Blue World Order
Encyclopedia
The Blue World Order was a stable of professional wrestlers
formed at Extreme Championship Wrestling
's November to Remember 1996 event at the ECW Arena. The stable lasted until August 1998 and was revived briefly in World Wrestling Entertainment
during the summer of 2005.
and The Blue Meanie
(Brian Heffron) had been making parodies
of various wrestlers from the WWF
and WCW
. In early 1996 Raven was forming a stable called Raven's Nest
, and was gathering new members to be lackies. He called upon Stevie and Meanie along with an independent performer from New Jersey, Nova
(Mike Bucci). These three would often come to the ring together before Raven made his entrance, imitating rock bands or pop culture references, most notably The Jackson 5
and at ECW The Doctor is In in August 1996 as the rock band KISS
. The latter received a great ovation from the hardcore ECW fans before The Sandman
abruptly entered the ring and caned them. Backstage after the event, Buh Buh Ray Dudley told them how great it was and the only thing greater would be a parody of the nWo
. After clearing things with Paul Heyman
and Raven, it was decided that they would form the bWo at the next big event, November to Remember '96. Over the next few months, members were added and members left just like the group they were imitating. Initially meant to be a one off parody, the Blue World Order became immensely popular, and elevated Richards to the main event level in ECW.
The height of the bWo's success came at the very first ECW pay per view, Barely Legal
, in which Big Stevie Cool was part of the 3-Way Dance main event for the #1 contendership for the ECW World Title. Just weeks after this event Richards suffered a "severe" neck injury and announced his retirement. The legitimacy of this injury has been rumored to be a complete work, perhaps a mockery of Shawn Michaels
' knee injury segments in the WWF at that time. Shortly thereafter, Richards left for WCW, and the bWo soon faded. In July 1997, Nova had a match against Taz
in which Taz vowed to kill the bWo. He squashed Nova, and although Meanie and Nova continued to tag over the next few months, the bWo was indeed dead.
, coming to the ring before the Dudley Boyz
versus Tommy Dreamer
and The Sandman match. During their entrance, Joey Styles (laughing hysterically once they entered) said that "If any gimmick never deserved to make a dime and made a boatload of cash, this is it! And the best part is that they (WCW
) couldn't sue us, 'cause it's a parody!"
On July 7, 2005, the bWo reunited once again, this time to confront JBL
since he sought out The Blue Meanie and punched him repeatedly after Meanie called him a "Backstage Bully". The attack by JBL caused Meanie to tear some recent stitches and bleed at One Night Stand. JBL then taunted the bWo and called Meanie a "fat little bitch". This led to a Meanie versus JBL match. Richards delivered a nasty chairshot to JBL during the match that busted him open. The Blue Meanie won the match after he hit his finisher, the Meaniesault, and Batista ran in and gave a spinebuster to JBL and threw an out-of-it Meanie on top of JBL.
Later, the bWo challenged The Mexicools
to a match at The Great American Bash
, with Stevie Richards saying the bWo was tired of the Mexicools interfering in people's matches, saying they were going to take over and rise up against the gringos because "We invented that!" - which then prompted Hollywood Nova to say "Actually, we never said we were going to rise up against the gringos". The three members appeared on WWE Velocity
in a six-man tag match against 3 jobbers
to prepare themselves for their tag match against the Mexicools. At the Great American Bash, the bWo and Mexicools met in a six-man tag match. They even drove into the ring on tricycles to parody the Mexicools' usual ring entrance on John Deere
lawnmowers. The bWo lost the match after Super Crazy
hit a moonsault and Psicosis hit the guillotine legdrop on Big Stevie Cool for the win. As the month of July ended, the bWo faded from the scene. Stevie Richards went back to his old gimmick, as did Hollywood Nova, while Blue Meanie was never officially contracted by WWE.
, Bucci and Heffron took part in a couple of shows.
On April 18, 2009 Nova and Blue Meanie unsuccessfully challenged for the British promotion One Pro Wrestling
tag-team titles, losing to Project Ego (Kris Travis and Martin Kirby). That was Bucci's first in-ring performance in nearly 3 years.
On June 27, 2009 they appeared with many other former ECW talent at the Francine Fournier
-run benefit show entitled Legends of The Arena. The event took place at the original ECW Arena in South Philadelphia
as a benefit for deceased members of Francine's family; a portion of the ticket sales went to The American Cancer Society
. bWo defeated the team of Little Guido and Big Sal, the Full Blooded Italians
.
On December 12, 2009 Nova and Meanie took part in the International Wrestling Cartel show Full Circle in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
. They united with Shane Douglas
and defeated local stars Frank Stalletto
, Lord Zoltan and Lou Marconi.
. Heffron couldn't attend the show due to personal responsibilities to take care of in Philadelphia prior to going on his vacation the next day; still, his promo was aired on PPV and in the arena he was replaced by Big Tilly
. Steve Richards, accompanied by Nova and Tilly, defeated Peter Polaco
and later in the night Tilly and Nova attacked Tommy Dreamer
during his match with Raven.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
formed at Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
's November to Remember 1996 event at the ECW Arena. The stable lasted until August 1998 and was revived briefly in World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
during the summer of 2005.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)
Since July 1995, Stevie RichardsStevie Richards
Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
and The Blue Meanie
Brian Heffron
Brian Heffron is a professional wrestler and actor better known as The Blue Meanie or Da Blue Guy.-Early career:...
(Brian Heffron) had been making parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of various wrestlers from the WWF
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
and WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
. In early 1996 Raven was forming a stable called Raven's Nest
Raven's Nest
Raven's Nest was a professional wrestling stable led by Raven that was present in Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1997.Later, Raven created other incarnations of the group in World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Raven's Nest:Raven's Nest was a large...
, and was gathering new members to be lackies. He called upon Stevie and Meanie along with an independent performer from New Jersey, Nova
Mike Bucci
Michael "Mike" Bucci is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. Bucci is probably best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling as Nova, Super Nova, and "Hollywood" Nova and World Wrestling Entertainment as Simon Dean...
(Mike Bucci). These three would often come to the ring together before Raven made his entrance, imitating rock bands or pop culture references, most notably The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
and at ECW The Doctor is In in August 1996 as the rock band KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. The latter received a great ovation from the hardcore ECW fans before The Sandman
Jim Fullington
James "Jim" Fullington better known by his ring name Sandman, is an American professional wrestler, best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling , where he developed into a "Hardcore Icon"...
abruptly entered the ring and caned them. Backstage after the event, Buh Buh Ray Dudley told them how great it was and the only thing greater would be a parody of the nWo
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
. After clearing things with Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
and Raven, it was decided that they would form the bWo at the next big event, November to Remember '96. Over the next few months, members were added and members left just like the group they were imitating. Initially meant to be a one off parody, the Blue World Order became immensely popular, and elevated Richards to the main event level in ECW.
ECW Barely Legal
Barely Legal was the first professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling . It took place on April 13, 1997 from the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Production:...
, in which Big Stevie Cool was part of the 3-Way Dance main event for the #1 contendership for the ECW World Title. Just weeks after this event Richards suffered a "severe" neck injury and announced his retirement. The legitimacy of this injury has been rumored to be a complete work, perhaps a mockery of Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
' knee injury segments in the WWF at that time. Shortly thereafter, Richards left for WCW, and the bWo soon faded. In July 1997, Nova had a match against Taz
Tazz
Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
in which Taz vowed to kill the bWo. He squashed Nova, and although Meanie and Nova continued to tag over the next few months, the bWo was indeed dead.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2005)
The bWo reunited in 2005 at WWE's ECW reunion show, ECW One Night StandECW One Night Stand (2005)
ECW One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It was held on June 12, 2005 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York. The main event was a tag team match between The Dudley Boyz and the team of Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman...
, coming to the ring before the Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
versus Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
and The Sandman match. During their entrance, Joey Styles (laughing hysterically once they entered) said that "If any gimmick never deserved to make a dime and made a boatload of cash, this is it! And the best part is that they (WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
) couldn't sue us, 'cause it's a parody!"
On July 7, 2005, the bWo reunited once again, this time to confront JBL
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
since he sought out The Blue Meanie and punched him repeatedly after Meanie called him a "Backstage Bully". The attack by JBL caused Meanie to tear some recent stitches and bleed at One Night Stand. JBL then taunted the bWo and called Meanie a "fat little bitch". This led to a Meanie versus JBL match. Richards delivered a nasty chairshot to JBL during the match that busted him open. The Blue Meanie won the match after he hit his finisher, the Meaniesault, and Batista ran in and gave a spinebuster to JBL and threw an out-of-it Meanie on top of JBL.
Later, the bWo challenged The Mexicools
The Mexicools
The Mexicools were a professional wrestling stable and tag team, that were signed to World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown! brand. The team consisted of three well-known Mexican wrestlers of the late 1990s: Super Crazy, Psicosis and Juventud...
to a match at The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2005)
The Great American Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment .It was the second annual event and took place on July 24, 2005, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York...
, with Stevie Richards saying the bWo was tired of the Mexicools interfering in people's matches, saying they were going to take over and rise up against the gringos because "We invented that!" - which then prompted Hollywood Nova to say "Actually, we never said we were going to rise up against the gringos". The three members appeared on WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It replaced two syndicated WWE shows, Jakked/Metal. Once a weekly Saturday night show on Spike TV and on Sky Sports 2 in the UK on Sunday mornings, Velocity became a webcast from 2005 to 2006...
in a six-man tag match against 3 jobbers
Job (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling slang, the term job describes a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect kayfabe. As professional wrestling is scripted, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent.The term...
to prepare themselves for their tag match against the Mexicools. At the Great American Bash, the bWo and Mexicools met in a six-man tag match. They even drove into the ring on tricycles to parody the Mexicools' usual ring entrance on John Deere
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
lawnmowers. The bWo lost the match after Super Crazy
Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda is a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador, best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW...
hit a moonsault and Psicosis hit the guillotine legdrop on Big Stevie Cool for the win. As the month of July ended, the bWo faded from the scene. Stevie Richards went back to his old gimmick, as did Hollywood Nova, while Blue Meanie was never officially contracted by WWE.
Sporadic reunions (2008–2009)
There were some bWo reunions in later years in different independents. When Richards went to TNATotal Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
, Bucci and Heffron took part in a couple of shows.
On April 18, 2009 Nova and Blue Meanie unsuccessfully challenged for the British promotion One Pro Wrestling
One Pro Wrestling
One Pro Wrestling was a British professional wrestling promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley until the promotion went into liquidation in 2007; it was restarted within the same year..It ended in August 2011....
tag-team titles, losing to Project Ego (Kris Travis and Martin Kirby). That was Bucci's first in-ring performance in nearly 3 years.
On June 27, 2009 they appeared with many other former ECW talent at the Francine Fournier
Francine Fournier
Francine Fournier , known simply as Francine, is an American former professional wrestling valet most known for her work in Extreme Championship Wrestling.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...
-run benefit show entitled Legends of The Arena. The event took place at the original ECW Arena in South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
as a benefit for deceased members of Francine's family; a portion of the ticket sales went to The American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
. bWo defeated the team of Little Guido and Big Sal, the Full Blooded Italians
Full Blooded Italians
The Full Blooded Italians is a professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s and for World Wrestling Entertainment during the mid-2000s.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...
.
