The FACTION Series: the Four Horsemen

[It's...Baylariat!]

The Four Horsemen

This is what I was waiting for. Many call the Four Horsemen the greatest collection of wrestlers in wrestling history. Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, and Ole Anderson were the original members, with others in between. A group of four people, thinking collectively, acting individually, to accomplish one goal, to be a dominant force in pro wrestling. And that they were.

The reason this group ran roughshod over Jim Crockett Promotions is simple: They worked harder then everyone else. Flair was the World Champion. Anderson was the Enforcer, Blanchard was the consummate heel, and Ole was rough and tough and did mop up work when needed. Each member knew their roles in the group and they embraced it. Tully was a mid-card champion and the Andersons were the Tag Team champions, ALL trying to make sure Flair never lost his World Title. Seeing something like that today would be a shock to most wrestling fans.

Other wrestlers were members of the Horsemen as well once Ole Anderson left. Lex Luger, Barry Windham, Sting, and Sid Vicious all had roles in the Horsemen at one time or another. During this time, the Horseman had their strongest run, having all the meaningful titles in their hands at one time on more than a few occasions.

Then in the mid-to-late 90's, when the Monday Night Wars started, the Horsemen became second tier with Arn and Flair still members, but having Chris Benoit (not bad), Dean Malenko (not very good) and Steve McMichael (horrible) in the stable during this time made the Horsemen its worst incarnation of their run. Even worse then their run with Paul Roma in the early 90's.

Despite that, at their peak, NOBODY touched the Horsemen. They beat up Dusty Rhodes, the Rock n Roll Express, Nikita Koloff, Magnum TA, and any other babyface that got in their way. To me, all of the other factions after them pale in comparison to the Four Horsemen.

 

[Dexter]

Many call the Four Horsemen the greatest collection of wrestlers in wrestling history.

I'd be one of them.

I differ with you about the later incarnation though, I happened to enjoy them. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I just wasn't around for the earlier versions. I knew of them and had seen some old tapes but it wasn't something I could relate to, whereas the Benoit/Malenko/Mongo version was contemporary.

To be perfectly honest though, you could put just about anyone in a stable with Flair and be successful to some degree. Evolution is an example of that. Of course, it's not comparable to the Horsemen, but it worked for a lot of the same reasons.

 

[Mr_billy]

WWE should of had Legacy be classy and more Horseman like. Also, another reason why the Original Horseman worked was because they were heels, but they still got pops. They were likable and Hatable at the same time. Also than Mongo, and it pains me to say this as a Huge Bears fan, was the weak link but Malenko and Benoit were to of the best technical wrestlers ever. If they would have replaced Mongo with a top star with class, 4H vs NWO would have been the best rivalries ever.

 

[spinningtorturerack]

They were truly great i have to say, I always thought that evolution though were probably the closest group that got to recreating this kind of feeling, I know its not the same but was close!

 

[Badstreet]

My favorite and I think best version of the Horsemen was with Flair, AA, Tully, and Barry Windham. Even though their run was short due to AA and Tully leaving for the WWF, they were still my favorite. I didn't think Windahm would fit in with the Horseman at first with the cowboy type persona, but he transformed seamlessly into one of hte horsemen. I think this group was not only the best group of wrestlers, but also the best group of talkers. Windham was very underrated on the stic.

It's a shame that group of Horsemen didn't last longer. Instead they were bastardized with the likes of Roma, McMichael, and even Pillman. I know a lot of people were fond of Pillman and I was too, but I just never saw him as a Horseman. He didn't fit the look or style.

 

[Eric]

My favorite and I think best version of the Horsemen was with Flair, AA, Tully, and Barry Windham.

I agree and too bad it didn't last very long.

