Four Horseman

[Mark Henrys Sandwich]

WWE inducted The Four Horseman in to the Hall of Fame which I believe is something that was pushed more from Triple H than Vince McMahon, however we never got to see them featured in a match for the WWE, even if only for a Survivor Series, before 2006 they had Ric Flair, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit and Arn Anderson working for them who still could've took on the enforcer role, JJ Dillon was available as the mouthpiece and Barry Windham was still only 44 so the options were there, surprised as surely if could've had some PPV buys,

I can understand the 'Evolution' argument but nostalgia always sells for a short time.

 

[World Class Mark]

But Evolution was a WWE creation. The Horsemen were not. Survivor Series is in November and the HoF announcements don't start until January, so the timeline wouldn't match-up.

I certainly would've loved to see anything Horsemen-related, but that simply was never going to be the case. But hey, at least we got our Evolution nostalgia. Coz you know, we never see Triple H much anymore, LOL.

 

[LBGetBack]

But Evolution was a WWE creation. The Horsemen were not. Survivor Series is in November and the HoF announcements don't start until January, so the timeline wouldn't match-up.

I certainly would've loved to see anything Horsemen-related, but that simply was never going to be the case. But hey, at least we got our Evolution nostalgia. Coz you know, we never see Triple H much anymore, LOL.

I thought that Evolution return was GREAT. It was great because they were presented as asshole veterans who think they run the show and can get their way, which got the bigtime heat. And they put over the Shield strong in some great matches. That angle/feud was awesome, IMO. It was exactly as it should've been.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I don't know the exact topic at hand, but conceivably, the Four Horsemen could have been reunited together in the early 90's. Flair, Anderson, Blanchard, and Windham were all in the WWE at the same time. It might not have been for very long as Flair left first, then Arn and Tully, then Windham, but this could have happened and didn't happen because why would Vince push something he didn't create?

It's as simple as Vince not wanting them on TV together because far be it for an entity to make money that wasn't a creation of Vince McMahon.

 

[relentless1]

@ bad news lariat, is your pic a photoshop?? if not its ultra cool and do you know where it was taken?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There were windows of opportunity but they never quite came off. Flair could have gone to the WWF around 88-89, similar times as the Brain Busters did but at the time, Vince was more invested in the Heenan Family as his main stable. Had Ric joined he'd have been managed by Heenan for sure.

Later on, yeah sure post 2001 there is definite scope for the Horsemen but again, it's never felt like "the right time".... until...

NOW

3 guys have just been "fired", one of whom for years has been talked of as being a prime candidate for Flair to manage in Ziggler... You have Erick Rowan, someone used to being in a stable but as a character and wrestler ready to be "moulded" but somewhat reminicent of Barry Windham, Ryback - a monster in the vein of Sid and Lex who have played roles in the Horseman story and of course, waiting in the wings and inevitably part of why these 3 come back who was also a Horseman.

Personally I would not include Ryback in the group and use Curtis Axel instead, as the first "2nd Gen" Horseman he could be a useful partner for Rowan or grow into that Enforcer role...which Rowan could equally take.

Imagine the scenario... Sting announces that for him to face/beat the Authority, he has to draw on the past and something that WWE has never felt "best for business..." cue the Whooo and Flair struts out to join him announcing the new Horsemen... if you need skits around it, Rowan being convinced to join another group to "realise his true potential", being fitted for suits etc all would work... Ziggler of course would be in the Flair role and if you use Ryback great, if not Axel... Even Charlotte could play a role and get a match with Steph... The Authority can fuck with Arn's job etc to put pressure on the Horsemen... there's a lot of scope.

End it with a WARGAMES match for all the marbles, perhaps at Summerslam or Battleground... with the stip that if the Authority lose, they can NEVER be brought back...

If the Horsemen stick around then the fact they'd have Rowan can immediately feed into a new feud with Wyatt and his new "family". Maybe get Sting v Wyatt out of it.

