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New World Order (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
The New World Order was a professional wrestling
stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling
(WCW). The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE) after the purchase of WCW by the WWF. The group was briefly revived in 2010 under the name of The Band in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA). The stable's gimmick was a group of unsanctioned wrestlers aiming to "take over" and control WCW in the manner of a street gang; many of the group's initial seven members had each gained fame in the rival World Wrestling Federation
, although this connection was only implied.
The nWo angle is one of the most influential forces in the late 1990s success of WCW, and was instrumental in turning mainstream American wrestling back into a more mature, adult-oriented product. The brainchild of WCW Executive Eric Bischoff
, and fueled initially by the unexpected heel turn
of Hulk Hogan
, the nWo storyline is generally considered one of the most successful angles in the history of modern-day professional wrestling, spawning several imitations and parodies (including groups such as bWo
, lWo
and oWn). It dominated WCW programming throughout the late-1990s and almost until the dissolution of WCW in 2001, during which time there were several, sometimes rival incarnations of the group; the rival WWF even resurrected the angle for a time in 2002. As a result of so many members having joined, the nWo holds the record of the biggest wrestling stable in wrestling history.
came up with after attending a New Japan Pro Wrestling
show. He wanted to do an invasion-type angle where WCW was kayfabe
being sabotaged by another wrestling group (initially insinuated as being the WWF, since its founding members had previously wrestled for the company). The nWo was originally portrayed as a separate entity from WCW (often, propaganda
-style vignettes and product commercials concerning the nWo were preceded by an "interruption in the feed", and a voice proclaiming, "The following announcement has been paid for by the New World Order").
Others, such as Kevin Nash
, television director
Craig Leathers
, chief WCW booker Terry Taylor
, and Taylor's assistants Kevin Sullivan
and Paul Orndorff
, all contributed their own ideas to the nWo concept. For instance, the logo was designed by Craig Leathers, Scott Hall is credited with the group's trademark hand-signals, and Taylor belatedly scrawled the group's most popular catchphrase, "When you're nWo, you're nWo 4 life", in one segment he scripted for WCW Monday Nitro
in late 1996.
and Kevin Nash
wrestled their final matches for the WWF as "Razor Ramon" and "Diesel," respectively, as their contracts had expired and they had recently signed with WCW. Eight days later, on the May 27 episode of Nitro
, Hall unexpectedly interrupted a match between The Mauler
and Steve Doll
and called for the ring announcer's microphone. "You all know who I am," Hall said to the stunned crowd, "but you don't know why I'm here." He went on to deliver a now-famous speech which has since become known as the "You Want a War?" speech, stating that he and unnamed allies had a challenge for WCW Executive Vice-President Eric Bischoff
and any WCW superstar. As Nitro neared its end, Hall accosted Bischoff, who was also the lead broadcaster for Nitro at the time, in the broadcast booth and demanded that he tell WCW owner Ted Turner
to pick three of his best wrestlers. The next week, Hall reappeared on Nitro five minutes before the end of the broadcast and again interrogated Bischoff. Sting
confronted and slapped Hall after Hall threw a toothpick at him, and Hall said he had a "little...no...BIG surprise" for Sting. During the next Nitro, Hall again pestered Bischoff in the broadcast booth. Bischoff demanded to know of the "surprise" Hall had in store for Sting while being unaware that Nash, the surprise, was standing right behind him. Hall finally pointed his partner out, and Nash said, "So this is WCW, where the big boys play, huh? Look at the adjective: Play. We ain't here to play!" From then on, the two would become known as The Outsiders, randomly appearing at WCW events to cause trouble and (inevitably) be led out of the building by WCW security. Initially, the WCW broadcasters did not use "The Outsiders" to refer to Hall and Nash collectively, instead referring to Hall and Nash individually by their last names.