 

[legendfest70]

finally someone that knows wrestling, when wrestling was wrestling and not just a bunch of guys who can talk the mic and maybe has 3 moves in them and win the match. when a championship means something. The 4 horsemen had that with the leader being flair and the enforcer being anderson. yes they rotated a bunch of guys in the mix but the original horsemen of flair, andersons and blanchard and jj as there manager is the best 4 horsemen ever. They were a group who watched out for the group. we have had knock off versions with nwo, dx and so on but 1 thing that none of these groups since have had were 4 guys who could ALL wrestle,speak the mic and preform, and have the passion to preform. Legacy could sorta do something like that with orton as champ, and make dibiase and rhodes the tag team of the group and im sure they could get some sort of big, mid carder to fill the final spot, but all in all the 4 horsemen are the best stable ever in professional wrestling

 

[fwill3]

The Four Horsemens are the best ever faction to come thru wrestling. I love the Four Horsmens when it was Sid Vicious,Barry Windham,Arn Anderson,and Ric Flair. It just a shame that they couldn't get alone: speakin of Arn Anderson and Sid Vicious. I wish Arn could have been in the war games when flair,vicious,windham,and zbyszko vs. sting,brain pillman,and the steiner brothers. But i love the horsemens and the love that they had for the business.

 

[RATED R CHAMPION]

THE 4 HORSEMEN, SIMPLY PUT THEM AS THE NO. 1 FACTION IN WRESTLING HISTORY, IT WAS PERFECT, RIC FLAIR WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, ARN AND OLE TAG CHAMPIONS, AND TULLY AS US CHAMPION, ALL OF THEM CHAMPIONS WHEN THOSE BELTS MEANT A LOT.

THEN, YOU HAD THEM WORKING TOGETHER EVERY SINGLE NIGHT FOR THE WELL BEING OF THE GROUP, YOU HAD THEM DOING THE JOB EVERY NIGHT, THE WELL-OILED MACHINE WAS ALWAYS READY TO RUN.

MY FAVORITE INCARNATION OF THE FACTION: FLAIR, TULLY, ARN AND BARRY WINDHAM

 

[WWERULZCENASUX]

ARN,FLAIR,BENOIT AND BRIAN PILLMAN WERE GREAT STABLE
ARN,FLAIR,TULLY, AND BARRY WINDHAM WERE GREAT ALSO
ARN,FLAIR,TULLY AND LEX LUGER WERE GREAT
ARN,FLAIR,TULLY AND SID VICIOUS ALSO
ARN,FLAIR,TULLY AND STING ALSO

THE WORST WAS WITH PAUL ROMA
AND DEAN MALAKA MALENKO I M EAN

Expect in TNA to consist of Ric Flair,Matt Morgan,AJ Styles and Hernandez
any combination including Samoa Joe and Homicide
Now that Hogan is control they can change Abyss character something between kane and Undertaker that would be cool

 

[dangerduck2]

The Four Horsemen

This is what I was waiting for. Many call the Four Horsemen the greatest collection of wrestlers in wrestling history. Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, and Ole Anderson were the original members, with others in between. A group of four people, thinking collectively, acting individually, to accomplish one goal, to be a dominant force in pro wrestling. And that they were.

The reason this group ran roughshod over Jim Crockett Promotions is simple: They worked harder then everyone else. Flair was the World Champion. Anderson was the Enforcer, Blanchard was the consummate heel, and Ole was rough and tough and did mop up work when needed. Each member knew their roles in the group and they embraced it. Tully was a mid-card champion and the Andersons were the Tag Team champions, ALL trying to make sure Flair never lost his World Title. Seeing something like that today would be a shock to most wrestling fans.

Other wrestlers were members of the Horsemen as well once Ole Anderson left. Lex Luger, Barry Windham, Sting, and Sid Vicious all had roles in the Horsemen at one time or another. During this time, the Horseman had their strongest run, having all the meaningful titles in their hands at one time on more than a few occasions.

Then in the mid-to-late 90's, when the Monday Night Wars started, the Horsemen became second tier with Arn and Flair still members, but having Chris Benoit (not bad), Dean Malenko (not very good) and Steve McMichael (horrible) in the stable during this time made the Horsemen its worst incarnation of their run. Even worse then their run with Paul Roma in the early 90's.

Despite that, at their peak, NOBODY touched the Horsemen. They beat up Dusty Rhodes, the Rock n Roll Express, Nikita Koloff, Magnum TA, and any other babyface that got in their way. To me, all of the other factions after them pale in comparison to the Four Horsemen.

So how could that be duplicated today. Let's say Flair will be going to TNA. Since he apparently owns there copyright, bring them back there.

The members should be guys who will go for each title in TNA. I'd have Flair wrestle & manage...

