What Happened To Stables In WWE?

I must assume many of you lived through the Attitude Era. If not, you probably feel like you did with the countless documentaries and YouTube videos out there. We talk about that era ad nauseam, and why? Because it truly was the greatest period in wrestling history.

What can basically be boiled down to gang warfare was one of the key factors of that era.  We loved to watch factions like the Nation of Domination, D.O.A., DX, Los Boricuas, and the Oddities carve out their own place on Monday nights. It kept us enthralled for those hours the Rock or Stone Cold were not on the screen.

Oh crap, I forgot the Hart Foundation, the Ministry of Darkness, the Corporation, The Corporate Ministry (which had the greatest theme song outside of the Brood). Oh yeah, the Brood, the Hardy Boyz (kinda a faction if you count Lita), the Radicalz, BWO, the JOB Squad, Mean Street Posse…

Ok, I’ll stop, but you get my point. Not only was there drama in watching the stables fight but great storylines came from within the stables themselves. Each week you would wonder: is someone new joining a stable, could the stable betray one of their own, or be betrayed from within? Some of the best rivalries in history come from factions and tag teams falling out.

It is true that WCW overdid it with the NWO, leading to their eventual downfall. However, the Vinces basically built the Attitude Era on stable rivalry. The same thing goes for tag teams and do I really need to run down the great WWE tag teams of the Attitude Era? I mean if you have not watched the first TLC match stop what you are doing and find it immediately.

With all this said, I have to ask one burning question: Why does Vince hate tag teams and stables in the current era?

The main roster eventually breaks up almost every good tag team. Then, they are left with a tag team division made up of singles wrestlers they crammed together.

There was only one actual tag team in the women’s division, and you couldn’t wait to break up that Iiconic duo. By the way, more Billie Kay all day. Stables, of course, are almost non-existent. For a brief shining moment, it looked like the Hurt Business and RETRIBUTION might bring it back, but Vince expertly destroyed those plans before they came to fruition.

Why is this key factor in wrestling so sorely lacking today? Sadly, I have no good explanation for this other than short-sighted, reactionary booking.

Otis and Tucker were broken up only for Tucker to be fired and Otis to stagnate in a pseudo heel role with Charlie Haas, I mean Chad Gable. Oh yeah, remember American Alpha? At this rate the WWE will decide Montez Ford is the real star, break up the Street Profits, fire Dawkins, and forget about Ford after a half-hearted singles push.

I’m not breaking any news that Vince doesn’t like tag team wrestling, but the problem runs deeper in that no group can seem to maintain cohesion long enough to make a significant impact on the industry. I’m just praying for the return of a staple in wrestling that drove some of the best storylines in history.

Sadly, WWE can’t even get tag teams right and I fear there’s little hope for the stable.

What are your thoughts on the above story? Let us know in the comments on Twitter or Facebook.

• factions
• stables
• Vince McMahon
• wwe

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