There’s been tons of fighting factions over the years, and have created a mix of levels of success. Sometimes a decision is made to create a spin-off from a group, either because it’s so successful that a company wants to try to replicate it, or simply because of story possibilities.
Spin-off factions always find themselves in a difficult situation because they are instantly compared to the original group, which is not always easy to follow. However, while some have struggled to make much of an impact, others have turned out to be a lot of fun and entertain fans in a different way.
10 They were amazing: the club
AJ Styles enjoyed a lot of success during his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Bullet Club faction, and WWE looked to build on that when they teamed up with The Good Brothers. They became The Club in WWE and as heels it was a lot of fun to watch as their chemistry was obvious.
Their feud against John Cena was one of the highlights of that period, as they did a great job of protecting Styles while also making all three members seem like genuine threats.
9 Aspirated: The Union
The Union was a spin-off group from The Corporation and although the members involved were very talented, things didn’t work out. This faction certainly had potential, but the reality was different as they never quite clicked together, and a big reason was that the personalities of the fighters involved were too varied.
The group never got off the ground with too many great stories that fans would remember. They weren’t around for very long either, and it became clear they weren’t working as a unit.
8 They Were Amazing: Jericho Appreciation Society
The Inner Circle was a tremendous faction in AEW with Chris Jericho leading a group to the top of the company as they were taken seriously and managed to entertain. However, when that group came to an end, Jericho created a spin-off with the Jericho Appreciation Society that is still just as fun to watch.
This group has been a bit more focused on Jericho, but the idea of them being sports entertainers fits right in with the AEW fanbase, which is more into the bell-to-bell product. The way the group goofs around while remaining serious has proven to be fantastic to watch.
7 Aspirated: The Andrade Family Office
Anytime a faction focuses on kayfabe contracts, it’s always going to lose the interest of fans from a casual perspective and that’s what happened with The Andrade Family Office. This group was originally The Hardy Family Office, but they merged with Andrade El Idolo after he bought 51% of the group.
It was a complex way of explaining why this subgroup was created, and they were never taken too seriously. They were put in many backstage segments and rarely got a chance to compete as a full unit, which is why the public never really cared for them.
6 They were amazing: NWO Wolfpac
While there is no doubt that the original nWo is still the best version of that famous faction, the nWo spinoff Wolfpac did well and became a huge hit with fans. WCW did a great job with this spinoff, making them look really badass, which is why they worked so well.
Konnan was particularly prominent during this period and the responses he received from fans at the time showed they were extremely supportive of him. Arguably, the company could have done even more with this group than he did, but it certainly made the most of his opportunities.
5 Sucked: He RUNS
RUN was a faction spun off of the original Nexus lineup, with Wade Barrett regaining control while leading Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, and Justin Gabriel, but it wasn’t all that exciting. WWE seemed to realize that they made a mistake in splitting up the original group and rushed to get some members together while adding Jackson to the mix to keep it fresh.
The problem was that after the Nexus treatment, they weren’t taken as seriously by fans and were never pushed as a main event group. They did score a few victories, but the faction didn’t last long and no one was surprised when they ended up disbanding.
4 They were amazing :BWO
Sometimes creating parodies can be a recipe for disaster, but BWO was an example of how to do it right. The BWO didn’t take themselves too seriously, and they were certainly nothing to compare to the nWo, but that worked to their advantage.
Fans didn’t expect them to be like the classic WCW faction, and that meant they could have a lot of fun putting on great segments that they made sure fans would love to see.
3 Sucked: The New Nexus
RUN wasn’t the only faction to spin off from Nexus, as WWE created a new version of the group in which Wade Barrett was ousted to be replaced by CM Punk as leader. On paper, that should have made the spinoff group brilliant, as Punk was an established star in WWE.
However, in reality, that was not the case and one of the main reasons is that the whole idea of Nexus had been tarnished due to its original reservation. Throwing in new members at random and a new leader didn’t help, especially since it was very focused on punk, rather than them as a unit.
2 They were amazing: the elite
The Bullet Club is an amazing faction and the various versions of the group ended up being a lot of fun to watch. However, seeing Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks part ways to become The Elite has been amazing as their chemistry works so well together.
At times, they have added other members like Kota Ibushi and The Good Brothers, but the main trio is who the fans think of for this group. They work perfectly together inside the ring, and their promotion style and energy mesh so well that it’s been a lot of fun to watch.
1 Aspirated: NWO 2000
There were many different versions of the nWo over the years, as WCW took as much advantage of the group as possible due to their popularity. However, nWo 2000 just didn’t work, and this spin-off was one that no one was asking for, and it didn’t last that long because it wasn’t working.
Seeing Jeff Jarrett, Bret Hart, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall together was something that felt strange because of the personalities each man had. More fighters were thrown into the group later, but that diluted things further and only served to weaken this faction.