What are your opinions on the WWF "gang wars" of 1997-98?

[amazing_blue]

During 1997 and '98, the WWF had four gangs with 4+ members, which were:

Nation of Domination
Disciples Of Apocalypse
Los Boricuas
Truth Comission

I've noticed that these gangs and the "wars" they had have received a lot of criticism over the years from wrestling fans. They were often criticized for being too race-oriented (especially NOD) and for not being good in-ring workers. The feud between DOA and Los Boricuas received the award for "Worst feud of the year" in 1997 from the Wrestling Observer. However, I have been looking up some stuff from these guys and I think the whole gang warfare thing was really cool. Unlike the stables of today (Nexus, Corre), these guys actually seemed like they belonged together. DOA was awesome in my book because three of the guys were family and you could just picture them all travelling together and all. It seemed very realistic.

I think it shows a lot of creativity on the part of the writers to make these wrestlers relevant. Would anyone have cared about Savio Vega in 1997 if he wasn't part of a stable? I just feel like in general these stables felt like real gangs because of the real life element - they were fighting together. Several of these 16 men would not have had jobs with the WWF had it not been for the stables they were in.

And one seperate thought - does anyone wish Chainz would have stuck around? I think Brian Lee was a really cool wrestler. He put on some bad ass matches with Tommy Dreamer in ECW and I feel like he could have been a valuable part of the midcard for the attitude era. You look at that 1999 midcard and it really could have used him.

 

[DeathClutch]

Funny enough I consider 1997 to be one of WWE's more productive years as far as using talent and storylines, and the gangwars opened up a lot of slots, you named four stables, but what about DX? The Hart Foundation? stables open up opportunity.

Look at 1999, DX, Union, Corp & Ministy plus Corp Ministry, MSP, JOB Squad stables are good for wrestling but the problem is back then WWE were able to be more edgy and breaking stables up was easier and forgotten with little relenave, throw in the broken Hardcore belt and whom you'd broke up tag teams/stables who bidded for it. Add to the fact that most stables in 1999 had a timeline of maybe 2-5 months, taken out DX & Nation.

But the gang rulez storyline provoked racsim, and gang afflication, WWE wouldn't get away with it nowadays, but stables used correctly have a place in wrestling and with Corre & Nexus I'd like to see others sprout up in the future and build them correctly towards Survivor Series (which should of been done with Nexus last year)

 

[rge2010]

I remember 1997 when you had Bret Hart feuding with Shawn Michaels. Michaels had D-X watching his back and Bret Hart had The Hart Foundation. Throughout the story Stone Cold was thrown into the mix as a 'lone wolf' and you also had The Nation Of Domination adding extra spice from time to time! 1997 was a great year for WWE. The Rock was born, Stone Cold was really gathering momentum and the Hart/Michaels storyline was just great.

As for now, doesnt look like Nexus and The Corre will fued, suppose we have 2 different shows now though and back then there was just 1 giving more opportunities to cross paths.

Nexus have become extremely poor since Wade Barrett left. And now The Corre have just lost Zeke Jackson.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

I used to love the gang wars back in 97 that they had on during Raw. They were entertaining and got a ton of talent into the mix. I think it fell short because of a few members of each not performing well (i really don't remember much of who was in each though aside from NOD which was the best one). I think los boricuas especially had savio and them some no namers which hurt it, DOA was pretty good and had a lot going for it as did NOD and like another poster mentioned you also had DX and the Hart Foundation. One of my favorite moments was DX getting NOD into a beef with the Hart Foundation over them using a word that NOD was not too fond of. The gangs worked because you had a bunch of guys with similar gimmicks teaming up against others and sometimes fighting amongst each other. I wouldn't mind seeing stronger factions nowadays. They had hope with SES and Nexus but SES never really got that much strength to the point that they took over, Nexus could have but injuries and ties shot it in the foot, and Corre is just a big joke. Even TNA does a better job at factions though they sometimes get ahead of themselves and tries too many swerves, though at times I do enjoy LAX or whatever they are called now, Fortune, Immortal, etc. Hell, as much as I hated every member of Evolution, they grew on me too, so did legacy (though I enjoyed it more when I thought it was going to grow into something huge like Nexus).

 

[Saeros]

I also enjoyed it, despite being quite young at the time. I was always a lover of stables, especially when younger, and i loved the survivor series back when it used to have 4-5 actual 4 on 4 or 5 on 5 matches.

Los Boricuas were quite poor though i must say, it had Savio Vega in, but none of the other 3 were even heard of to the average fan before so i feel that they were the weakest of the gangs.

I wouldnt really put the truth commission in there...they did nothing except beat DOA at SS 97, Kurrgan had a promising character and they had a fantastic manager in the jackle, but they were all just far too poor to be taken seriously.