 

[stonerfriendlykid]

Back in 2010 after the nexus Angle I felt they could have used Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Michael McGillicutty, and Husky Harris as a new version of the horsemen.

 

[justtxyank]

I don't know the exact topic at hand, but conceivably, the Four Horsemen could have been reunited together in the early 90's. Flair, Anderson, Blanchard, and Windham were all in the WWE at the same time. It might not have been for very long as Flair left first, then Arn and Tully, then Windham, but this could have happened and didn't happen because why would Vince push something he didn't create?

It's as simple as Vince not wanting them on TV together because far be it for an entity to make money that wasn't a creation of Vince McMahon.

Not accurate at all.

Ric flair was in the www from summer 1991 to early 1993.

Barry windham was in eve during that entire time, even getting into the title picture the night flair was supposed to be facing Luger in Baltimore in 1991.

Arn Anderson was also in wcw the entire time flair was in the wwf, working as a major member of the dangerous alliance. Arn hadn't been in the wwf since 1989.

Tully, like arn, was in the wwf in 88 and 89 and then was gone from the national scene outside of one off appearances including a match within wcw in 94.

Flair was the only member in the wwf when he was there.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Not accurate at all.

Ric flair was in the www from summer 1991 to early 1993.

Barry windham was in eve during that entire time, even getting into the title picture the night flair was supposed to be facing Luger in Baltimore in 1991.

Arn Anderson was also in wcw the entire time flair was in the wwf, working as a major member of the dangerous alliance. Arn hadn't been in the wwf since 1989.

Tully, like arn, was in the wwf in 88 and 89 and then was gone from the national scene outside of one off appearances including a match within wcw in 94.

Flair was the only member in the wwf when he was there.

I think you're right. I thought AA and Blanchard were there later in their careers than that, but they were there in the 1989-90 range and AA came back along with Ole Anderson to help Flair fend off J-Tex Corporation. Blanchard did cocaine, failed a drug test and wasn't offered a chance to come back to WCW.

Windham was there when Flair was as the Widowmaker, but Windham left shortly after Flair arrived when he realized he was going to be the man in WCW for a spell. Then when Flair came back, Windham went back to WWE in the mid 90's after jobbing to Flair and didn't return until the late 90's with Curt Hennig and the 'Rap is Crap' tour.

But you're right about all four of them not being there at the same time... I thought AA and Blanchard was there later than the early 90's.

 

[justtxyank]

Windham was there when Flair was as the Widowmaker, but Windham left shortly after Flair arrived when he realized he was going to be the man in WCW for a spell. Then when Flair came back, Windham went back to WWE in the mid 90's after jobbing to Flair and didn't return until the late 90's with Curt Hennig and the 'Rap is Crap' tour.

Nope. Barry was in the WWF as The Widowmaker beginning 1989 and was off television by the end of that year. He worked a house show in January 1990 and then was back to WCW. I know this for a fact because Windham was a part of the reformed Horsemen in 1990/1991 that featured one of my favorite spots in wrestling when JYD returned to WCW and challenged Ric Flair thanks to Rocky King. Match was terrible, but it was really fun.

Windham was part of the Horsemen with Flair/Arn/Barry/Sid Vicious with Ole Anderson working as their manager for parts. (This was during the time Sting was a member and got turned on by the Horsemen)

Windham never worked the WWF at the same time Flair did and Flair never impacted his decision to stay or leave the WWF. He did benefit from Flair leaving WCW though as he got catapulted into the title scene, but many fans, despite loving Windham, absolutely rejected it as they felt it was cheap for him to just jump into Flair's spot.

Windham would have bad luck because when Flair would come BACK to WCW, Windham was seriously hurt (shredded knee) around the same time and would try to come back at Slamboree 94 to face Flair and hurt himself again. That's why he disappeared for awhile and came back in the WWF as a much slower version of himself.

So to be clear, Flair's run in the WWF from 1991 to 1993 had no other members of the Horsemen on the WWF payroll for any period, nor any period 6 months earlier or after.

Would have been interesting though. Would Vince have ignored that history all together?

 

[Waylon Mercy]

Nope. Barry was in the WWF as The Widowmaker beginning 1989 and was off television by the end of that year. He worked a house show in January 1990 and then was back to WCW. I know this for a fact because Windham was a part of the reformed Horsemen in 1990/1991 that featured one of my favorite spots in wrestling when JYD returned to WCW and challenged Ric Flair thanks to Rocky King. Match was terrible, but it was really fun.

Windham was part of the Horsemen with Flair/Arn/Barry/Sid Vicious with Ole Anderson working as their manager for parts. (This was during the time Sting was a member and got turned on by the Horsemen)

Windham never worked the WWF at the same time Flair did and Flair never impacted his decision to stay or leave the WWF. He did benefit from Flair leaving WCW though as he got catapulted into the title scene, but many fans, despite loving Windham, absolutely rejected it as they felt it was cheap for him to just jump into Flair's spot.

Windham would have bad luck because when Flair would come BACK to WCW, Windham was seriously hurt (shredded knee) around the same time and would try to come back at Slamboree 94 to face Flair and hurt himself again. That's why he disappeared for awhile and came back in the WWF as a much slower version of himself.

So to be clear, Flair's run in the WWF from 1991 to 1993 had no other members of the Horsemen on the WWF payroll for any period, nor any period 6 months earlier or after.

Would have been interesting though. Would Vince have ignored that history all together?

Imagining a dream scenario like this, back in the day when Flair had his initial run with the WWE, there is no doubt in my mind that Vince would have found a way to piss on the legacy of the Four Horsemen.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Nope. Barry was in the WWF as The Widowmaker beginning 1989 and was off television by the end of that year. He worked a house show in January 1990 and then was back to WCW. I know this for a fact because Windham was a part of the reformed Horsemen in 1990/1991 that featured one of my favorite spots in wrestling when JYD returned to WCW and challenged Ric Flair thanks to Rocky King. Match was terrible, but it was really fun.

Windham was part of the Horsemen with Flair/Arn/Barry/Sid Vicious with Ole Anderson working as their manager for parts. (This was during the time Sting was a member and got turned on by the Horsemen)

Windham never worked the WWF at the same time Flair did and Flair never impacted his decision to stay or leave the WWF. He did benefit from Flair leaving WCW though as he got catapulted into the title scene, but many fans, despite loving Windham, absolutely rejected it as they felt it was cheap for him to just jump into Flair's spot.

Windham would have bad luck because when Flair would come BACK to WCW, Windham was seriously hurt (shredded knee) around the same time and would try to come back at Slamboree 94 to face Flair and hurt himself again. That's why he disappeared for awhile and came back in the WWF as a much slower version of himself.

So to be clear, Flair's run in the WWF from 1991 to 1993 had no other members of the Horsemen on the WWF payroll for any period, nor any period 6 months earlier or after.

Would have been interesting though. Would Vince have ignored that history all together?

I won't argue that. My dates were wrong as I had Flair coming to WWE earlier than he did.

But if this were the case, wouldn't Windham, Tully, and Arn have been there together at some point? I realize Flair came in a year or two later, but to go on about your question about ignoring their history? The fact that Arn and Tully were given 'The Brainbusters" moniker and Windham was given the "Widowmaker" gimmick should tell you all you need to know.

I also tend to forget Windham was with them prior to Sting coming along and joining the fray and starting the Flair/Sting feud that culminated at the GAB.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I would have loved to see the Four Horsemen in the WWE, but Evolution was, is and will be the closest we’re going to get to the WWE version of the 4 Horsemen. What about a new Evolution, with a little new twist!? Using the current roster, I would go with:

The Past – Triple H
The Present Past – Brock Lesnar
The Present Future - Seth Rollins
The Future – Wade Barrett, and Rusev
Mangers – Paul Heyman and Lana

They’ve got the power, they’ve got the Champions and the Championship Title Belts, they’ve got the mind, and they’ve got the beauty. If that doesn’t scream Four Horsemen, I don’t know what does.

