10 Most Influential 3 Team Wrestling Stables

2. The Fabulous Freebirds

Team Angle - WWE
WWE.com

The innovators of the wrestling triad, as well as their own championship rule and the importance of entrance music, The Fabulous Freebirds laid the groundwork for virtually every threesome that followed in their path.

Initially working as babyface friends with local heroes the Von Erich family in World Class Championship Wrestling, the group flipped the script in one of the most famous turns in wrestling history, when a Christmas Day 1982 miscommunication between Michael Hayes and Kerry Von Erich lead Hayes' buddy Terry Gordy slamming a steel cage door on 'The Modern Day Warrior's head.

The rivalry did incredible business, particularly in Texas where both groups claimed ownership of the state, image and lineage of the historic territory.

Employing entrance music (initially 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd and later the Hayes-penned 'Badstreet USA') when the concept was still in its infancy, the group looked and acted like wrestling rockstars, which again contrasted perfectly with the Von Erich clan, who were revered like celebrities despite their modest manner.

Implementing 'The Freebird Rule', Hayes, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts forced a new regulation through that allowed any combination of the group to defend the tag titles, earning immortality in the industry as the directive passed down through generations of triumvirates.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett