The Fliehr/Lunde/Rogowski/Blanchard Award - Best Stable of 2010

WINNER - THE NEXUS

Almost every member of the Internet Wrestling Community loves to lament about how WWE bungled the potential of the storyline, but we have to admit, none of us even saw it coming. There can be little argument that the group of rookies who "invaded" Raw six months ago gave us our most compelling stable of the year. After the memorable debut night that saw them batter everything and everyone in sight, they went on to a hugely engrossing hostile takeover/invasion storyline that climaxed in the main event of Summerslam. The Nexus was a stroke of inspiration by WWE, and they ended up creating 8 potential stars in one shot, while giving us our most unpredictable storyline in months and months. The group has been kept fresh since then with several additions and deletions, and has ridden high on the fantastic presence and verbal skills of its leader, Wade Barrett, aided by clever booking by WWE. A long feud with John Cena looks apparent.

1st RUNNER UP - THE STRAIGHT EDGE SOCIETY
The release of Serena and the injury to Joey Mercury meant a premature end to what was the hottest ensemble act in wrestling before the Nexus came on the scene. If the SES hadn't folded so early, they might have even won this award. Nobody is better than CM Punk at drawing heat from live crowds, and the addition of three brainwashed, machine-like disciples to his gimmick was a brilliant touch. The Straight Edge Pledge segments were the most electric week in and week out while they lasted. The SES produced some epic promos and moments, the most memorable being Punk singing "Happy Birthday" to Rey Mysterio's daughter, one of the best heel performances ever.

2nd RUNNER UP - THE IMMORTAL/FORTUNE ALLIANCE

They more or less win this award by default, as their only competition was the pointless Ev2.0 and the obsolete Beautiful People. The alliance between Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff's Immortal, and Ric Flair's Fortune has produced some fun moments though. This is a stable that is still in its infancy, and will be one to watch in 2011. My main criticism of this group,

though, is its size. There are so many people in this Alliance that I couldn't even find one photo containing them all. It's members currently include Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair, AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Kazarian, James Storm, Robert Roode, Abyss, Rob Terry and Jeff Hardy. They recently dropped Matt Morgan and Doug Williams, but that's still eleven people. I can't even figure out if I've left someone out. I understand that TNA has to accomodate their large roster into two hours of television time, which does lead to some cramming. But it makes for messy viewing sometimes. Nevertheless, most members are quite talented, so while the quantity may be overwhelming, it comes with quality as well. A bit of trimming next year, or just more structured booking, and we could have a top-notch stable.

This award represents the group of wrestlers or "stable" who have performed best in the year. The award is named after perhaps the most celebrated stable in history, The Four Horsemen, which comprised Ric Flair (Richard Fliehr), Arn Anderson (Martin Lunde), Ole Anderson (Alan Rogowski) and Tully Blanchard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_(professional_wrestling)