 

[FlairFan2003]

I don't know the exact topic at hand, but conceivably, the Four Horsemen could have been reunited together in the early 90's. Flair, Anderson, Blanchard, and Windham were all in the WWE at the same time. It might not have been for very long as Flair left first, then Arn and Tully, then Windham, but this could have happened and didn't happen because why would Vince push something he didn't create?

It's as simple as Vince not wanting them on TV together because far be it for an entity to make money that wasn't a creation of Vince McMahon.

Uhhh...No They weren't....Whyndam was fighting for the WCW Title on PPV at the same time Flair was signing his WWE contract and Arn had been in WCW for over a year that point, they were never in WWE together in the early 90s.

 

[FlairFan2003]

But Evolution was a WWE creation. The Horsemen were not. Survivor Series is in November and the HoF announcements don't start until January, so the timeline wouldn't match-up.

I certainly would've loved to see anything Horsemen-related, but that simply was never going to be the case. But hey, at least we got our Evolution nostalgia. Coz you know, we never see Triple H much anymore, LOL.

WWE "Creation" has nothing to do with the WWE HOF, other wise the Road Warriors, Nick Bockwinkle, The Von Erichs, The Freebirds, and Dusty Rhodes would not be in, as well as Abdullah The Butcher and Rocky Maivia's grandmother (for her work as a promoter in Hawaii).

 

[FlairFan2003]

Nope. Barry was in the WWF as The Widowmaker beginning 1989 and was off television by the end of that year. He worked a house show in January 1990 and then was back to WCW. I know this for a fact because Windham was a part of the reformed Horsemen in 1990/1991 that featured one of my favorite spots in wrestling when JYD returned to WCW and challenged Ric Flair thanks to Rocky King. Match was terrible, but it was really fun.

Windham was part of the Horsemen with Flair/Arn/Barry/Sid Vicious with Ole Anderson working as their manager for parts. (This was during the time Sting was a member and got turned on by the Horsemen)

Windham never worked the WWF at the same time Flair did and Flair never impacted his decision to stay or leave the WWF. He did benefit from Flair leaving WCW though as he got catapulted into the title scene, but many fans, despite loving Windham, absolutely rejected it as they felt it was cheap for him to just jump into Flair's spot.

Windham would have bad luck because when Flair would come BACK to WCW, Windham was seriously hurt (shredded knee) around the same time and would try to come back at Slamboree 94 to face Flair and hurt himself again. That's why he disappeared for awhile and came back in the WWF as a much slower version of himself.

So to be clear, Flair's run in the WWF from 1991 to 1993 had no other members of the Horsemen on the WWF payroll for any period, nor any period 6 months earlier or after.

Would have been interesting though. Would Vince have ignored that history all together?

The Horsemen started as full blown group with their broken leg steel cage beatdown on Dusty Rhodes in Aug 1985 (Flair was a face at the time, he had been linked in minor ways to The Andersons in past storylines, but even as a face he never was friendly wit Dusty) - They were comprised of Flair, Ole & Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and TB's manager JJ Dillon

That group stayed in tact from Aug 85-Jan/Feb 87 when a dispute between Ole & Blanchard lead to Ole's dismissal and subsequent face turn. He was replaced by Lex Luger.

Flair, Luger, Blanchard and Arn worked as a group with Dillon from Feb/March 87- Jan 88 when Luger left the group in a dispute over his place following a Bunkhouse Stampede Match. Barry Whyndam, a fierce opponent of The Horsemen and especially Flair, was recruited to take his place. he declined initially, even teaming with Luger to win the World Tag Titles from Tully & Arn at The Clash Of Champions in March 1988, but eventually accepted. He helped Tully & Arn regain the tag titles and Dillon helped him beat Dusty Rhodes for the US Title a short time later. He joined the group around April 1988

Flair, Whyndam, Tully & Arn ran from April 88-Oct 88 when a contract dispute and several issues regarding Dusty Rhodes behind scenes work as Head Booker lead to Tully & Arn leaving for WWE. Flair & Whyndam remained a duo, eventually taking on a new manager in early 1989 (Hiro Matsuda). Whyndam left WCW for WWE shortly after the Super Brawl PPV in Feb 89 (where Steamboat beats Flair for the World Title). Flair turned face a short time later and teamed with Sting for much of 1989 and there was no Four Horsemen.