On December 12, 2009 Nova and Meanie took part in the International Wrestling Cartel show Full Circle in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the east bank of the Monongahela River, where Pennsylvania Route 51 crosses, upstream of Pittsburgh and close to the county line. The population was 1,493 at the 2010 census...
. They united with Shane Douglas
Shane Douglas
Troy Alan Martin is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. In the course of his career, which has spanned nearly three decades, Douglas has wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling and briefly...
and defeated local stars Frank Stalletto
Frank Stalletto
Frank Stalletto is an American professional wrestler. He was a mainstay of the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic independent circuit for much of the 1990s and early 2000s....
, Lord Zoltan and Lou Marconi.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010)
On August 8, 2010 the bWo reunited on the TNA PPV Hardcore JusticeHardcore Justice (2010)
Hardcore Justice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on August 8, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
. Heffron couldn't attend the show due to personal responsibilities to take care of in Philadelphia prior to going on his vacation the next day; still, his promo was aired on PPV and in the arena he was replaced by Big Tilly
Big Tilly
James Tilquist is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Big Tilly. He is best known for being a member of the tag team Phi Delta Slam as well as his appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. Steve Richards, accompanied by Nova and Tilly, defeated Peter Polaco
Peter Polaco
Peter Joseph Polaco is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Justin Credible. He is also known for his earlier stint with the WWF under the ringname Aldo Montoya...
and later in the night Tilly and Nova attacked Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
during his match with Raven.
Members
- bWo:
- Big Stevie CoolStevie RichardsMichael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
: parody of "Big Daddy Cool" Kevin NashKevin NashKevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster... - Hollywood NovaMike BucciMichael "Mike" Bucci is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. Bucci is probably best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling as Nova, Super Nova, and "Hollywood" Nova and World Wrestling Entertainment as Simon Dean...
: parody of Hollywood HoganHulk HoganTerrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... - Da Blue GuyBrian HeffronBrian Heffron is a professional wrestler and actor better known as The Blue Meanie or Da Blue Guy.-Early career:...
: parody of "Da Bad Guy" Scott HallScott HallScott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name... - ChastityDenise RiffleDenise Riffle is an American former professional wrestling valet, better known as Chastity.-Early career:...
- Thomas "The Inchworm" Rodman: parody of "The Worm" Dennis RodmanDennis RodmanDennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...
- 7-11Rob FeinsteinRobert Feinstein is the owner and operator of RF Video , who were best known as the videographers of Extreme Championship Wrestling...
(also known as 3 ½): parody of SyxxSean WaltmanSean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ... - "Nacho Man" Ricky Salvage: parody of "Macho Man" Randy SavageRandy SavageRandall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
- A jobber as a parody of The CatmanPeter CrissGeorge Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
- bWo Japan: Parody of nWo Japan
- Dick Togo
- Men's Teioh / Terry BoyTakeo Otsuka, also known as Men's Teioh or Terry Boy, is a Japanese professional wrestler who is a longtime mainstay of Big Japan Pro Wrestling as well as a former competitor of Michinoku Pro Wrestling...
- Taka Michinoku
In wrestling
- Double-team finishing moves
- Blue Light Special (Wheelbarrow facebuster / Running DDT combination)
- Stevie's finishing moves
- Stevie Bomb (Sheer drop release powerbomb)
- Stevie Kick (Superkick)
- Stevie-T (Lifting double underhook DDT)
- Blue Meanie's finishing moves
- Meaniesault (MoonsaultMoonsaultA moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. Much of its popularity in American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being used in North America by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo years before Muta came from Japan.In a standard moonsault,...
) - People's Leg Drop (Running delayed leg drop, with theatrics)
- Nova's finishing moves
- Kryptonite Krunch, sometimes from the top rope
- Nova Leg Drop (Running jumping leg drop)
- Entrance music
- The bWo theme was an instrumental rock song that was written and performed by Philadelphia rock group Swamp Candles. During their KISSKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
parody, they used "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Nite" by the actual band.