AJ Styles- TNA / X Division Championship
Robert Roode- Global Championship
Tag Team Championship- Jethro Holiday & James Storm

Escorts- The Beautiful People

 

[The Brain]

I think it's safe to say the Four Horsemen are the greatest faction of all time. They are the measuring stick. When you think of all the other factions you compare them to the Horsemen. What was great about the Horsemen was that it wasn't just a group of guys teaming together. The Horsemen was a lifestyle and they made you believe they lived their gimmick. Evolution came close in that regard, but it wasn't like the original. You know the saying. Often imitated but never duplicated.

 

[Samer Samman]

I wouldn't mind seeing that at all...but instead of Roode going for the Global championship I'd love for him to get pushed toward the main event scene eventually. In my opinion he has the "It" factor to be a great headliner.

 

[dynasty_man89]

Speaking on behalf of a dynasty, lol...In my opinion this is wrestling's dynasty. Tully, Arn and Ole..and of course Ric Flair. In those days and even today in some areas you see some resemblence of the Horsemen. Attitude, Swagger and of course Skill. They worked the ring as if it were a beautiful woman. Slow and methodical with alot of passion and sweat. Their mic skills were rivaled by none. You believed every word without even trying to listen. As a unit, never rivaled. They could use any weapon on any night and still beat you. Even later versions of The Horsemen, were great in their own right. Malenko and Benoit added a technical expertise to an already sound Ric Flair. I will comment on Mongo, he did try. Just could never get that in ring work down. All in all they are the foundation of stables. They are the Old Testament, in the world of professional wrestling. Original and gospel like in their characters. They were the heart and soul of Cornette's promotion and then became the breath of WCW. Evolution tried and came close...not enough time and effort to outdo the Horsemen. In closing, if you ever think of designing your own faction or stable, look to the dictionary, for perfection. Underneath you will see the same photo that is draped on the opening of this thread. You might wanna give those guys a shot, it seems they knew what they were doing.

 

[Freddy4190]

It's almost unarguable. The Four Horsemen were fucking kings. They were ahead of their time in so many ways. I really don't know that much about old school wrestling, 70s, 80s. But there's no doubt the impact the made in wrestling. They had a whole lot to do with making tag team wrestling and any heel stable the way they are today. Even today their influences still live and breathe. You have Evolution, who was pretty much the Four Horsemen modernized. They're a great faction, I don't think there's ever gonna be any other to touch them. It's just greatness.

 

[PEP3]

Watching The Four Horsemen from the beginning, you simply knew something special was taking place. Ric Flair, of course, was already a multiple-time NWA World Heavyweight champion when he started hanging out with Tully Blanchard and the Andersons. Then James J. Dillon was added to the mix. Suddenly, as the five came together, magic started to happen in that ring.

When the group turned on Ole Anderson, I remember the disbelief. They were like hyenas picking off a wounded gazelle. Soon after, Luger made a terrific replacement; then he got too big for the fold, too.

I can remember the match when Barry Windham turned on Lex Luger to not only return the World Tag Titles to Tully and Arn but join the Horsemen. I was even more stunned! At that point in his career, Windham had never been a heel, and I didn't know how well he could pull the role off...or gel with the Horsemen, but it was even better than the original!

Later incarnations lacked that special "it" factor that made the Horsemen so successful. Sting made an interesting addition, but I didn't buy the Horsemen as faces. Sid Vicious just didn't seem appropriate for the group. Ditto with Pillman.

Then, at some point it felt less like finding the appropriate members and more about "stunt" casting (kinda like the WWE "guest host" things are). People like Curt Hennig and Jeff Jarrett never quite fit. Paul Roma tried his damnedest, but couldn't make the grade. Mongo McMichaels did a decent job of representing the lifestyle, but he just wasn't up to the test. The best latter-day combination of the Horsemen was unquestionably Flair, Arn, Benoit and Malenko. Something about the group worked, and it provided a great launching pad for Malenko and Benoit's careers.

As you might be able to tell, I was a huge fan of the Horsemen from the very start. As factions go in the pro wrestling industry, many have come and gone. And most within the last decade have at least payed homage in some way to the Horsemen. The reason is obvious.

Screw Shelton Benjamin. The Four Horsemen are the true gold standard in the wrestling industry -- and the one all other factions going forward will be judged against.