Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)

The Four Horsemen (also spelt IV Horsemen) was a popular professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson have been constant members in each incarnation of the group except once following Arn Anderson's back injury where Curt Hennig was given Arn's 'spot' in the Horsemen.

History

The original Four Horsemen (1986 - 1987)

The Four Horsemen formed in January 1986 with Ric Flair, with Flair's cousins Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard, with James J. Dillon as their manager. They feuded with Dusty Rhodes (breaking his ankle and hand), Magnum TA, Barry Windham, The Rock 'N Roll Express (breaking Ricky Morton's nose), Nikita Koloff (injuring his neck), and The Road Warriors. Dusty Rhodes, Animal, Hawk, Ronnie Garvin and many others fought Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Title during that time period. They always had most of the titles in the NWA, and they often bragged about their success (in the ring and with women) in their interviews.

The Four Horsemen moniker was not planned from the start. Due to time constraints at a TV taping, production threw together an impromptu tag team interview of Flair, the Andersons, Tully Blanchard and Dillon; all were now united after Ole Anderson returned and, along with Flair and Arn, tried to break Dusty's leg during a wrestling event at the Omni in Atlanta during the summer of 1985. It was during this interview that Arn said something to the effect of "The only time this much havoc had been wreaked by this few a number of people, you need to go all the way back to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!". The comparison and the name stuck. Nevertheless, Arn has said in an RF Video shoot interview that he, Flair and Tully Blanchard were as close as anybody could be away from the ring while they were together. They lived the gimmick outside of the arena, as they took limos and jets to the cities they wrestled in. Baby Doll was Flair's valet for a couple of months in 1986, after previously managing Tully Blanchard during 1985.

Lex Luger and Barry Windham (1987 - 1989)

In February 1987, WCW newcomer Lex Luger was made an associate member of the group after he expressed his desire to become a Horseman. The others started to leave Ole out of things, after he cost him and Arn Anderson the NWA Tag Team Titles at Starrcade 1986, and eventually he was kicked out in favor of Luger that March. The fact that Ole missed a show to watch his son Brian wrestle was used against Ole in the split as Tully Blanchard and Dillon questioned Ole's loyalty and Tully called Brian a "snot-nosed kid."

During this time, they wrestled Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering in a series of War Games matches. These matches were brutal and ended up with all 5 members of each team in the cage at the end trying to make somebody submit. During the first match, Dillon suffered a separated shoulder from a botched attempt at the Warriors' finishing move, the Doomsday Device. Dillon landed directly on his right arm and shoulder, and was replaced for the series of matches by the masked War Machine, later known as the Big Bossman.

Luger was kicked out for first blaming Horseman manager J.J. Dillon for costing him the U.S. Title, when his attempt to help him win by cheating backfired, and subsequently, not allowing Dillon to win a Bunkhouse Stampede match as the Horsemen had agreed to among themselves. In January 1988, he teamed with Barry Windham to feud with the Horsemen. The pair even defeated Anderson and Tully Blanchard for the NWA World Tag Team Championship at the inaugural Clash of the Champions. In April 1988, Windham turned on Luger and took his spot in the Horsemen during a title defense against Anderson and Tully Blanchard. This group of Horsemen has been called the greatest as far as technical wrestlers goes. It was also in this year when the Horsemen held all of the major NWA titles at once, with Flair as the World Champion, Windham as the United States Champion, and Arn and Tully as the Tag Team Champions. This feat was only duplicated by Evolution, another 4 man team where Flair was also a member who, along with Batista, won the World Tag Team Championship, Triple H as the World Heavyweight Champion, and Randy Orton as the WWE Intercontinental Champion, all won on Armageddon 2003; and also by the four-member 2000 "reformation" of the nWo in which Bret Hart, as World Champion, joined with Jeff Jarrett as United States Champion, and The Outsiders as World Tag Team Champions.

In September 1988, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard left to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) dropping the tag titles at the very last minute to the Midnight Express (Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton). Anderson and Blanchard were known as "The Brain Busters" in the WWF, managed by Bobby "the Brain" Heenan.

