Since arriving on the scene, the Bulgarian (now Russian?) Brute (formerly known as Alexander) Rusev has squashed a number of WWE competitors, with a few notable victims including Big E, R-Truth, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston.
Maybe it is mere coincidence that Rusev has squashed nearly every African American superstar on the roster. Others believe that it is deliberate, with rapper Wale being one celebrity/fan to comment on the situation. Still, others believe that the storyline is a way to reboot the Nation of Domination stable that was popular during the Attitude Era.
Whatever the reason for Rusev taking down almost every African American superstar, the real question is whether a Nation of Domination reboot could work during the PG Era.
As most remember, the Nation of Domination was a stable during the Attitude Era that consisted of Faarooq, Kama Mustafa, D’Lo Brown, and the Rock during its most famous incarnation. Core values of the group included black power and supremacy, as they were loosely modeled after the Nation of Islam and the Black Panther Party.
The group’s extremist beliefs and promos were often controversial in an era that regularly featured characters such as pimps and porn stars, so one can only imagine how the group would be received in today’s youth-oriented product.
With that said, I think the group could still be successful if rebooted, but only if booked as a face group. During the Attitude Era, the group was primarily booked as a heel faction, leading to promos where the group would accuse others of racism, while also accusing other African American superstars of not “being black enough” to gain entry into the Nation. It also led to other promos that many believe exhibited overt racism, such as when DX painted their faces black in order to mock their rivals.
Instances such as the ones just described simply would not fly in today’s WWE, so the stable would have to be toned down a bit. Most importantly, they would have to be booked as a face stable that would not use accusations of racism as a way to draw heat.
