20 Years Of DX: Where Are They Now?
Are You Ready?
Though so many of their early promos and vignettes still feel fresh today, this year astonishingly marks two decades since D-Generation-X first formed from the atoms of Shawn Michaels and Triple H's real-life friendship and internal frustrations with the directions of their characters and the wrestling business at large.
Having watched Clique buddies Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman achieve unthinkable success in WCW as part of the New World Order, Michaels and Hunter spotted the prevailing trend for anti-heroes in the industry, and joined Stone Cold Steve Austin in completely repositioning WWE as a rebels playground.
Alongside Rick Rude and Chyna, the original incarnation of the stable were destructive and dangerous, and aided the company's attempt to present Monday Night Raw as a legitimate war zone. Such was more literally the case in 1998, when a retooled DX army stormed WCW in one of the most famous (and sadly now most-replayed) segments of the Monday Night War. Though those first two verions of the group could never be topped, various combinations of performers donned the green and black in repeated reissues that shifted enough merchandise to justify increasingly cringeworthy reunions.
Their individual tales traversed the entire professional wrestling spectrum of decadence, drugs, death and dominance, but what really became of the renegades that just got tired of doing what you told them to do?
11. Hornswoggle
Hornswoggle's accompaniment of Triple H and Shawn Michaels represented the nadir of D-Generation-X's final days in 2009/2010.
Despite fiercely protecting the gimmick in terms of who they let don the paraphernalia, perform the poses and spout the catchphrases, Hunter and Shawn inexplicably welcomed the former 'Little B*stard' into the fold in one last eye-rolling grasp at WWE's cheapest punchline.
It began when Hornswoggle was threatened with legal action after deciding to wear DX merchandise, but counter-charged with assault claims after Triple H had dropped with him a Pedigree. Settling out of (little people's) court, the trio mended fences by agreeing for the Leprechaun to be the pair's official 'mascot'.
The joke had already worn thin within weeks, especially when both Hunter and Shawn moved into serious programmes with Sheamus and The Undertaker respectively for WrestleMania 26. Remarkably, Hornswoggle stuck around for six more years in the company again usually working as a sidekick and mascot before getting released in 2016.
As 'Swoggle', he has recently turned up in TNA in a feud with Rockstar Spud after celebrating over a decade as a televised performer. Though his DX stint was largely forgettable, his extended tenure has made him arguably the most famous little person in the history of the wrestling industry.