10 Superstars You May Have Forgotten Were In The Four Horsemen Faction
The Four Horsemen are undeniably one of the greatest factions in wrestling history. Led by "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, the stable was formed in 1985, and consisted of Arn and Ole Anderson, along with Tully Blanchard, and James J. Dillon acting as the group's manager.
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The Four Horsemen would dominate wrestling storylines until in-and-around 1999, and finally take their rightful spot in WWE's Hall of Fame in 2012. While Barry Windham was not part of the group's original four, he was very much considered a part of the faction, aligned with the stable from 1988 to 1989, and once again from 1990 to 1991.
With that said, a lot of other characters rotated through the Horsemen's cast. Below are 10 superstars fans may have forgotten were part of the Four Horsemen faction, during their heyday.
10 Sting
It's hard to believe that Sting was once a part of the Four Horsemen, considering his long-time rivalry over the years with Ric Flair. However, he was part of the faction for a short amount of time, in the earlier years of his career. Sting would join the faction in 1989, when he came to the aid of Flair after being attacked by Terry Funk and Muta during the main event for the Great American Bash.
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He, along with Arn, Ole, and Flair, formed a new version of the Four Horsemen, but this alliance would be cut short in early 1990 shortly after Sting became the number one contender for Ric's National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Championship.
9 Lex Lugar
Lugar also had quite the feud with Naitch over the years. However, this wasn't always the case. When Lex first joined the NWA in 1987, he was booked as an "associate" to the Four Horsemen and would eventually join the stable a little later when Ole was kicked out as an "official" member of the group. Lex Lugar's tenure in the Four Horsemen was short-lived as some months later that year during the Starrcade event, he would lose his NWA U.S. title as a result of J.J. Dillon interfering in the match. The relationships between him and the Horsemen were null and void, and he would never re-enter the group.
8 Sid Vicious
Seems as if Lugar wasn't the only superstar to get his start with the Four Horsemen. When Sid Vicious made his debut in May 1990 on NWA's Power Hour, he was introduced as the newest member of the Four Horsemen. He enjoyed feuds with Junkyard Dog, Paul Orndoff, as well as then-NWA Champion, Sting. Sadly his partnership with the Four Horsemen ended when the stable amicably split in April of the following year. Vicious would then set sail for the WWE, thus ending his tenure with the infamous faction, never to join the group again.
7 Paul Roma
He may have only been a Horsemen for mere months. However, Paul Roma still holds the bragging rights that he was a part of one of the most dominant factions in wrestling history. He became a part of the Four Horsemen in May 1993 when he signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and with Flair back in the WCW fold, a Horsemen reunion was promised to fans (and delivered). While Roma and Arn Anderson would hold the WCW Tag titles that year, his love affair with the Horsemen would end later in December 1993, thanks to a heel turn on Roma's part.
6 Brian Pillman
The Four Horsemen were infamous for their ploys and sneak attacks back in the day. Despite being in a feud with Ric Flair in 1995, Pillman and Arn Anderson were booked for a match with Sting and his then-ally "The Nature Boy" at Halloween Havoc. During the match, Flair would turn on an unknowing Sting, and the Four Horsemen would reunite. Pillman, Flair, Anderson, and Chris Benoit made up the faction this time around. As 1995 came to a close, Pillman would dive deeper into his "Loose Cannon" gimmick, and after a few incidents, he was fired from WCW in 1996, ultimately ending his Four Horsemen stint.
5 Chris Benoit
Speaking of Benoit, he had quite the history with the Four Horsemen. His first run with the faction began in 1995, when he impressed WCW higher ups and was approached by Naitch himself to join the reformed faction that year. He would end his alliance with the group in 1997, and rejoin in September of 1998.
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At that point in time, the stable consisted of Benoit, Dean Malenko, Arn Anderson, and Steve "Mongo" McMichael. The four would stay in this alliance until mid-1999, after a fallout, where Benoit would form "The Revolution" faction with Perry Saturn, Shane Douglas, as well as Dean Malenko.
4 Steve McMichael
It is somewhat surprising that Steve McMichael wasn't a part of the Four Horsemen's WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2013, considering his history with (and loyalty to) the group. He would join the crew in 1996, and would stay committed to the faction until 1997 when the group disbanded. When the stable decided to come together once again in 1998, McMichael joined Ric Flair, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit (and Arn Anderson as a manager) to reform the Four Horseman. He stayed with the crew until his final Nitro appearance in February 1999.
3 Jeff Jarrett
When Jeff Jarrett joined WCW in 1996, he debuted in the company as a "free agent" between rivaling stables nWo and the Horsemen. He'd "win" his spot into the Four Horsemen during the Starrcade event that year after defeating members McMichael and Benoit, albeit by cheating, but he still was "in." His stint with the faction was a short one, and he'd get kicked out later that year after embarking on a feud with fellow stablemate Steve McMichael, over his wife Debra. Jarrett left shortly after the fact for WWE.
2 Curt Hennig
"Mr. Perfect" seemed liked the natural candidate for a Four Horsemen stint. His in-ring persona mirrored that of "The Nature Boy," and he was the perfect fit (pun intended) to join this elite crew of men. Hennig would join the Four Horsemen in mid-1997, taking Arn Anderson's spot, as he was retiring. However, his entire stint only lasted for about a month and was a setup. Hennig would turn heel at the WarGames event, turning on his Horsemen group, and joining the nWO.
1 Dean Malenko
The very final run for the Four Horsemen came in late 1998, and Dean Malenko was solicited for this, along with Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael, and Double A as a manager. The main reason behind the reunion was to battle the nWo, and Dean had a pretty good program (along with Benoit as a partner), against Curt Hennig and Barry Windham. This saw them ultimately win the WCW Tag Titles. Sadly, the group would disband in mid-1999, leaving Malenko as one of the last superstars to join this iconic wrestling faction.