Flair, Windham, and Dillon continued to refer to themselves as "the Horsemen" and the NWA even flirted with the idea of bringing in new members. Butch Reed was signed to wrestle solo matches with Dillon as his manager. Then in February 1989, Barry's brother Kendall Windham appeared to have joined them and even held up the four fingers after turning on Eddie Gilbert during a tag team match. Then Dillon left to take a front office job with the WWF, and they dropped the Horsemen name, hiring Hiro Matsuda as their new manager. Shortly thereafter, Windham lost the U.S. Title to Lex Luger and he too departed for the WWF.

The Horsemen concept helped define the NWA in the mid to late 1980s. The departure of Anderson and Blanchard was huge at the time, Dillon and Windham's departure made it worse, and despite numerous revivals over the coming decade, things were never quite the same.

Sting and Sid Vicious (1989 - 1991)

The Horsemen reformed in December 1989 in the NWA. Flair, Arn & Ole Anderson, and long standing rival Sting formed the group in a shocker. They were faces and feuded with Gary Hart's J-Tex Corporation of Terry Funk, Great Muta, Buzz Sawyer and The Dragonmaster. At the culmination of this feud the group returned to being heels, kicking Sting out for daring to challenge Ric Flair for the World Title. Woman soon became Flair's valet. They feuded with Luger, Sting, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner and El Gigante during this time.

In May 1990, Ole became the manager and they added Barry Windham and Sid Vicious to fill out the group. They feuded with the Dudes With Attitudes which consisted of Sting, Luger, the Steiner Brothers, Paul Orndorff and Junkyard Dog. By the end of 1990, Ole and Woman left the NWA. Ted Turner had bought Jim Crockett Promotions, the largest faction of the NWA, and turned it into World Championship Wrestling.

In October 1990, another Horsemen legend occurred. WCW World Champion Sting was defending his title against the Horsemen's Sid Vicious at the Halloween Havoc pay-per-view. During the match, Sting and Vicious brawled backstage. A few moments later, they returned to the ring. Sting attempted to slam Sid, but lost his balance and fell to the mat with Sid on top of him. Vicious got the pin and became the new World Heavyweight Champion. However, it was revealed that the Horsemen had attacked Sting after the brawl into the backstage area. It was then that Barry Windham (in matching Sting gear and face paint) inserted himself into the match and let Vicious pin him. The real Sting showed up after the three count, which caused the match to be restarted. The real Sting was able to defeat Sid and retain the title.

The Horsemen line-up of Flair, Anderson, Windham and Vicious eventually broke up and went their own ways. In May 1991, Sid left for the WWF. Flair also joined the WWF in August of that year. Windham turned face during a feud with soon-to-be WCW Champion Lex Luger. Anderson started teaming with Larry Zbyszko; the duo soon joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance.

Three Horsemen (1993)

The next incarnation was from May 1993 to December 1993. Flair returned from the WWF to WCW to rejoin Arn and they promised a Horsemen reunion at the Slamboree PPV. Pretty Paul Roma replaced Blanchard, who could not work because of a failed drug test. Ole Anderson was on hand as the adviser but made only one appearance on A Flair for the Gold. This group of Horsemen is considered by many wrestling fans to be the weakest incarnation of the group. They were good guys again and feuded with Barry Windham and the Hollywood Blondes (Steve Austin and Brian Pillman). This group ended with Roma turning on Erik Watts during a tag team match to join Paul Orndorff as the tag team of Pretty Wonderful.

The 1995 - 1997 incarnation

In 1995, Flair and Arn (back to being heels) were teaming with Vader to torment Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. After Vader lost to Hogan in a steel cage match at Bash at the Beach, Flair entered the cage and lambasted him. Vader snapped and attacked Flair, and Arn came to his rescue. This led to a handicap match at Clash of the Champions XXXI, in which Vader defeated the team of Flair and Arn. Flair and Arn began to bicker, as Arn always felt he was doing Flair's dirty work; a feud developed that led to a match at the Fall Brawl PPV on September 19, 1995 in Asheville, North Carolina. Arn defeated Flair with the help of Brian Pillman. Flair begged Sting to help him against them but he did not trust Flair. After weeks, Sting agreed and Flair ended up turning on him at the Halloween Havoc PPV to reform the Horsemen with Arn and Pillman. They quickly added Chris Benoit to fill out the group. This version of the Horsemen feuded with Hogan, Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger. Flair eventually took Miss Elizabeth and Woman from Hogan and Savage, and they were his valets for the next six months.

