The League of Nations is a fairly-new stable inside the WWE. It involves Sheamus, recent WWE World Heavyweight champion, Rusev, Wade Barrett and Alberto Del Rio, the United States champion. When it first began, it looked like an initial shot at getting Sheamus over as a mega-heel in the company. After a few poor creative decisions, and a lack of strong booking of the stable, the League of Nations didn’t get off to a good start.
Perhaps, if they had Barrett and Rusev capture the WWE Tag-Team championships, the stable would’ve looked much stronger. Sheamus was a good heel champion, simply due to the disdain received by the WWE Universe. They’d rather see Roman Reigns hold the strap, which is where the WWE is today. Barrett’s neck injury didn’t help gain any momentum.
The @WWE World Heavyweight Champion @WWERomanReigns is in the building! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/7arDcK6mGw
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 1, 2016
The “addition by subtraction” method had the chance of being a good plan to help get the stable over. All four men are great workers with strengths in different areas. Sheamus and Barrett have the mic skills. Del Rio and Rusev’s wrestling skills speak for themselves. They are still missing something that gives the stable an edge over all WWE superstars in their way. The League of Nations is missing a true mouthpiece.
According to Wrestlezone.com and PWInsider.com, the League of Nations almost had one of the most-popular WWE superstars in the company today, Kevin Owens.
“According to PWInsider.com , the original creative plan for The League of Nations faction was to include Kevin Owens, however Owens and his son became very ill while on the road with WWE and Owens was subsequently sent home from a week’s worth of TV tapings. That was the same week the League of Nations group debuted, so Owens was replaced.”
After the League of Nations had time to stabilize, Owens would’ve given that stable what they needed to succeed in the WWE. Right now, they aren’t being taken seriously. It was a good idea, one that is tried and true in wrestling history. Four foreigners fighting together always works as a heel stable. The execution just isn’t there right now.
WWE fans won’t buy the League of Nations until they make a true impact. Unfortunately, when Sheamus loses to Roman Reigns on WWE Raw tomorrow night, they’ll go slowly down the path of irrelevance. Sheamus talked with DC 101 and discussed the creation of the League of Nations.
“There’s a lot of heavyweights in there, in terms of gold and honor, and we all share the same interests. We’re tired of fighting against each other when we should have been fighting together.”
Would Kevin Owens have shifted the focus of the League of Nations into a powerhouse stable in the WWE? Many more fans took a liking to Owens, rather than the four members right now. Sheamus was likable as a face. Rusev didn’t get enough time as a heel to really get over. King Barrett was over during his “Bad News Barrett” persona. As for Del Rio, he was one of the most-passionate wrestlers on the planet in Lucha Underground.
Alberto Del Rio hypes tonight’s RAW, Biff Busick teases his WWE debut https://t.co/7h5Jy0dURC pic.twitter.com/TST5VYW8ZP
— Wrestling News Post (@WrestNewsPost) December 28, 2015
That isn’t visible in the WWE during his comeback. If Owens wasn’t sick, then he’d be in the League of Nations and probably on his way to a WWE World Heavyweight championship opportunity down the road. Instead, he’s feuding with Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose in the mid-card. Plans do change, however, on any given Sunday in the WWE.
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