Hall of Famer Arn Anderson has been making a name for himself on his podcast, “The Arn Show“, for sharing his honest and well thought out opinions on various wrestling topics. At his latest show at WrestleCon, he named his choices for a modern day Four Horsemen stable.
His choices were Cody Rhodes, The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder), and Braun Strowman.
It’s an honor to be chosen
The Four Horsemen were founded in 1985 and included Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard with James J. Dillon as their manager They were the first heel stable, and their success as a dominant force in NWA opened the door for other heel factions. As Jim Ross said on the 2007 Four Horsemen DVD, “without the Horsemen there would damn sure be no nWo or no DX.”
They were groundbreaking and led to some of the best wrestling storylines and feuds in history, and survived several reincarnations until finally disbanding in 1999.
Their legacy has continued as the name gave birth to the Four Horsewomen, a mixed martial artists group consisting of Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir, who adopted the name with the blessing of Anderson and Flair.
The WWE tagged Bayley, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks the Four Horsewomen of NXT when they were with the developmental brand. They’ve been referred to as the Four Horsewomen since, despite being on opposite sides more times than not. This group was largely responsible for the transformation of the WWE’s women’s division from sex appeal to athleticism, at least partly igniting the current women’s evolution in professional wrestling.
What about the choices?
This is something that’s been picked apart by fans as we’ve chosen our favorites or those we feel work better. Personally, I think Arn Anderson knows what he’s talking about as he’s always been a true Four Horseman.
For instance, Cody Rhodes makes perfect sense in the Ric Flair role. He’s in the prime of his career, has the charisma and mat skills needed, and looks like he was made for the role.
Braun Strowman has been labeled the Enforcer (Arn’s role) by many, but I view him more as an Ole Anderson than not. Partly due to his hulking size, but also because the Rivalry fit Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson better.
In the lats 80s, Blanchard and Arn Anderson formed the Brainbusters in the WWE. Managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, they were as dominant in their single year there as they were in the NWA and Jim Crocket Promotion (eventually bought by Ted Turner and became WCW). They’re credited with three tag team championships (2 NWA, 1 WWE).
The Revival are so similar to the Brainbusters it’s kinda freaky, but it’s what makes them a perfect choice. Their throwback style (sorry, not everyone needs to jump and leap around to put on a good match) matches Arn Anderson and Blanchard’s well, making them a perfect fit.
Of course, this is only my opinion and you have your own. One thing I think we can all agree with is ow cool would it be to see the stables’s official rebirth as a modern day Four Horsemen? Since Arn Anderson named the modern day Four Horsemen, maybe he and Flair could be their managers and bring it full circle? Just a thought.
