WWE How To: Guide to Faction Destruction
Over the last few months I have witnessed the WWE make a mockery out of two stables with tremendous potential: The Corre and the New Nexus (keep in mind I am referring to the New Nexus, when CM Punk became leader and Wade Barrett moved to Smackdown to start The Corre).
I have created a guide that will discuss how the WWE has, step by step, built up and subsequently buried two factions, and the parallels between both the New Nexus and The Corre.
Step 1: The Strong Debut
1 of 5
Whenever starting a faction, be sure to start strong. This will assure that the fans treat the stable as a legitimate threat.
New Nexus:
The first impression we had of the New Nexus came at the Royal Rumble. The NN cost Randy Orton his WWE championship match, starting their future feud. During the Royal Rumble match, the New Nexus controlled the ring for a large part of the match.
Despite not winning the match, the New Nexus still made a powerful impression at the Royal Rumble, and it looked as if they would take control of RAW.\
The Corre:
Following his departure from the Nexus, Wade Barrett broke onto Smackdown in a big way, taking out the Big Show. Barrett would then introduce Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Ezekiel Jackson as the other members of The Corre. For subsequent weeks they would continue the attack on Big Show.
This would set the IWC on fire, as everyone added their two cents as to what the thought the WWE would do with The Corre. Unlike the New Nexus over on RAW, The Corre announced that the faction had no leader.
It looked as if happy times were ahead for the Smackdown stable.
Step 2: The Feud
2 of 5Following the strong debut. Ensure that the faction is involved in a high profile feud. Allow fans to love or hate the stable, depending on whether the faction is face or heel.
New Nexus:
Initiated at the Royal Rumble, the NN started a feud with Randy Orton. Their constant attacks on RAW were infuriating both Randy and the WWE Universe. New Nexus remained on top; CM Punk was beginning to get in the head of "Randall Keith Orton", and Punk even eliminated Orton in the RAW elimination chamber.
Like any good faction (see Evolution, NWO) the New Nexus were off to a dominant start, and it appeared as if even Randy Orton couldn't stop them.
The Corre:
The Corre continued their domination of the Big Show. Kane was added to the feud, as was Kofi Kingston and Santino Marella. With Gabriel and Slater capturing the tag team championships, and Barrett winning the Intercontinental title, The Corre continued the domination of their foes on both RAW and Smackdown.
With 3/4 of the Smackdown championships, and winning the feud against Show, Kane, Kofi and the comedy duo, The Corre were doing just as well as the New Nexus.
Step 3: Feed Them to the Wolves
3 of 5All good things must come to an end. With the faction winning the feud, and having them well established with the fans, ensure you bury them in the most humiliating way possible...
New Nexus:
With NN in a dominant position, and a WrestleMania match announced, it was only fair that Orton won a few encounters with the New Nexus. What the IWC didn't anticipate is the burial that would ensue.
Orton laid waste to every member (excluding Punk). He punted every one of them onto the injury list. In reality they were just sent back to developmental. Yes, in 3 weeks Creative was able to destroy all credibility the stable had.
The Corre:
Just when it seemed that The Corre could be the next big faction, Creative took it upon themselves to consistently make them look weak. In the weeks leading up to the eight-man tag match at WrestleMania, The Corre were hit with losses against all of their WM opponents, as not to give the faces the chance for revenge at the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Following their loss at WrestleMania (which I assumed would happen anyway), the opportunity to rebuild The Corre existed. Sadly, on the RAW after WrestleMania, they were fed to John Cena and The Rock.
And thus ended the burial of The Corre, all credibility was lost, and although they retained their championships, they still appeared weak after the constant losses.
Step 4: The Hail Mary
4 of 5
Once successfully buried. Realize your mistakes and make a foolish attempt at creating interest in the faction. This can be done in a number of ways, such as...
The Reintroduction: New Nexus
Following WrestleMania the WWE brought back to previously punted members of the NN. Unfortunately for them, they still couldn't get a win against Orton, as he escaped the NN after RKOing CM Punk this past week on RAW.
The draft this coming week presents the opportunity to end the NN. Send some of the members to Smackdown and leave Punk to feud with Orton alone.
The Split: The Corre
Over on Smackdown, tension has been created within the Corre. It looks as if the faction may split this week or next. With Gabriel and Slater losing their championships on Smackdown, it seems as if they will break away from Barrett and Jackson.
While interest may have been created in the Corre, the downside is the end is in sight for this faction.
Conclusion
5 of 5In my mind the WWE dropped the ball with both the New Nexus and The Corre. Both factions had potential and it's clear that the WWE used similar methods to bring them down.
Hopefully when both factions are finished the individual members will be able to succeed on their own.
Although the NN hasn't yet ended it's clear that it'd be challenging for Creative to make them relevant.
Comments? Questions?
Comments about the format I used for this article?
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
