4 times a faction has turned on their leader in WWE
Being in a stable in WWE and professional wrestling as a whole is a major gamble. Often, there is power in numbers. If you're the leader of a faction or even an important member, you can often find yourself winning championship gold.
Winning titles sound great, but realistically some stables have members ready and waiting to stab each other in the back. Sometimes the leader is devious and attempts to hold the others down. This has been seen with the likes of Triple H in Evolution and Randy Orton in Legacy.
With some factions, the members want to remove the leader from their role. In most cases, the leader is a veteran who has spent a lot of time on top of the company, and the underlings are jealous. Motivations vary, but often the same incidents occur: superstars betray the leader for their own benefit.
Below are four times a faction has turned on their leader in WWE:
#4. Judgment Day turned on Edge on WWE RAW
The most recent entry on this list just took place on this week's RAW.
The Judgment Day is a faction that originated when WWE Hall of Famer Edge began to show a different side of himself. This new personality saw shades of his past self combined into something sinister. He had the twisted ideals of The Brood and Ministry of Darkness. He also had the ruthlessness and underhanded tactics of The Rated R Superstar.
Damian Priest was Edge's first recruit. Not long after, Rhea Ripley joined the fold. The faction battled AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and Liv Morgan regularly on television. Their feud culminated in a six-person tag team match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2022, which Judgment Day won.
On RAW the following night, Priest and Ripley recruited their former rival Finn Balor to the group. Edge happily welcomed him into the fold, only for Priest, Balor, and Ripley to savagely attack the WWE Hall of Famer. Their motive still isn't totally clear, but the faction indicated Edge was holding them back.
#3. Edge and Christian were fed up with Gangrel and The Brood
Edge may have recently been ousted from a WWE faction, but it wasn't his first experience with stable members turning on their leader.
The Brood was first formed in 1998. At the time, all three members were new to WWE. Edge was a loner who was feuding with his kayfabe brother Christian and Gangrel. In time, the Vampiric star and Christian convinced Edge to join them, and the legendary stable was born.
The trio became very popular. Vampires were a big part of pop culture at the time, plus their blood baths always popped crowds. The trio even joined The Ministry of Darkness at one point, though they didn't stay part of the larger faction for long.
All good things must come to an end, however. Despite the group's popularity, they didn't always pick up wins. On an episode of WWE Sunday Night Heat in 1999, Gangrel reacted negatively to a loss and attacked Edge, kicking him out of the group. He asked for Christian's assistance, but instead, Christian sided with his brother, leaving Gangrel on his own.
#2. The Nation ousted Farooq as leader
The Nation of Domination was first formed in the later months of 1996. Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ron Simmons started the faction under his WWE name, Farooq.
The powerful faction had a variety of members across various periods, including the likes of PG-13, Savio Vega, and Crush. Perhaps the most notable time for The Nation of Domination was when Farooq led Kama Mustafa, D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry, and The Rock.
The Rock quickly rose the ranks of the World Wrestling Federation. As he became a bigger star, his ego grew. He and Farooq butted heads regularly. On RAW following WrestleMania 14, things came to a head. The Rock and the other members of The Nation turned on Farooq. The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment took on the role of leader moving forward.
#1. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall betrayed Hulk Hogan
It may be a wrap on #nWoWeek, but #nWo is 4 Life ... brah. https://t.co/YJcFseizpE
The New World Order is arguably the greatest faction in the history of professional wrestling.
The stable began in 1996 when Hulk Hogan betrayed WCW and joined The Outsiders. The Outsiders were Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, who came to World Championship Wrestling from WWE and promised a war. Over the next several years, the nWo was both dominant and influential in professional wrestling.
World Championship Wrestling closed in 2001. At WWE No Way Out 2002, the faction returned with the original trio making their return to World Wrestling Entertainment. Once again, the group looked to make a statement.
At WrestleMania X8, Hollywood Hulk Hogan battled The Rock in an iconic bout. The crowd loved Hogan despite The Hulkster going in as a heel. When the bout ended, The Rock and Hogan shook hands, showing each other respect.
Hall and Nash didn't like this side of Hollywood and attacked him post-match. When they turned on their leader and took over the nWo, the faction didn't have much success moving forward.
Leading factions can have mixed results in professional wrestling. Sometimes it will lead to championships and power, but other times your trusted underlings are prepared to stab you in the back. Regardless, the WWE Universe has been lucky enough to enjoy all of the drama that unfolds in front of them.
See also: 3 reasons Bray Wyatt should join Judgment Day and two he shouldn't