WWE – Is It Time For A New Stable? By Mike Sanchez

Another decent week of WWE programming threw up some good moments (a good episode of Raw) and some surprises (#DontHinderJinder). While watching all this and the remains of the fallout from the Superstar Shake Up, I began wondering if during this period of transition, if WWE could tweak some other aspects of their product – namely give us something we haven’t seen in a while, a stable.

If we’re going to use the term ‘Stable’ then in wrestling terms it means a group or faction consisting of more than two members with a common purpose. That’s not a dictionary definition, sure, but close enough. Two people with the same goals would be a tag team, but add one more and we have the beginnings of a stable. The only one currently active in WWE that meets this criteria would be The New Day, but as Kofi Kingston is out of action, they’re technically a tag team now.

Looking back in the history of WWE/WWF and other companies, stables have been a longstanding tradition that have met with varying degrees of success. Some are simple, with limited members that work, travel and play together and have had a significant impact on wrestling itself, such as the Fabulous Freebirds. Others have a multitude of members that are at heart a brand more than a faction. Their name meaning more than the members, such as the much-travelled NWO.

Personally, my favourite stable was Evolution. There was a strong dynamic and togetherness with that faction that followed a simple, yet successful pattern. Older, more experienced stars (Flair/HHH) that took younger, less experienced wrestlers under their wing (Orton/Batista) and developed them into top guys right before our eyes. The obvious benefits of being in a stable are heavily in favour for the younger generation. They have the opportunity to watch, work and listen to the older, wiser, more experienced member of their team. If Orton and Batista hadn’t spent all that time with Flair and HHH, would they have reached the heights they did? Their personas and characters were developed so much better and faster from being alongside those legends of the business.

So, back to today’s product and what factions have we seen lately? The Shield probably top that list and only prove to be an exception, rather than the rule I noted earlier. Although the ‘older wrestler’ wasn’t in that group, they did prove to be a strong faction that would triumph against much of the roster. It proved that they gave a different dynamic to what was on offer and by capturing gold – which should be the aim of all stables, in my opinion – they ultimately will be successful.

That’s not to say all stables are sure-fire hits in WWE. Lest we forget the Corre and the criminally underused 3MB. Even the Spirit Squad were on a decent path until WWE realised they were pushing a group of male cheerleaders and unceremoniously shipped them back to FCW. We did get Dolph Ziggler out of all that, so perhaps it wasn’t a total waste.

In today’s product with a loaded roster, is there a possibility we could see another faction, another stable created in WWE? Here are some possibilities.

Reforming the Wyatt Family – Poor Bray Wyatt was shipped out of Smackdown almost as quickly as he lost his WWE Heavyweight Championship. I feel for Bray because he has one of the most impressive entrances on the roster is one of the best talkers in the company and a very underrated wrestler for a man his size. The haphazard breakup of the Wyatt Family may have given us a loose cannon in the excellent Luke Harper, but the way it was done – especially the Orton turn which even Stevie Wonder saw coming – left a lot to be desired. I think there’s still legs in a Wyatt Family stable, and if I could pick who to add, Bo Dallas and a Sister Abigail character could breathe new life into Bray and his family.

A Samoan Stable – I can’t take credit for this idea because it’s been mentioned by lots of people, but it makes sense to pair up the Usos with Roman Reigns and perhaps one more to create this stable. An idea would be to incorporate Naomi, but she’s doing fantastically well on her own right now. A definite heel stable that would be tough, hard-hitting and take no prisoners. A stable not dissimilar to Charlotte Flair’s gimmick of being ‘genetically superior’ in every way as wrestling is in their blood. This is faction I really believe could get over in WWE.

A Women Only Stable – not something we’ve seen so much over the years in WWE, but with the high number of female wrestlers in WWE now, something that could take off. This could follow the old method of a traditional stable in having a more experienced member of the team helping along a couple of newer, or younger stars. More than a star having a friend at ringside helping them out (Dana Brooke), but a real team that identify as one and work as one to make an impact. I could see Natalya as the head of this stable.

So there we have it, should there be a stable in WWE and if so, who do you think would benefit? Are some stars getting lost in the shuffle and in need of a boost, or is a stable a bygone product that shouldn’t be seen again? Can you think of anyone who would improve from being in a group? Who were your favourite stables? I’d love to hear your thoughts. As always, thanks for reading.