In early 1996, Pillman started his infamous "Loose Cannon" storyline and started a feud with Kevin Sullivan. He ended up leaving WCW, going to ECW, and eventually the WWF in February and Benoit took over to create one of the most talked about feuds of all time. In this feud, Woman, who was really married to Sullivan, left him for Benoit. However, life imitated art, and Woman actually left Sullivan for Benoit. This feud got heated and some of the matches were shoot-style with the performers using stiff or even full contact moves, rather than the typical North American style of softening maneuvers.

In June 1996 at the Great American Bash, former football player Steve "Mongo" McMichael turned on Kevin Greene in a "gimmick match" and joined them. During this match, McMichael's then-wife Debra was chased to the back by Woman and Elizabeth, but later came back with them and a steel briefcase, which she handed to her husband. Mongo opened it to reveal a Horsemen t-shirt and money; after thinking it over, he closed the briefcase and hit Greene with it, allowing Flair to score the pin on Greene. McMichael was officially inducted as the fourth Horseman, and in the process gave the group another ringside valet in Debra. The online rumors pages said that Debra and Woman did not get along behind the scenes. This quickly played out on TV too, as they constantly bickered, and Benoit and Mongo had to step in.

When the nWo was founded the next month, the Horsemen became de facto babyfaces along with the rest of the WCW roster. In September, Flair and Anderson teamed with their bitter rivals, Sting and Luger, to lose to the nWo (Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and an impostor Sting in the WarGames match at Fall Brawl when Luger submitted to the impostor Sting's Scorpion Deathlock. This angered Anderson, and he feuded with Luger for the next month. In October, two developments occurred that affected the group. First, Jeff Jarrett came over to WCW from the WWF, and expressed his desire to join the Horsemen. He immediately gained a fan in Ric Flair, much to the chagrin of the other Horsemen. The next week, Miss Elizabeth officially announced that she had joined the nWo.

Flair finally let Jarrett join the group in February 1997 but the others did not want him. Jarrett began bickering with Mongo over Debra's attention, and in June won the U.S. Title from Dean Malenko, with the help of Eddie Guerrero; in July he was kicked out of the stable by Flair. In a move uncharacteristic of the Horsemen, however, Jarrett was allowed to literally walk away, instead of receiving a classic Horsemen beatdown as was expected. He eventually took Debra from Mongo, but Mongo took Jarrett's U.S. Title. To this date, amongst fans and members of the Four Horsemen, there is still debate whether to include Jeff Jarrett as a Horsemen. In his biography, Arn Anderson clearly states that "Jeff Jarrett was never a Horseman." His "membership" and his easy departure leaves the situation ambiguous. The Four Horsemen usually pick their own members, but at the time, WCW held extreme control over storylines and this may have forced them to accept a member for those purposes only and not by choice.

In August 1997, Arn Anderson retired due to a neck/back injury that did not allow him to wrestle. Curt Hennig took his spot as "The Enforcer." In September, Hennig turned on the Horsemen and joined the nWo. Flair disbanded the group and they went their separate ways.

The final incarnation (1998 - 1999)

The last incarnation came in September 1998. On the September 15 edition of WCW Monday Nitro in Greenville, South Carolina when Ric Flair returned after a hiatus from the ring after a disagreement with WCW president Eric Bischoff. Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit kept going to Arn about reforming the Horsemen. He kept saying no. James J. Dillon, back in WCW's front office, even made a request. Arn eventually gave in and they reformed the Horsemen with Mongo and Flair and Arn was the manager. They feuded with the nWo and Eric Bischoff, with whom Flair had some real backstage problems.

