10 WWE Stables You Totally Don't Remember
1. The Union
The shortest-lives stable on the list but also the most star-studded, The Union enjoyed a quick cup of coffee in WWE back in May 1999. Comprised of Ken Shamrock, Test, Mankind, and The Big Show, they were a group of hacked-off wrestlers who’d had enough of the bosses’ shenanigans, and they weren’t gonna take it any more!
They came together through a shared distrust of authority, and all four felt they’d been treated unjustly by the Corporate Ministry. They didn’t stand alone, however: The Rock and Steve Austin regularly stood by their side, as did Vince McMahon, who’d been ousted as the Corporation’s leader in the months prior.
The group of esteemed future Hall-of-Famers (and their dull mate Test) carried 2x4s for the ring, but met their end just a few weeks after forming. Mankind took a sledgehammer blow to the knee during a hardcore match with Triple H, and with his lay-off and Vince McMahon’s reveal as the “Higher Power” whom the Ministry had been taking orders from, the group quietly faded away.
Though the group’s full name was “Union of People You Oughtta Respect, Son” (UPYOURS… how very clever), the “Union” title was a clear job at Vince’s real-life disdain for worker’s unions. Though short-lived, the group played a significant role in shaping wrestling’s future when part-owner Austin granted each member a wish. Bizarrely, Test asked for a date with Stephanie McMahon, leading to the two becoming an item, before their wedding was interrupted by Triple H, who’d married her in a convoluted plot that made as little sense then as it does now.
The McMahon/Helmsley union was born, and the rest is history.