Arn Anderson reveals the origins of the Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen are arguably the most influential faction in the history of wrestling. The initial grouping of Ric Flair, Ole and Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard - along with manager J.J. Dillion - in 1985 changed pro wrestling forever.
Wrestling factions soon became the norm in the industry, paving the way for groups like the nWo, Evolution, and the Shield.
During a conversation with Lucha Libre Online's Michael Morales Torres, founding member Arn Anderson discussed how the Four Horsemen came to be - and why they're the most influential group in wrestling history.
"In the days of Jim Crockett’s promotions," Arn explained, "you had 3 minutes and 30 seconds for a segment to do promos."
"Now Tully, had a match. Ole, and I had a match. Ric Flair had a match. JJ was managing, and it just so happened on this particular backstage promo. We all had to get in there at one time because there just was not enough time to cover all those matches." - Arn Anderson
The Four Horsemen came together rather serendipitously
During the talk with Lucha Libre Online, Arn recalled how there were four of them who all needed promo time - so it was decided to combine them all into one interview.
"There wasn't [enough time] for interview segments, and there were four of us. [It] made sense [to have] one interview segment. We had to cover those matches, and when it came my turn to speak, [I was] looking, for the first time, at Ric Flair, Ole, Tully, myself, and JJ. I was looking at that picture and just almost like magic, it popped into my head..."
What "popped into" Arn's mind was the biblical quote about the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse. Anderson would famously go on to christen the group by proclaiming, "You're looking at the Four Horsemen of professional wrestling."
"[W]hen it was over, [announcer] Tony [Schiavone] walked up to me and went, ‘Jesus Christ, Arn! You just named you guys’. I [said] ‘You think so?’”
The following week, Anderson explained, the four upright finger gesture that has come to represent the group came about, and the rest was history. The Four Horsemen were born.
"It wasn't booked by an office, a booker didn't come up with it, and it just kind of evolved. It just happened, and we went with it."
Anderson told Torres, "I don't care if I was part of it. It was the most influential group to ever be assembled in the history of professional wrestling."
Arn Anderson currently works at All Elite Wrestling as part of the Nightmare Family and recently introduced his son, Brock, to the company.