Barthel and Alexander Wolfe (who subsequently left the company), four Europeans who considered the mat sacred and enjoyed battering people.
In 2020, they completed their power grab when Aichner and Barthel snatched the NXT tag titles from Matt Riddle and ad hoc partner Timothy Thatcher. Together with longtime NXT UK champ WALTER, they were as dominant a force as you could hope to see. Between their elegant classical theme and their hard hitting in-ring style, they could go from profane at the drop of a hat.
No fancy gimmicks or group routines, just scarily believable violence from a gang of classy operators.