Faction warfare in wrestling is alive and well in 2024.

WWE had its fair share of groups throughout the 1990s and early 2000s before it became a lost art form in the years that followed. An elite few stables, such as Evolution and The Shield, found success, but most failed to catch fire and quickly dissolved.

Meanwhile, factions have been popular in New Japan Pro-Wrestling for many years, which is what led to Bullet Club coming to be in 2013. Once that trend carried over into AEW, several stables were a part of the promotion from the get-go.

Triple H and Shawn Michaels taking the reins of WWE creative in recent years has resulted in a resurgence of stables across Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Some are stronger than others, but they've largely carried WWE programming during the D-Generation X regime and have improved the overall quality of all three brands.

When executed properly, faction warfare in wrestling can be incredibly fun to follow. It's why WarGames and the AEW equivalent, Blood and Guts, have become exciting annual staples for both companies.

The following are the best five factions currently in WWE and AEW thanks to their booking, level of intrigue, amount of accomplishments, match quality, storyline significance, and overall cohesion.

Honorable Mentions

Blackpool Combat Club

Despite their many accolades together and individually, the biggest factor holding back Blackpool Combat Club is that they don't appear and compete alongside each other often enough.

Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta are a fearsome foursome, but each of them has mostly been doing their own thing throughout 2024. They're a united front when they go to war together, but their matches as a faction are far and few between these days.

Damage CTRL

The once-Bayley-led faction gave WWE's women's division a real shot of adrenaline in the early days of the Triple H era. After largely being booked like a stepping stone for their first year, the group finally found their footing in the latter half of 2023 with Iyo Sky at the helm as WWE Women's champion.

They've had a consistent presence on WWE TV since then and currently consist of Sky, Dakota Kai, Asuka and the returning Kairi Sane. Sky's recent teasing that change is imminent could indicate that they're in line for a renewed push on Raw, potentially as babyfaces.

House of Black

Malakai Black got the group he long had been looking for in AEW at the onset of 2022. The former NXT champion joining forces with Brody King and Buddy Matthews made them an unstoppable force, just in time for the inception of the AEW World Trios Championship that summer.

The group collectively known as House of Black held those titles for nearly six months and is now in hot pursuit of getting the belts back.

The LWO

Rey Mysterio reviving The LWO in early 2023 to counteract The Judgment Day (of which his son Dominik is a member) was the best thing that could have happened to him at this stage of his career.

It's given several fresh faces, such as Dragon Lee, Zelina Vega, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz del Toro, the chance to associate with and learn from arguably the greatest luchador of all time. They're perennial fan favorites but need more championship gold to move up the ranks.

5. The Wyatt Sicks

Although The Wyatt Sicks are still in their infancy as a faction, there is no denying the chaos they've caused and the buzz they've generated in a relatively short span of time.

The cryptic vignettes hyping their arrival began airing immediately following WrestleMania 40, though it wasn't until the post-Clash at the Castle edition of Raw that they finally made their presence felt at the end of the night.

Their debut, which saw them leave a path of destruction in the backstage area, was masterfully shot and came off exceptionally well. It served as the perfect tribute to the late, great Bray Wyatt.

The question then turned to whether WWE could follow up on it accordingly, and so far, they've done an effective job with that, too.

The series of sit-down interviews with Erick Rowan and Bo Dallas, a.k.a. Uncle Howdy, have provided insight on what brought them together and what they aim to achieve. They've also simultaneously been targeting Chad Gable ahead of an eventual match between him and, presumably, Dallas.

They've maintained their mystique in the last month and are well on their way to becoming a top act on the Raw roster, assuming WWE can continue to tread lightly with them.

4. The Patriarchy

As someone who many believed was firmly retired from active competition for several years, Christian Cage has been a revelation in AEW since signing in early 2021. His babyface run was solid, but it wasn't until he turned heel that he took his character work to the next level.

That was the genesis of his alliance with Luchasaurus, now known as Killswitch. Nick Wayne soon followed suit along with his mother, Shayna Wayne, and thus, The Patriarchy was born.

Cage elevated the AEW TNT Championship to new heights and had The Patriarchy by his side for the entirety of his two title reigns. Nick and Shayna play the perfect followers, while Killswitch resisting some of Cage's demands has made for strong subtle storytelling.

After Cage's second stint as TNT champ came to an end, it wasn't long before he reemerged in the AEW World Championship picture with the rest of The Patriarchy. Although he fell short of unseating Swerve Strickland at Double or Nothing, the group bounced back by becoming AEW World Trios champions on the July 20 edition of Collision.

Between his exemplary heel mic work and above-average matches, Cage can always be counted on for entertaining television. The Patriarchy completes his act and has shown that they can excel in every area of the card.

3. The Elite

The Elite's breakaway from Bullet Club in late 2018 coincided with their launch of AEW soon after, instantly cementing them as the top featured act in the promotion.

Even after Cody Rhodes embarked on his path following Double or Nothing 2020, the arc of Adam Page, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks continued to dominate AEW programming through 2022, culminating in their grand reunion as babyfaces in 2023.

Upon turning heel earlier this year, the Bucks regained some of the luster they lost and were soon joined by Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry to form the new-and-improved Elite. Within months, all four members captured gold and seized total control of the company—albeit temporarily—by attacking AEW president Tony Khan.

Beyond Blood and Guts, it remains to be seen what the ultimate endgame with The Elite is. Omega's eventual return will give them their biggest foil yet, but until they target the AEW World Championship, they're bound to remain in the same spot they've occupied for the last little while.

At the very least, their ability to reinvent themselves and remain relevant through their various incarnations has been nothing short of impressive.

2. The Judgment Day

A rough start for The Judgment Day with Edge at the helm in 2022 didn't deter them from turning things around and, in time, becoming the best thing on Raw from week to week.

Removing Edge from the equation and replacing him with Dominik Mysterio, along with the additions of Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh, injected new life into the group. The already-established members Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley have been the glue that's held them together, even through periods of turmoil and dissension.

In 2024 alone, they held the World Heavyweight Championship, the Women's World Championship, and the World Tag Team Championship. WrestleMania 40 marked a new era for the stable, with Priest and Ripley beginning to branch off on their own while Bálor, Mysterio, McDonagh and honorary member Carlito have remained a cohesive unit.

What's made Judgment Day a fantastic faction in the last year has been the attention to detail, the tension they've teased and the seeds that have been planted. Ripley and Priest's exile is inevitable, and the road WWE has taken to get there has made for must-see programming on Monday nights.

Judgment Day's demise is fast approaching, but they're a force to be reckoned with for now.

1. The Bloodline

For four years, The Bloodline have had a stranglehold on SmackDown and that hasn't changed even with Roman Reigns on hiatus.

The faction's dominance peaked heading into WrestleMania 39 when Reigns and The Usos were all champions concurrently, but the Bloodline saga was still the greatest thing going prior to SummerSlam that year once The Usos betrayed Reigns in shocking fashion.

With Reigns gone, Solo Sikoa has resumed the role of Tribal Chief and recruited the likes of Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and even Jacob Fatu into The Bloodline's ranks. Fatu has emerged as the real difference-maker by having one of the most destructive debuts in recent WWE history.

They may not currently carry any gold, but the carnage they've left in their wake has made enough of an impact. That includes Jimmy Uso, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and even their own "Wiseman" Paul Heyman.

To say that the storyline surrounding The Bloodline has been carrying SmackDown since WrestleMania 40 would be a massive understatement. Every week brings a new development, and the best is yet to come with Reigns' return on the horizon.

Unlike The Judgment Day, a new era is underway for The Bloodline that could surpass anything we've seen from the stable so far.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.