WCW offered to resign Tully & Arn in late 1989 but Blanchard's failed drug test caused WCW to rescind their offer (he was fired from WWE as well). Arn decided to return to WCW since Blanchard was gone and his value diminished in WWE but WCW lowered his financial offer considerably without Blanchard. He returned (with a now retired Ole, last seen in the spring of 87 feuding with The Horsemen) around Oct/Nov 1989 and re-united the group, soon asking Sting to join as the 4th member.

Flair, Ole & Arn, & Sting ran as a group from roughly Dec 1989-Jan 1990 when The H-Men turned on Sting after he was awarded (and accepted) a title match vs Flair at the upcoming PPV. Barry Whyndam returned from WWE and Sid arrives from USWA/Mid South shortly after and they fill out the group with Ole strictly as a manager/adviser. This group lasts from roughly Feb/March 90-Dec 90/early 91. Sid disappears around this time (headed for WWE). Ole basically disappears from TV by the fall of 1990.

The Horsemen are still a group of sorts but Flair is mostly on his own in early and mid 1991 until he leaves for WWE. Whyndam and Arn are involved in their own storylines with little interaction with Flair and while they remain friendly on screen they are not strictly presented as a group consistently. They do have some moments, particularly the brutal 1991 War Games match (Sid was still there for that) in Feb 91.

Most of the attempts to re-unite the group fall flat in 1993 (remember Paul Roma ??) and in fact The H-Men are not a group when Hulk Hogan arrives in WCW in the summer of 1994. Flair turns heel to oppose Hogan, but The Horsemen as a unit do not officially re-unite until late 1995 when Flair & Arn start recruiting "young blood" bringing in Brian Pillman & Chris Benoit. Pillman is out of the group by the spring of 96 but former NFL star and WCW broadcaster Steve McMichael replaces him with Flair, Arn, and Benoit as the core of the group from spring 96 through Oct 97.

Flair disbands the group in the fall of 97 to pursue his personal fued against Curt Henning and Hulk Hogan, now in the NWO and working as the company's top heels (Flair is a face at this point, Benoit a face by association, and Arn retired due to injury). The group re-unites, adding Dean Malenko as an active member (with Arn in a managerial capacity) in Sept 98 and remains until April/May 99 when Benoit & Malenko leave after a dispute with Flair over how they are being booked (he was the onscreen WCW President at this time and they were portrayed in stories as being treated poorly by him in his new power role).

After that there really was no Horsemen. Flair & Luger united to form Team Package in 2000 but there was never a full fledged Horsemen reunion. Arn occasionally appeared onscreen with Flair in WWE but was clearly retired and his appearances were brief and infrequent. They essentially survived as a group with Flair and Arn as anchor members from Aug 85-May 99 with a bout 2 years of inactivity in between.

 

[World Class Mark]

WWE "Creation" has nothing to do with the WWE HOF, other wise the Road Warriors, Nick Bockwinkle, The Von Erichs, The Freebirds, and Dusty Rhodes would not be in, as well as Abdullah The Butcher and Rocky Maivia's grandmother (for her work as a promoter in Hawaii).

Umm, I understand that. I was replying to the original post dealing with why the Horsemen didn't get a run in WWE around the time of their HoF induction.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I would have loved to see the Four Horsemen in the WWE, but Evolution was, is and will be the closest we’re going to get to the WWE version of the 4 Horsemen. What about a new Evolution, with a little new twist!? Using the current roster, I would go with:

The Past – Triple H
The Present Past – Brock Lesnar
The Present Future - Seth Rollins
The Future – Wade Barrett, and Rusev
Mangers – Paul Heyman and Lana

They’ve got the power, they’ve got the Champions and the Championship Title Belts, they’ve got the mind, and they’ve got the beauty. If that doesn’t scream Four Horsemen, I don’t know what does.

