One of the more interesting developments that’s come out of WrestleMania 38 is the formation of a new stable led by ‘The Rated R Superstar’ Edge. Leaning into his darker roots as part of Gangrel’s Brood, Edge is now bringing together a new league of grungy wrestlers with the same pent-up aggression that he and Christian once had under their vampiric mentor. This is certainly a step in the right direction for not only Edge’s new heel character but also for Damian Priest, who aligned himself with Edge as part of his ‘Mania match against AJ Styles.
Edge and Priest confirmed their partnership on the RAW after WrestleMania, but reports are suggesting that their stable will not end with just the two of them. Certain names have already been thrown around and will potentially be joining Edge’s ranks in the next few weeks, but let’s have a think about a few more superstars that could drop their allegiances and stand alongside those that choose to walk darker paths.
1. Rhea Ripley
One of the primary names being considered for Edge’s new stable is ‘The Nightmare’ herself, Rhea Ripley.
With so many factions failing to have a credible female counterpart to dominate within their respective division, Ripley could be a fantastic candidate to help expand Edge’s reach into the Women’s championship picture. Ripley is a former WWE Women’s champion and has been verging on returning to championship competition for the best part of a year. With her budding friendship with Liv Morgan on the rocks following their defeat at WrestleMania, a heel turn on the perennial underdog star to forge an alliance with Edge and Priest would be a great turn moment.
Obviously being one of the more unique wrestlers on the roster in terms of her aesthetic, Ripley personifies that edgy (no pun intended) attitude that was once embodied by The Brood. Rhea is a natural fit for the team and will likely find herself in Edge’s corner within the next few weeks.
2. Tommaso Ciampa
The former Blackheart of NXT has been attempting to make his official main roster debut for the best part of the past half-year, and now that things in NXT 2.0 have been wrapped up with an emotional farewell from Triple H himself, now is the time for Tommaso Ciampa to truly make an impact.
Ciampa’s best work has been while portraying an unstable psychopath that has the ability to intimidate as well as dominate, his work against top babyfaces of various promotions has been stellar, so bringing him to RAW to side with a modern legend like Edge would go a long way in giving him a platform to show that.
Fans have been worried that once on the main roster, Ciampa will simply fizzle out into the background as the folks backstage just won’t get his character. That’s a very legitimate concern to have, considering the history of failed call-ups from NXT in the past. Tommaso has been working as a gritty babyface on episodes of Main Event but doesn’t seem to have much in the way of creative direction, so this entry into Edge’s faction is more of a necessity than it is a fantasy.
Besides, Edge is a man with an eye for future talent, he must see the potential that a wrestler like Ciampa has and would do his absolute best to put him over in a big way as part of his Brood-y faction.
3. T-Bar
Damian Priest is a pretty big guy but he doesn’t quite fit the heavyweight mould like T-Bar could. Formerly known as Dominik Dijakovic in NXT, T-Bar has been maintaining a steady streak of matches on the Main Event tapings, acting as a gatekeeper for up-and-coming stars like Pete Dunne and Tommaso Ciampa. In order for T-Bar to make it to the next level, he desperately needs to not only be given something from creative but also have that something be interesting, that could very well come in the form of an alliance with Edge.
T-Bar’s original gimmick was to be this anarchistic monster that liked to inflict pain and suffering on the WWE superstars, that could play a part in his decision to join Edge, Priest and any others that join their gang. T-Bar could evolve into this psychotic bruiser that stands as the muscle of Edge’s new Brood pack, forming quite an imposing tag team with Damian Priest to enter the Tag division.
I’m honestly shocked that T-Bar hasn’t been released from his contract yet, and if he sticks around long enough to be included in Edge’s new stable, this could be the fresh start that the big man needs to kick-start his main roster career.
4. The Viking Raiders
The strange case of the Viking Raiders continues in WWE. For some reason, despite being former RAW Tag Team Champions, the Raiders just can’t seem to stay over long enough to be considered a big threat on the main roster. However, that fate could change if they happened to side with Edge. Now, this is one of the less likely inclusions in Edge’s new faction, but imagine if Erik and Ivar were to ‘goth’ up a little bit and drop the gimmicky Viking shtick.
I’d say that they have the potential to become one of the most iconic tag teams of this generation, one with mass appeal to not only fans of great tag wrestling but also those who enjoy badass villains. Giving Edge’s stable a defined duo to run roughshod in the tag division would be a fantastic way of making this team more than just another group to keep one wrestler looking strong.
The Viking Raiders are more than just talented, they have that special ‘it factor’ that attracts 5* ratings whenever they’re put into a big-money match. In case you’ve forgotten, go check out their NXT matches.
5. Von Wagner
Probably not who you were expecting to be included on this list. NXT 2.0’s Von Wagner has actually been impressing a fair amount of people both on and off-screen. Already being compared to a young Edge, Wagner has been improving his in-ring skills, developing a genuine presence whenever he emerges. Having squashed plenty of smaller, local talent during his brief run, and knowing WWE’s desire to bring up as many big lads as they possibly can, you’d forgive me for thinking that Von Wagner might be on his way to the main roster sooner rather than later.
And what better way to introduce him than by pairing him with the very man he’s been referred to as. Edge could be the key component in refining this young upstart into a potential future main-eventer. Alongside the likes of grizzled veteran Damian Priest, Von Wagner could naturally find himself scaling the ranks of the singles division and becoming one of the most revered powerhouses under the WWE umbrella.
Of course, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done with Von Wagner, but he has the look and the presence to become a major player with a significant backing group.
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