In early 1999, the Horsemen turned heel again. Mongo had recently departed the wrestling world and they were down to Benoit, Malenko, Flair and Arn as the manager. They also had a referee biased to them, Charles Robinson, whom members of the Horsemen even referred to as "Little Nature Boy" (due to his resemblance to Flair). Ric Flair's son David Flair, though never an official member, wrestled with them and wore Horsemen shirts. Ric Flair, the (onscreen) President of WCW at this time, had awarded him with the U.S. Title and had the Horsemen help David to keep it. Eventually, Benoit and Malenko left him in May in protest over Flair's selfishness and joined other wrestlers, thereby effectively ending the Four Horsemen.

Ric Flair's retirement

On March 31, 2008, Ric Flair gave his retirement speech to the RAW crowd in Orlando, Florida, following his loss in a career-threatening match to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV. Triple H came to the ring when Flair was finished with his speech, in order to give his thanks to Flair. Triple H explained that there were many people who wished to say thanks, making reference to a particular group of guys while making the Four Horsemen symbol with his hands. He then called the Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Barry Windham along with longtime Horsemen manager James J. Dillon) to the ring while the classic Horsemen theme played. Jim Ross noted that this was the first time the Horsemen had all been together since 1988. Several other wrestlers followed to say their goodbyes, including Horseman Dean Malenko, honorary Horseman Harley Race, and current and retired superstars, and Flair's family. This was followed by a standing ovation from the entire roster of all three WWE brands. As well as marking the Horsemen's reunion, it was a rare time in WWE where kayfabe was broken and faces and heels alike came out.

Legacy

The original Four Horsemen were innovative in developing and popularizing the concept of heel stables. According to commentator Jim Ross as he appeared on the 2007 Four Horsemen DVD, if not for the Horsemen, there would never have been a New World Order or D-Generation X.

Over the years, various stables of independent wrestling promotions have also donned the Horsemen name in tribute to it. Some of which are listed below.

DVDs

World Wrestling Entertainment has produced several DVDs covering the careers of several different Horsemen. In 2003, they released The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection, that was followed by Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story in 2004, and Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon in 2006. Each DVD set, though specifically about one wrestler, details their involvement with the Horsemen stable. Both Flair and Arn Anderson were also featured in The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80's DVD set released in 2006.

In 2007, WWE produced a two disc set about the Horsemen as a whole; titled Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen. It was released on April 10, 2007.

The wrestling video company RF Video has conducted multiple shoot interviews with several former Horsemen. These include: Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Tully & Baby Doll together, James J. Dillon, Lex Luger, Sid Vicious and Barry Windham.

Extreme Horsemen

Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling had a stable called the Extreme Horsemen with Steve Corino, "The Enforcer" C.W. Anderson (a wrestler with a look and gimmick of Arn Anderson, but of no relation) and Barry Windham as its founding members. The Extreme Horsemen stable later appeared in Major League Wrestling, and across Japan, during this time Corino and C.W. Anderson were joined by Justin Credible and Simon Diamond. This version was also briefly managed by James J. Dillon before MLW folded.

Apocalypse

Live Action Wrestling had a stable created by then LAW Heavyweight Champion C.W. Anderson, along Ric Flair's son David Flair, and Max.

Evolution

In 2003, rumors began circulating that Ric Flair (now working for World Wrestling Entertainment) was going to reform the Four Horsemen with Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista. This group was eventually formed, but under the name Evolution instead of the Four Horsemen, and with Triple H as the leader instead of Flair. They served much the same function as the original heel Horsemen had, dominating the titles on RAW and feuding with that brand's top faces. The group slowly died between August 2004 and October 2005. Orton was kicked out of the group after he won the World Heavyweight Championship. In February 2005, Batista left the group after winning the Royal Rumble, in a storyline where Triple H tried to protect his title from Batista. During a Triple H hiatus, Flair turned face, and at WWE Homecoming, Triple H returned as a face, but turned heel by the end of the night, hitting Flair in the face with a sledgehammer and officially ending Evolution. In 2007's Raw 15th anniversary, an Evolution reunion took place, though Randy Orton refused to participate and instead challenged Flair, Batista, and Triple H to a match in which he partnered with Edge and Umaga, and at the same time reforming Rated RKO for one night.