I wouldn't be against the formation of a NEW Evolution type faction, but I really don't agree with the members you've chosen. Just because the guys you have picked are the current champions, that doesn't mean they are the right fit for an Evolution/Horseman style faction. If I had to put together a modern-day Horsemen in WWE, I'd go with the following:

Manager: Ric Flair

Main Eventer: Dolph Ziggler
Enforcer: Wade Barrett
Tag Team: Cody Rhodes & Curtis Axel

I've picked Ziggler as he's a guy who deserves a real main-event run, and with the blonde hair and flashy image, he's got a kind of modern-day Ric Flair style going on. We've heard rumours in the past that Flair was to manage him anyway, so I'd definitely make him the leader of the faction.

Wade Barrett is a tough, no nonsense brawler in the mould on an Arn Anderson. I don't see him as a World Champion, but an upper mid-carder just like Arn. He'd look great in a sharp suit with the IC Belt on his shoulder.

And for the tag-team (which I think all great factions should have), I've gone for 2 guys with links to the original Four Horsemen. Cody Rhodes's father, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, had countless wars with Ric Flair in the past and it would be great to see the Rhodes/Flair rivalry come full circle with his son joining Naitch's modern-day Horsemen. As for Curtis Axel (who you may think is a strange pick), he's someone I think who is alot better suited as a member of a team rather than a solo wrestler, and as the son of former Horseman (Curt Hennig), it would be nice to see some continuity in the faction and a link to the past.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I think you're right. I thought AA and Blanchard were there later in their careers than that, but they were there in the 1989-90 range and AA came back along with Ole Anderson to help Flair fend off J-Tex Corporation. Blanchard did cocaine, failed a drug test and wasn't offered a chance to come back to WCW.

Windham was there when Flair was as the Widowmaker, but Windham left shortly after Flair arrived when he realized he was going to be the man in WCW for a spell. Then when Flair came back, Windham went back to WWE in the mid 90's after jobbing to Flair and didn't return until the late 90's with Curt Hennig and the 'Rap is Crap' tour.

But you're right about all four of them not being there at the same time... I thought AA and Blanchard was there later than the early 90's.

It was close. When I saw what you wrote, I actually had to do some reading to see if they actually were all there at once. But Blanchard, Anderson and Windham were all there in 89, and by the time Flair arrived in 91, Anderson and Windham were in WCW, while Blanchard was retired from being a full time wrestler.

Flair wasn't in the WWF when any of the other Horsemen were until after WCW closed, and even then never with any of the original, or at least 80's Horsemen... unless you want to count Anderson being an agent.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I wouldn't be against the formation of a NEW Evolution type faction, but I really don't agree with the members you've chosen. Just because the guys you have picked are the current champions, that doesn't mean they are the right fit for an Evolution/Horseman style faction. If I had to put together a modern-day Horsemen in WWE, I'd go with the following:

Manager: Ric Flair

Main Eventer: Dolph Ziggler
Enforcer: Wade Barrett
Tag Team: Cody Rhodes & Curtis Axel

I've picked Ziggler as he's a guy who deserves a real main-event run, and with the blonde hair and flashy image, he's got a kind of modern-day Ric Flair style going on. We've heard rumours in the past that Flair was to manage him anyway, so I'd definitely make him the leader of the faction.

Wade Barrett is a tough, no nonsense brawler in the mould on an Arn Anderson. I don't see him as a World Champion, but an upper mid-carder just like Arn. He'd look great in a sharp suit with the IC Belt on his shoulder.

And for the tag-team (which I think all great factions should have), I've gone for 2 guys with links to the original Four Horsemen. Cody Rhodes's father, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, had countless wars with Ric Flair in the past and it would be great to see the Rhodes/Flair rivalry come full circle with his son joining Naitch's modern-day Horsemen. As for Curtis Axel (who you may think is a strange pick), he's someone I think who is alot better suited as a member of a team rather than a solo wrestler, and as the son of former Horseman (Curt Hennig), it would be nice to see some continuity in the faction and a link to the past.