DOA were a group that was well put together with known wrestlers. Don and Ron Harris had already been in the WWF for about 2 years wrestling as the very stupidly concieved "Blu Brothers" and this change suited them, chuck in Crush who i believe was never that great a wrestler, but could still put on decent matches, and had decent charisma, and always a good character throughout his run in the WWF. Chainz was also a solid big guy, who i believe really could of gone on to bigger things. When you look at the lack of talented big men now days who cant put on a decent match or sell very well, Chainz and Crush were 2 who stood out from the 90s as 2 big men who i believed never achieved what they could of.

and finally the NOD were just fantastic in 97 and early 98, after Farooq was kicked out i think they lost their edge a bit, but was still going strong with the Rock and it did the job to elevate him, but in 1997, they just seemed badass. The race angle that they did with the Hart Foundation was just very poor though. I still remember thinking it was stupid and i was only 10 at the time.

Its a shame that the WWE wouldnt be able to get away with stuff like this no more, I love edgy wrestling and angles that push the boat but doesnt go too far.

The one thing that i really love about this gang wars though that could be executed nowdays, with or without the gang term used, is that it gives 12 - 15 people on the roster something to do. If they were around now, they would all be used on superstars or not at all. But back then, you had guys you wouldnt normally give 2 shits about seeing, and it made them all interesting and have depth and character. Its weird how WWE has 10 or so more writers than it did 15 years ago, yet far less creativity and imagination.

 

[ahoyhoy]

I liked it. I wish more was done with the Nation of Domination's black pride work instead of just pulling them down into a 'black angry people must be in gang warfare' thing, in petty disagreement with Ahmed Johnson for no real reason when Faarooq could have main evented the same way R Truth kinda is (keeping the black man down heel) and so on.

But overall, it still worked.

 

[akrassikauda]

Good thread. Those wars were good but the whole Hart Foundation is racist angle didn't work the second they tried it because Brets rant against America is that Canadians don't have the race problems America has and the look on his face when Shawn said one of the Hart Foundation used the N word said it wasn't going to work.

It was like DX were the agitators and Austin was the loner who didn't need a gang because he could beat everyones ass. DOA looked like Sons of Anarchy extras but since they were really bikers they pulled it off. As someone earlier posted Los Bouricuas was the weaker group so when they dissolved nobody missed them. Those wars minus the racial stuff was good.

 

[jobesukulele]

I think people consider that time the "pre" attitude era. For me personally that was in part and parcel with the attitude era.

May 10th 99 was when the faction wars culminated between the corporate ministy and the corporation and coincidently was Raw's highest ever rating (a staggering 8.1)
(Source => http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/wwf/wwfraw.htm).

That Raw had 10 matches (Here's a rundown for anyone interested => http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1999052r.htm), there was So much awesome stuff going on, and as you alluded to, it all rested on the back bone of nearly everyone on the roster being part of a specific faction; playing a for certain team.

I remember the '98 Royal Rumble where the Ministry of Darkness come out and abducted Mable (soon to be Viscera), the story was so wild and unbelievable but the energy was raw that it was just straight up awesome. Even the crowds back then, anyone who's not been around that long try and watch the '98 rumble, if nothing else just to look at the crowd, it's like a wild party going on. There's people dancing, waving arms, the Wrestling action was insane..

..damn, I get carried away talking about the past. wwe just doesn't hold a candle to how unrelentingly awesome the WWF was.

 

[CM Steel]

Vince McMahon/WWF was looking for a way to compete with WCW's nWo angle. The New World Order in WCW were not just a dominant heel stable. They were a stable that was a spin-off of somewhat of a motorcycle gang. Wrestlers walking around with (black) baseball bats, spray-painting walls and trucks and other wrestlers backstage.

So the WWF's faction's in the NOD, DOA, L.B, and the T.C. were just there to rival the nWo's success, that's all.

 

[Toroc102]

I don't remember much, but i remember liking it, I always like seeing big brawls. They kind've just dropped it didn't they? I guess if they named a winner that might cause them some problems.

I also resent The Boriquas, I mean did WcW just have all the Hispanic talent locked down or what? WWE couldn't put something better than that on the table?

 

[cam1126]

It was a fun time. One of the greatest Promos EVER was when DX came out and impersonated the NOD. That was a very funny and awesome skit

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Before replying to the topic, I want to clarify that the gang wars that the OP is talking about consists of the NOD, Los Boricuas and the DOA. Hart Foundation and DX were not stables inspired from streetgangs and they must not be brought into the discussion.

The streetgangs were just on of the things that WWF was trying out at that time but I do not think that it was completely neccesary. You had stables led by Bret and HBK out there and certainly a stable consisting of Crush or Savio Vega was never going to upstage them. Particularily when you book those stables like shit. The Nation changed it's members approximately 15 times but it was still the best of the streetgangs due to talent like Rocky and Farooq, who was also decent, being available. DOA and Los Boricuas were formed when Farooq fired Crush and Vega from NOD and by the end of it the two of them were fighting each other rather than the nation. Also both stables were heels from what I remember.

