History Wrestling / TheFourHorsemen

The Four Horsemen formed in November 1985 with Flair and his storyline cousins Ole Anderson and Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard, with James J. Dillon as their manager. They feuded with Wrestling/DustyRhodes (breaking his ankle and hand), Magnum TA, Wrestling/BarryWindham, Wrestling/TheRockNRollExpress (breaking Ricky Morton's nose), Wrestling/NikitaKoloff (injuring his neck), and Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors. Animal, Hawk, Ronnie Garvin and many others fought Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship during that time period. They usually had most of the titles in the NWA, and they often bragged about their success (in the ring and with women) in their interviews.

* {{Unperson}}: Done a lot by WWE after they acquired WCW's library and started making documentary [=DVDs=] about WCW's past. Not only is Wrestling/ChrisBenoit's time with the group glossed over, if not omitted, but so is Ole Anderson, due to Anderson not being very well liked by just about anyone(and, truth be told, the feeling was mutual). In fact, Anderson was not invited when the group was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The WWE recognized the Flair/Arn/Blanchard/Windham version along with manager Dillon as the version inducted into the Hall of Fame and all five were on hand to accept.

* DistaffCounterpart: Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} had the "Four Horsewomen" featuring Ric's daughter Wrestling/{{Charlotte}}, Wrestling/SashaBanks, Wrestling/BeckyLynch, and Wrestling/{{Bayley}}.

* InformedAbility: The War Games match was supposed to be the Horsemen's "specialty match". Career Record: 1-15

* CannotTellFictionFromReality: Everyone involved would like you to forget the time the Horsemen locked Sting in a cage and Franchise/RoboCop came down to make the save. No, not some wrestler in a costume. It was billed and sold as '''the actual, honest-to-God Robocop''' (part of a stunt to promote the theatrical release of ''Film/RoboCop2''). He plodded down to the ring, "broke" the cage to free Sting, and while Sting celebrated, the Horsemen backed down in fear. Wrestling/JimRoss's commentary makes it extra-special.

* ArchEnemy: Several. The Horsemen's primary function was to keep the [=NWA=]/Wrestling/{{WCW}} title around Flair's waist. Secondarily, they aspired to win all of the promotion's gold. (Blanchard was the U.S. Champion while the Andersons were Tag Champs more often than not.) During that time the Horsemen feuded with Wrestling/DustyRhodes, Wrestling/{{Sting}}, Magnum TA, Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors, Wrestling/LexLuger, The Steiner Brothers (Wrestling/{{Rick|Steiner}} and {{Wrestling/{{Scott|Steiner}}) and the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Originals (l-r): Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Manager J.J. Dillon, Arn Anderson and Ric Flair]]
->''“Being a Horseman isn’t something you put on in the morning and take off at night. It’s a state of mind. It’s excelling to the best of your ability. It’s four individuals thinking singularly, acting collectively.”''
-->--'''Arn Anderson'''

The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance and later World Championship Wrestling. The original group featured Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/ArnAnderson, Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Flair and Arn Anderson have been constant members in each incarnation of the group.

The Four Horsemen formed in November 1985 with Ric Flair and his storyline cousins Ole Anderson and Arn 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. Animal, Hawk, Ronnie Garvin and many others fought Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Title during that time period. They usually 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 most elite fighting tropes in the world today!"''':
* ArchEnemy: Several. The Horsemen's primary function was to keep the [=NWA=]\Wrestling/{{WCW}} title around Flair's waist. Secondarily, they aspired to win all of the promotion's gold. (Blanchard was the U.S. Champion while the Andersons were Tag Champs more often than not.) During that time the Horsemen feuded with:
** Wrestling/DustyRhodes.
** Wrestling/{{Sting}}
** Magnum TA
** Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors
** Wrestling/LexLuger
** The Steiner Brothers
** The Wrestling/NewWorldOrder

* CannotTellFictionFromReality: Everyone involved would like you to forget the time the Horsemen locked Sting in a cage and Franchise/RoboCop came down to make the save. No, not some wrestler in a costume. It was billed and sold as '''the actual, honest-to-God Robocop''' (part of a stunt to promote the theatrical release of ''Film/RoboCop2''). He plodded down to the ring, "broke" the cage to free Sting, and while Sting celebrated, the Horsemen backed down in fear. Wrestling/JimRoss's commentary makes it extra-special.

* GameBreakingInjury: Arn Anderson's neck forced him to retire and give his spot to Curt Hennig in 1997.

* LargeHam: Anytime you have Wrestling/RicFlair this is a given, however, Ole and J.J. Dillon were just as guilty.

** When Ole Anderson left, Wrestling/LexLuger tried to take on the (quite literal) Muscle role in the group. When he left, it came to Wrestling/BarryWindham.

-->'''Ric Flair:''' "What hurt everyone's feeling was, his son is watching that at home, and they're depicting Arn as drinking beer all day long? His kid is watching that, and nobody wants to see that."

