10 WWE Factions That Went From Awful To Awesome
These ten great groups overcame adversity to find success.
There have been some great WWE factions over the years. D-Generation X, The Hart Foundation, and Evolution made an immediate impact upon forming in WWE. There have also been some not so great WWE factions. X-Factor, The Oddities, and The Disciples of Apocalypse all failed to make the grade.
And then there are those factions that caught a wave of success after surviving the initial storm.
It’s hard to believe that some of WWE’s most successful groups started out on the undercard, barely survived being disbanded, and almost didn’t make it to television. It’s equally hard to believe that even stacked factions can have their growing pains. It goes to show what a turbulent business pro wrestling is and that there isn’t a magic formula for pro wrestling success.
Some of these stables lacked a superstar like Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, or Shawn Michaels and found success through their own creativity and perseverance. Others made the most of a subpar gimmick and won fans over despite it. These factions went from the act that fans wanted to go away to the one they couldn’t get enough of.
10. The Machines
The Machines started as an angle to keep an injury-plagued and aging Andre the Giant active in the ring. The idea was to give him a partner that could carry a majority of the wrestling load. Initially, the team was Giant Machine (Andre) and Super Machine (Bill Eadie). Fans knew it was Andre, but WWE commentators insisted that it might be Giant Baba.
The Machines became wildly popular while they feuded with Bobby the Brain Heenan, Big John Studd, and King Kong Bundy. The tongue in cheek nature of Giant Machine’s identity became so popular with fans that WWE ran with the idea. Big Machine (Blackjack Mulligan) became a regular member while some impressive honorary members joined the fun.
Hulk Machine (Hulk Hogan), Piper Machine (Rowdy Roddy Piper), Animal Machine (George the Animal Steele), and Crusher Machine (The Crusher) all helped The Machines battle The Heenan Family. The Machines disbanded after Andre was ready to resume his solo career.