Ranking the 6 Best Stables in WWE and AEW in the Last 5 Years

Pro wrestling has thrived over the last five years in both WWE and All Elite Wrestling, and a large part of that has been the promotions' ability to utilize stables to their benefit creatively.

More moving pieces allow for different stories, fresher matches and multiple ongoing narratives involving the same players at one time.

In celebration of the return of pro wrestling groups, these are the six best from the two most prominent companies in the industry over the past half-decade.

6. The New Bloodline

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The New Bloodline assumed power in the absence of Roman Reigns following his loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.

With The Head of the Table out of the picture, Solo Sikoa rose to power, assuming the role of leader of the group and proceeding to remake it in his vision.

Gone were Jimmy Uso and eventually Paul Heyman, and in their places were Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and the unstoppable force that was Jacob Fatu.

The faction became the centerpiece of the SmackDown brand for most of 2024, establishing a heel presence for Reigns to feud with upon his return, and also for undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes to combat.

After Sikoa lost to Reigns in the Netflix debut of Raw in January 2025, the group crumbled, with Tonga and Loa missing time due to injury and the partnership between Sikoa and Fatu finally disintegrating at Money in the Bank in June.

While the faction's run was short, its impact on WWE television and dominance over the blue brand cannot be denied, leading to its place on this list at No. 6.

5. The Inner Circle

The first episode of AEW Dynamite saw the formation of a faction that would go on to dominate the early days of the promotion, as Chris Jericho accumulated a group consisting of Santana and Ortiz, Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara and labeled it "The Inner Circle."

Together, they made life a living hell for top babyfaces in AEW, including Rhodes and The Elite.

A combination of established stars and young competitors poised to take over the industry, it was a worthwhile attempt by the company to use recognizable faces to help elevate talent it viewed as the future of the organization.

Jericho was the central figure at the top of AEW's card for the better part of a year while Guevara became one of the young pillars of the company for the better part of its first four years of existence.

While The Spanish God has yet to hit the level many believed he would, and Ortiz and Santana inexplicably did not receive the sustained tag team push expected, it is impossible to deny the impact Inner Circle had on AEW programming when it most needed it.

It lay the groundwork and setting the tone for what AEW would provide its fans with every Wednesday night on Dynamite.

4. Blackpool Combat Club

There is something about a group of badasses beating people up that will never get old in the realm of professional wrestling.

In 2022, the debuting William Regal assembled Blackpool Combat Club, a group of established and respected in-ring workers, including Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Pac.

Wheeler Yuta eventually earned his way into the faction, and they waged war with The Elite and The Jericho Appreciation Society in some of the most chaotic battles in AEW history.

During their peak, Moxley demolished CM Punk to win the AEW World Championship in a notable Dynamite main event.

For two solid years, the group battled every top star in the company, won multiple championships, and became the preeminent force in AEW. From there, the group transitioned into The Death Riders, a tweener group that terrorized their fellow competitors with a renewed viciousness.

Danielson was kicked to the curb and the group became strictly heels, staging a hostile takeover of the promotion and its world title that only recently ended.

Do not expect Moxley's loss of the title to derail the violence, though, as the group will continue its reign of terror in AEW for the foreseeable future.

3. The Judgment Day

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Edge formed The Judgment Day with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley in 2022 but was quickly excommunicated from it in favor of Finn Bálor.

Priest, Ripley and Bálor formed the foundation of a group that has been a staple of WWE programming ever since, undergoing changes to membership along the way.

Dominik Mysterio, fresh off a heel turn on his own father, Rey, helped build momentum for the group while Ripley's increasing popularity and Priest's run as world champion firmly established it as a main attraction on Raw.

Their ousting, as well as the arrivals of Liv Morgan, JD McDonagh and Carlito, reestablished the group as a despised faction. Raquel Rodriguez's return added muscle to Morgan's act, and the introduction of Roxanne Perez as Morgan recovers from a shoulder injury should provide plenty of storyline potential for the group moving forward.

The crowds occasionally cheer the faction, appreciating how it has emerged as the workhorse unit of Raw, but it remains a villainous group that can thrive at the top of the card or underneath as a midcard act.

Regardless, its longevity has earned them its spot on this list, and it eclipses BCC/Death Riders because it did not face the same audience backlash as the AEW faction did amid deteriorating creative and frustrating overexposure.

2. The Elite

The Elite has been the backbone and heart of AEW from its inception, in one way or the other.

The faction around whom the entire company was conceptualized, they have been part of the most engaging and emotional stories in AEW history. Sometimes as a group, other times as individuals, they always manage to reassemble and battle the top stars in the company.

Since the beginning of the promotion, they have waged war against everyone from The Inner Circle to The Jericho Appreciation Society to Blackpool Combat Club and back. They have competed in and popularized gimmick bouts such as Blood & Guts and Anarchy in the Arena while unfurling new chapters to a story fans were introduced to during their time together in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

While they may be living separate lives as on-screen characters now, their fingerprints are all over AEW and its already-rich legacy. For reasons on and off screen, The Elite remain the measuring stick for factions over the last half decade.

1. The Bloodline

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Consisting of Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn, The Bloodline revolutionized pro wrestling and led to its hottest period since the height of the Attitude Era.

Almost operatic storytelling straight out of The Godfather and a charismatic lead helped fans invest themselves in an overarching story that produced side narratives and elevated all involved to new heights of stardom and popularity.

With the help of Paul Heyman, Reigns reinvented himself from his more generic babyface "Big Dog" character to the egotistical, gaslighting Tribal Chief who ruled over his family's legacy with a gauntlet-clad fist.

Jey Uso emerged as a breakout star, opposing Reigns and breaking out on his own for the first time in his career. Jimmy Uso, arguably the most underrated character of the bunch, wrestled with loyalty to his twin brother and devotion to Reigns, while Zayn found the acceptance he never had elsewhere within the group.

Throw in the silent but cerebral Sikoa, and you had definitive characters that fans could immediately identify with or root against.

Their opponents saw their stars rise, too, giving WWE its first large crop of legitimate main event players to select from in a long time, and fans got the best product they had seen in over a decade.

While not nearly as hot or layered as it once was, the story continues to play out on WWE television today.