Since Paul "Triple H" Levesque assumed the role of Chief Content Officer of WWE, factions have become a key element of his booking strategy. According to former WWE Creative team member Freddie Prinze Jr, it is a formula he long fought for.

On an edition of his podcast, Wrestling With Freddie, the movie star and longtime wrestling fan revealed, "He would fight for factions, and more and more of them. He was fighting for 'Game of Thrones' storylines before 'Game of Thrones' the book was written. He loved it. He thought that's what would dominate the stories, and you could get a lot of different matches out of those. And he would pitch it all the time, and Vince [McMahon] would shoot it down all the time," (h/t WrestlingInc for the transcription).

Without McMahon to stunt his vision, Levesque has reintroduced the wrestling world to factions and the benefit they can provide creatively. From fresh match-ups to layered storytelling, there are many advantages to implementing Superstars groups to the product and allowing them to intertwine with others.

Still, perhaps none are more important than the creation of new stars, both in WWE and its counterpart, AEW.

AEW: Laying the Groundwork for the Future

"Hangman" Adam Page began his rise as a member of The Elite and from that faction, his character arc began and evolved, from promising star of the future to established main event competitor and former world champion.

The Elite's battles with The Inner Circle defined the early months of the company and helped with the introduction of Sammy Guevara, Ortiz, and Santana on a national level.

From there, The Dark Order, Team Taz, The Dark Order, Best Friends, the Don Callis Family, the Jericho Appreciation Society, and Blackpool Combat Club all found varying degrees of success in the promotion.

The result has been the emergence of foundational pieces of the company's present and future, such as Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, Orange Cassidy, Konosuke Takeshita, and Kyle Fletcher, and a platform on which to keep things fresh with veteran competitors like Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson.

The revitalization of The Elite, with The Young Bucks, Jack Perry, and Kazuchika Okada assuming the mantle previously carried by Matt and Nick Jackson, Kenny Omega, and Page, has ensured the group remains at the center of the promotion.

While there are questions to be asked as to whether Tony Khan has ever realized the fullest potential of any of those groups in his booking, there is no denying that significant eras of AEW can be defined by factions and the wars between them.

Not unlike this new Paul Levesque Era of WWE.

WWE: It's All About The Game and How You Play It

Levesque is no stranger to the significance a faction can have on a Superstar's career trajectory. He, himself, rose to prominence as a member of D-Generation X before exploding into the main event stratosphere, first as a member of The Corporation, then as one of the faces of the McMahon-Helmsley Era alongside his wife, Stephanie.

From there, he was instrumental in the future of professional wrestling as the leader of Evolution, which contributed to the main event rise of Randy Orton and Batista. Both men became centerpieces of an entire era as a result of their time under Triple H and Ric Flair's leadership, as Seth Rollins did during his run at the forefront of The Authority, another Triple H-led group.

Now overseeing all of WWE, he has had significant input in the reintroduction of factions as a valuable creative tool.

The Bloodline was already in place when he took over from Vince McMahon, but under his guide, has seen everyone in and around it enhanced.

From Sami Zayn emerging from the undercard to become the most popular wrestler in the company, to Kevin Owens reuniting with his friend and defeating The Usos in the tag team main event of WrestleMania 39, and the arrival of Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Jacob Fatu, it has consistently enhanced the significance and popularity of everyone involved.

Look no further than Raw headliner Jey Uso, whose singles success can be directly attributed to the story that unfolded between him and Roman Reigns in 2023.

Even Reigns has benefitted exponentially.

Formerly a despised babyface, he returned from a hiatus in 2020 to become the Tribal Chief and leader of The Bloodline and after seeing his role seized by Solo Sikoa during his latest break, has returned as the extraordinarily popular lead babyface the prior regime always hoped he would be.

Over on the Raw brand side of things has been The Judgment Day, a faction that was in shambles following a messy and ineffective rollout with Edge as its leader, only to be lifted up by the creative team under Levesque and rebuilt into the central group of Monday nights.

Rhea Ripley emerged as the star first, becoming women's world champion and capturing that all-important aura that connected her with fans in a way she had struggled to initially. From there, Finn Bálor revived his career with a heel turn that saw him join Ripley and Damian Priest, and JD McDonagh made the transition from NXT to the main roster by joining the group.

Dominik Mysterio underwent a character transformation from the timid son of Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio to the most hated man in professional wrestling.

Priest was the biggest winner, though, finally finding a role for himself on television that allowed him to highlight his personality, be himself, reach the levels of success reflective of his ability, and culminated in a World Heavyweight Championship win at WrestleMania XL.

The dismissal of Priest and Ripley upon babyface turns, and the introduction of Liv Morgan and Carlito, have ensured the group will continue, evolving and growing while providing fans with new match-ups and story wrinkles along the way. Add that to the two white-hot babyfaces WWE has in The Terror Twins and the positive effects of the group are unquestionable.

Everyone involved with Judgment Day is infinitely better off than they were before Levesque and Co. got their hands on the faction and molded it in their image. Their work with that group has been indicative of the power of the factions and all that they can do for, and mean to, a show.

It is no surprise that those two factions dominating their respective shows have been in-line with WWE's massive run and return to popular culture. High tides raise all ships and those two factions have been responsible for the introduction of new stars, the re-emergence of the veterans in the groups, and compelling storylines that have captivated audiences by making them care about the participants and their relationships.

It has been key to the success the company has experienced over the last year and will continue to be. Much like The Four Horseman caught Levesque's attention as a fan, thanks to their many battles with Lex Luger, Sting, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, and The Road Warriors, modern factions will continue to fuel storytelling, churn out intriguing match-ups, and keep fans filling arenas to see what is next between their favorite stars, their teammates, and those who oppose them.