The League of Nations

The League of Nations was a multinational villainous professional wrestling stable in WWE. It was active from November 2015 to April 2016 and composed of Sheamus from Ireland, King Barrett from England, Rusev from Bulgaria, and Alberto Del Rio from Mexico. The concept of the group came from the idea that all of its members were immigrants to the U.S. and banded together to represent their respective nations while displaying anti-U.S. sentiments. Formed during a time when WWE was attempting to establish Roman Reigns as the face of the company, critics panned the group for being created by the company solely for the purpose of being defeated by Reigns. Former members of the group have since voiced similar criticisms. History At Survivor Series on November 22, 2015, Sheamus won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Roman Reigns. Sheamus then defended the title in a rematch on the November 30 episode of Raw, but the match was interrupted by King Barrett, Rusev, and Alberto Del Rio (then the United States Champion). Sheamus subsequently announced that the four had formed the League of Nations. The group had their first match together later that night, teaming with then-WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) to defeat Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and the Usos in a 7-on-4 handicap match. On the December 3 episode of SmackDown, the League of Nations lost to Reigns via count-out in a 4-on-1 handicap match. They were then involved in a 16-man fatal four-way elimination tag team match on the following episode of Raw, facing The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan), ECW Originals (Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer, and Rhyno) and the team of Reigns, Ambrose, and The Usos; the match culminated in Reigns pinning Sheamus for the win. While maintaining a rivalry with Reigns and his allies, League members also had individual storylines; Jack Swagger started a feud with Del Rio over the United States Championship, while Rusev was written into a story with Ryback. Both of these angles culminated at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, where all members were successful in their separate singles matches, with Del Rio and Sheamus retaining their championships (the latter needing help from his cohorts). However, Sheamus' World Heavyweight Championship run ended the following night on Raw when he lost the title back to Reigns, ending his reign at 22 days.