I can actually see Barrett as the "point man" over Ziggler. Most of the Flair comparisons are physical rather than what Flair actually did. Barrett is more than capable of being that "Nature Boy" style figure and has a lot of traits already that lend themselves like the cape etc... it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to see Naitch taking him to get some Robes made etc... whereas Zig could almost come across like a Buddy Landell style knock off in some ways.

Axel is the perfect "enforcer" and with a bit of time working with Arn could grow into that role... he'd also have the 2nd gen Horseman thing...which is important.

Cody would be interesting if you're gonna get Duthy involved some how but if Dustin is retiring then it's kinda pointless. The space would be better given to another tag team like Cesaro and Kidd.

Of course we're all missing one thing... if there is to ever be another faction of this type... there's an elephant in the room... the true "heir" would be in fact Charlotte... could we see a 4 HORSEWOMAN stable if Tessa Blanchard gets hired? Add Paige into that mix and maybe someone like Sasha Banks and you have something interesting....Lillian need not apply...

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I won't argue that. My dates were wrong as I had Flair coming to WWE earlier than he did.

But if this were the case, wouldn't Windham, Tully, and Arn have been there together at some point? I realize Flair came in a year or two later, but to go on about your question about ignoring their history? The fact that Arn and Tully were given 'The Brainbusters" moniker and Windham was given the "Widowmaker" gimmick should tell you all you need to know.

I also tend to forget Windham was with them prior to Sting coming along and joining the fray and starting the Flair/Sting feud that culminated at the GAB.

Windham, Tully and Arn were all in the WWF at the same time, and they all left within a few months of each other too.

If Vince had put them all together, would he have shit on the Horsemen's legacy? Hard to say. The nicknames don't mean that much, because that was just for marketing purposes. The "Brainbusters" are easier to remember than Anderson & Blanchard. And during that time, most guys were going by nicknames instead of the old ring name/nickname combo. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig became "Mr. Perfect". Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat was just "The Dragon". Ect.

With "The Widowmaker", it was really just playing up the cowboy elements of Windham's gimmick that had always been there. He could have worked fine with Heenan as his manager, and thus had 3/4's of the Horsemen together as a part of the Heenan Family. They're missing the centerpiece in Flair of course, but if you let the other Heenan Family members go around then (just give them different managers), maybe put Hennig with Heenan earlier than they actually did, and go with a Heenan Family of Hennig, Windham, Blanchard and Anderson... you actually have a very strong facsimile of the Horsemen that may even have been better than WCW's Flair version (Hennig was at the top of his game, and Heenan brings far more to the table than JJ Dillon ever did). Put them against Hogan, who makes a better adversary than Dusty and they really could have had something.

Granted, that means forgetting that Windham left because his dad and brother were going to jail and he needed to be there for them, and Blanchard's failed drug test doesn't happen... but in a perfect world it would have been really fun. Beats having Hogan fighting Zeus.

 

[tdmoon]

When I was a kid there was an article in one of the Apter mags speculating about a Horseman reformation in the WWF at that time. Windham, Blanchard and Anderson were all there and I believe JJ Dillon was working for the company as well. I was more a fan of the NWA and the Horsemen were my favorites so I got all excited. I was disappointed it didn't happen and even more so that Windham didn't do much in his tenure there.

 

[Vader]

If somehow those stars aligned correctly with Windham, Arn, Tully, and Flair in the WWF at the same time and forming the Horsemen. I see WWF utterly destroying the NWA. Any late 80s combination or early 90s of the Horsemen up against Hogan, Savage, or Warrior would have been gold. WWF had the larger than life heroes, but they lacked the superior heel dynamic that the Horsemen brought.

I think they could have done something with Flair, Sid Vicious, Henning, and a third guy during the 92.