Horsemen members

• Ric Flair (1986-1999)
• Arn Anderson (1986-1999)
• Ole Anderson (1986-1987; 1990; 1993)
• Tully Blanchard (1986-1988)
• James J. Dillon (1986-1989)
• Lex Luger (1987)
• Barry Windham (1988-1989; 1990-1991)
• Sting (1989-1990)
• Sid Vicious (1990-1991)
• Paul Roma (1993)
• Brian Pillman (1995-1996)
• Chris Benoit (1995-1997; 1998-1999)
• Steve "Mongo" McMichael (1996-1999)
• Curt Hennig (1997)
• Dean Malenko (1998-1999)

Associated members

• Kendall Windham (1989)
• Jeff Jarrett (1997)
• David Flair (1999)

During the WWE Hall of Fame 2007 ceremony, Dusty Rhodes asked Ric Flair and Arn Anderson to hold up the "sign" (four fingers) to induct Harley Race and himself into the Horsemen.

Horsemen Managers/Valets

• James J. Dillon
• Baby Doll
• Woman
• Dark Journey
• Debra McMichael
• Miss Elizabeth
• Bobby Heenan (coached them for one match at The Great American Bash in 1996)
• Charles Robinson (their biased referee in 1999)
• Asya
• Torrie Wilson (David Flair's valet while he hung out with them)
• Hiro Matsuda

Championships and accomplishments

All titles and awards listed were won while they were Horsemen

Jim Crockett Promotions | World Championship Wrestling

• NWA National Heavyweight Championship: Tully Blanchard (1 time)
• NWA National Tag Team Championship: Ole & Arn Anderson (1 time)
• NWA Television Championship: Tully Blanchard (1 time)
• NWA United States Heavyweight Championship:Tully Blanchard (1 time), Lex Luger (1 time), Barry Windham (1 time)
• NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair (6 times)
• NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version): Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (2 times)
• NWA World Tag Team Championship: Arn Anderson & Paul Roma (1 time)
• NWA World Television Championship: Tully Blanchard (3 times), Arn Anderson (2 times)
• WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair (1 time), Steve McMichael (1 time)
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair (8 times)
• WCW World Tag Team Championship: Arn Anderson & Paul Roma (1 time), Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko (1 time)
• WCW World Television Championship: Arn Anderson (2 times), Barry Windham (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• Ric Flair was ranked # 2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.
• PWI Wrestler of the Year: Ric Flair (1985, 1986, 1989)
• PWI Feud of the Year: Four Horsemen vs. The Super Powers & The Road Warriors (1987), Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger (1988), Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (1989), Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger (1990)
• PWI Match of the Year: Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes (1986), Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (1989)
• PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year: Ric Flair (1987)
• PWI Manager of the Year: James J. Dillon (1988)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

• Wrestler of the Year: Ric Flair (1985, 1986, 1989, 1990)
• Most Outstanding Wrestler: Ric Flair (1986, 1987, 1989)
• Feud of the Year: Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (1989)
• Best on Interviews: Arn Anderson (1990), Ric Flair (1991, 1994)
• Most Charismatic: Ric Flair (1993)
• Match of the Year: Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham (1986), Ric Flair vs. Sting (1988), Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (1989)
• Best Heel: Ric Flair (1990)
• Readers’ Favorite Wrestler: Ric Flair (1985-1993, 1996, 1997)

Books

• Anderson, Arn Arn Anderson 4 Ever A Look Behind the Curtain. Ardmore, PA: Dreamcatchers Group.
• Anderson, Ole; Scott Teal Inside Out : how corporate America destroyed professional wrestling. Hendersonville, TN: Crowbar Press.
• Borden, Steve "Sting"; George King Sting Moment of Truth. Nashville, Tenn: J. Countryman.
• Dillon, James J.; Scott Teal & Philip Varriale Wrestlers are like seagulls : from McMahon to McMahon. Hendersonville, TN: Crowbar Press.
• Flair, Ric; Keith Elliot Greenberg, Mark Madden (ed.) (2005). Ric Flair: To Be the Man. New York: Pocket Books.

Videos

• Ric Flair & The Four Horseman. Stamford, Conn: WWE Home Video.

References

External links

• Ric Flair at WWE.com
• TheRealSting.com (Official Website of Sting)
• Sting's TNA Profile