* SixthRangerTraitor: Curt Hennig

* {{Unperson}}: Done a lot by WWE after they acquired WCW's library and started making documentary [=DVDs=] about WCW's past. Not only is Wrestling/ChrisBenoit's time with the group glossed over, if not omitted, but so is Ole Anderson, due to Anderson not being very well liked by just about anyone(and, truth be told, the feeling was mutual). In fact, Anderson was not invited when the group was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The Flair/Arn Anderson/Blanchard/Windham with Manager JJ Dillon version was implicitly inducted.

* ThrowItIn: The whole stable STARTED over this, as Arn Anderson's gift for coining a phrase started the ball rolling. A throwaway line about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse started it all.
* {{Unperson}}: Done a lot by WWE after they acquired WCW's library and started making documentary [=DVDs=] about WCW's past. Not only is Wrestling/ChrisBenoit's time with the group glossed over, if not omitted, but so is Ole Anderson, due to Anderson not being very well liked by just about anyone. In fact, Anderson was not invited when the group was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

*** '''The Manager:''' Wrestling/RicFlair took over in this role serving as TheObiWan, and was also a part-time wrestler, teaming with Batista to win the Tag Titles. He would also deliver promos, especially for the more inexperienced Orton and Batista.

* ContinuityNod: Arn would occasionally call Ole "Rock", as in his old ring name Rock Rogowski.

* CannotTellFictionFromReality: Everyone involved would like you to forget the time the Horsemen locked Sting in a cage and Franchise/RoboCop came down to make the save. No, not some wrestler in a costume. it was billed and sold as '''the actual, honest-to-God Robocop''' (part of a stunt to promote the theatrical release of ''Film/RoboCop2''). He plodded down to the ring, "broke" the cage to free Sting, and while Sting celebrated, the Horsemen backed down in fear. Wrestling/JimRoss's commentary makes it extra-special.

* UnrelatedBrothers: Ole and Arn Anderson. Flair was originally introduced as a "distant cousin" of the Andersons, but this was dropped as time went on.

* NarrowParody: Done by the [=nWo=] the week after Curt Hennig was inducted. While some parts were funny, Many wrestlers and commentators have said since that the skit was harsh in its portrayal of Double-A as TheAlcoholic. Arn has had legitimate struggles for years with this problem, and Flair has never been shy about defending Arn with the skit is mentioned. Apparently Arn got into a fight with someone over the skit, but Flair has been tight-lipped about whom, saying only, "Arn is a tough guy, and I'll leave it at that."
-->'''Ric Flair:''' What hurt everyone's feeling was, his son is watching that at home, and they're depicting Arn as drinking beer all day long? His kid is watching that, and nobody wants to see that.

** Wrestling/{{TNA}}'s Fourtune, which eventually became Wrestling/{{Fortune}} as it couldn't shake its [[OneExtraMember two extra members.]] A group mainly consisting of company "originals" Wrestling/AJStyles, [[Wrestling/JamesStorm Beer]] [[Wrestling/BobbyRoode Money]] Wrestling/FrankieKazarian and then Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels following the leadership of Ric Flair.

* CannotTellFictionFromReality: Everyone involved would like you to forget the time the Horsemen locked Sting in a cage and Film/{{Robocop}} came down to make the save. No, not some wrestler in a costume. it was billed and sold as '''the actual, honest-to-God Robocop''' (part of a stunt to promote the theatrical release of ''RoboCop2''). He plodded down to the ring, "broke" the cage to free Sting, and while Sting celebrated, the Horsemen backed down in fear. Wrestling/JimRoss's commentary makes it extra-special.

** Sid during the infamous Robocop segment.

* GameBreakingInjury: Arn Anderson's neck forced him to retire and give his spot to Curt Hennig in 1998.

* LargeHam: Anytime you have Wrestling/RicFlair this is a given, however Ole and J.J. Dillon were just as guilty.

* NarrowParody: Done by the [=nWo=] the week after Curt Hennig was inducted. While some parts were funny, Many wrestlers and commentators have said since that the skit was harsh in its portrayal of Double A as TheAlcoholic. Arn has had legitimate struggles for years with this problem, and Flair has never been shy about defending Arn with the skit is mentioned. Apparently Arn got into a fight with someone over the skit, but Flair has been tight-lipped about whom, saying only, "Arn is a tough guy, and I'll leave it at that."

** '''The Centerpiece:''' Wrestling/TripleH
** '''The Heir Apparent:''' Wrestling/RandyOrton
** '''The Muscle:''' Wrestling/{{Batista}}
** '''The Manager:''' Wrestling/RicFlair took over in this role serving as TheObiWan, and was also a part-time wrestler, teaming with Batista to win the Tag Titles. He would also deliver promos, especially for the more inexperienced Orton and Batista.

* BigBadDiumverate: After Ole left, Ric and Arn were the only constants and they ruled the Horsemen this way.

** T.A. Magnum