In wrestling stables are formed to dominate the wrestling scene. The main idea of the gangwars was for one gang to win over the other gangs. That is never going to work unless at least one of the gangs is a main event stable. They were essentially a lower midcard attraction, something which only hardcore fans of this sort of stuff would get into.

Also, the talent involved in those individual stables was pretty shit.

 

[meeks32]

NOD was great once The Rock took over and Owen Hart joined them. DX, DOA, and NOD made those times great to watch. Each week they would try to outdo each other. Don't forget the Corporation. When they had the Rock (world champ) Ken Shamrock (IC champ & half tag champ) and Big Boss Man (Hardcore champ & other half of tag team) made it classic. Man stables were great and the storytelling behind it worked. I can't see it ever happening again.

 

[akrassikauda]

@Myraid - I understood what the OP was talking about but it's hard not to forgot the roles DX and Austin played in those wars. DX was the instigators pitting NOD and DOA (pissing on DOA's bikes) against each other and Austin was the guy everyone hated which made those wars good it was like we got to kill each other to get to those guys. It's because of that time people want stable vs stable now but that's not going to happen because those stables were either heel or tweener again I understand what the topic was.

 

[ssvegita77]

14 posts in and I can't believe that I am the only one here who absolutely hated this angle. I was a big fan of wrestling at this time and nobody I knew liked this and I still despise it.

Don't get me wrong there was a handful of talent working this angle but just not enough to make me care. The nation was ok, DOA was pretty solid, Los Boricuas was just awful and sadly when I think of this angle that's who i think of. I think of Savio Vega, Miguel Perez and his awful back hair (EWWWWWW). These factions were just full of wrestlers that were placed together out of not having anything else for them. It always felt like it was WWF's last stitch effort to not fire them...even still all of them were fired shortly after this except for the NOD.

I'm glad that the NOD stuck around to feud w/ DX that was good stuff. I didn't even mind the DOA vs. LOD feud. I always thought w/ the 3 members on both sides (Chainz, Harris Bros.) (Hawk, Animal, Droz) that they should have had Droz and Chainz break away from each group and be a dominant third tag team. Beyond that possibility, that never happened, I was glad to see this angle end when it did. As a whole it was just God awful.

 

[MHardy_Fan]

Although they came later I think, I enjoyed the Mean Street Posse. Those guys were great running around in sweater vests claiming to be from the mean streets of Greenwich. I miss those days.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

I enjoyed the Hart Foundation's run with USA vs Canada. They would do and say whatever they wanted to where they went. RAW going back & forth from the US & Canada was lots of fun. One week The Harts would be booed in the US and go to Canada and be cheered like Gods. I think thats one of the best times in WWF/E History.

DX vs The Nation I liked alot with it centered around Triple H & The Rock. Even the night when The Nation got a hold of Chyna in the Ring while DX was barricaded in their lockerroom. HHH came out later and cut a really intense promo on The Rock before their Ladder Match at Summerslam.

DOA vs Los Boriquas wasn't too bad. The Matches weren't much to scream about but they were decent brawls. Then of course The Corporation and Ministry Of Darkness coming along later which was pretty good as well. So The Gang Warfare stuff was pretty awesome and was their answer to WCW & the nWo at the time.

 

[wrestling89]

I liked it for, perhaps different reasons than most.

I liked the gang wars because it brought out the Los Borriqas theme song, sung by Savio and crew. That song was great. Overall that group was crap though as you couldn't tell who was who. I just remember one of them nearly got killed in Edge's debut match.

DOA was all right, but I was just never into the biker gimmick, much like the Indian gimmick (tatanka, cheif jay strongbow, youngbloods, etc.)

The Truth Commision was one group that I thought had a real future. Kurrgan was a monster and should have been portrayed as one. He was in the beginning, but lost his steam. Recon (Sniper) or whoever Bull Buchannon was, was a damn good worker. The other guys was just some random dude. The key was Jackyl. That guy was gold on the mic. The problem was they tried to make him a wrestler, but he wasn't.

The Nation, what can I say, that was a great gimmick from beginning to end.

AS some ealier posters mentioned it gave other guys a chance for airtime. You knew that the wars wouldn't be around that long, but it was fun while it lasted.

I miss 97 - 99, when EVERYONE was over somehow. I mean a time when guys like Sniper, 8-Ball, Crash Holly, Steve Blackman, etc where all WAY more over than Drew McCintyre and Dolph ZIggler put together are today or will ever be.

 

[ECWDanSelby]

Funny enough I watched a 1997 PPV the other day with Los Vs. DOA. When DOA came down I really thought "wow, this was quite good, wasn't it?". Seemed very 'with' the times, and the crowd gave more of a crap about them than I remembered.

5 minutes later, I remembered why I hated them - They were all just so ordinary and really poor in the ring. As far as appearence went, they nailed it. But there was nothing about them. No leaders, no real personality.

Selby