Despite the fact that Hall and Nash were both fully employed by WCW, the storyline's implication that they were WWF wrestlers "invading" WCW was enough of a concern to the WWF that it considered legal action over Hall and Nash's antics. Hall was the largest concern to the WWF; in addition to his usage of the terms "Billionaire Ted", "The Huckster", "The Nacho Man", and "Scheme Gene" (disparaging references to Turner, Hulk Hogan
, "Macho Man" Randy Savage
, and "Mean" Gene Okerlund
that the WWF had made in early 1996 skits mocking WCW) in interviews, he had not fully distanced himself from his "Razor Ramon" character in the WWF, continuing to speak in a faux-Cuba
n accent and referring to people as "chico." WCW attempted to address these concerns at The Great American Bash in June 1996, where Bischoff invited The Outsiders to do an interview with him. He promised them a match at the next pay-per-view event, and then directly asked both Hall and Nash if they were employed by the WWF, to which each replied in the negative. The WWF, still unsatisfied, filed a lawsuit, charging that Bischoff had proposed inter-promotional matches for TBS
to associate the two companies with each other. This was despite the fact that Ted Turner and WWF chairman Vince McMahon
had carried on a rivalry for (at the time) eleven years, based on the fallout from McMahon's 1984 purchase of Georgia Championship Wrestling
and its flagship program World Championship Wrestling, and the program's subsequent failure and McMahon's sale of its time slot to Jim Crockett Promotions
(the forerunner to WCW). Also, prior to the nWo storyline, Bischoff routinely revealed results of taped episodes of Monday Night RAW
, the WWF's flagship show, on live Nitro broadcasts (at the time RAW was only live every other week, as the WWF would show a live RAW on a Monday night and then tape the next week's show the following day) and had presided over a controversial angle on a December 1995 edition of Nitro in which Madusa
, who had competed in the WWF as Alundra Blayze and was the reigning WWF Women's champion
, appeared on the air with her championship belt and threw it in a trash can.
During their interview with Bischoff at The Great American Bash, both Hall and Nash pressed him again to name his company's three representatives. Bischoff said that he had found three men who would answer their challenge, but would not name them. Hall became skeptical of Bischoff's refusal and it led to an attack by both Outsiders, ending when Nash powerbomb
ed Bischoff through the interview stage. Following this show, The Outsiders continued to randomly terrorize WCW events, always being chased away by armed security guards. Meanwhile, Bischoff held a draft on Nitro to determine WCW's representatives. Sting, his tag team partner Lex Luger
, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage
were chosen.
, which was held at the Ocean Center
in Daytona Beach, Florida
on July 7, 1996. Hall and Nash came to the ring by themselves, leaving speculation open as to who would be their partner. WCW interviewer "Mean Gene" Okerlund
came into the ring immediately following Hall and Nash's entrance and, after discussing the situation with ring announcer Michael Buffer
and referee Randy Anderson
, demanded that The Outsiders tell him where their third man was. Hall and Nash assured Okerlund that their partner was in the building, but they did not need him at the moment. After Okerlund left the ring, Team WCW made their entrance with all three members wearing face paint as a sign of solidarity; Sting had been wearing face paint for years in the ring, but Luger and Savage had never done so before.
The match did not start well for Team WCW, as Luger was taken out of the match shortly after it began. While he was being held in a corner by Nash, Sting ran over and hit a Stinger Splash to try to break up the hold. Although he hit Nash as well, Sting's move sandwiched Luger between Nash and the corner; Luger slumped to the mat unconscious and had to be removed from the arena on a stretcher. WCW announcer Bobby Heenan
was heard on the broadcast asking for someone to come out and replace the injured Luger, since Hall and Nash had a third man waiting. With the match-up even at two a side for the moment and Hall and Nash's partner still yet to be revealed, the two sides continued to battle as announcers Heenan, Tony Schiavone
, and Dusty Rhodes
speculated as to who the third man was, at one point even accusing each other of being the third man.
The match reached its climax at approximately the sixteen-minute mark, shortly after a late tag from an exhausted Sting to Savage. Savage immediately went on the attack, nailing both Outsiders with repeated axe-handle smashes from the top rope. However, while referee Anderson checked on a downed Hall, Nash nailed Savage with a low blow
which knocked both men to the mat. With all four men down, as Sting had not yet made it out of the ring, Anderson had no choice but to begin counting them out. As he began his count, the fans' attention turned to the entrance area as Hulk Hogan
entered the scene and began walking to the ring to a loud roar from the crowd. Hall spotted him and immediately rolled out of the ring.
Hogan, who had not been seen on WCW television for some time, climbed into the ring to chase away Nash. He then characteristically tore off his T-shirt and threw it at The Outsiders, staring them down outside the ring while Hall and Nash feigned shock. Hogan then walked to the nearest corner, stared out at the crowd one final time, then stunned the audience into silence by hitting his leg drop finisher on the fallen Savage. The Outsiders came into the ring as Hogan leg dropped his long-time ally and friend for a second time, then high-fived him, revealing Hogan to be the third man. After Hall and Nash beat down Sting, who made one final attempt to save the day for WCW, Hogan threw the bewildered Anderson out of the ring and hit a third and final leg drop on Savage while The Outsiders performed a mock three-count on Savage. The official match result was a no-contest.
After Sting helped Savage back to the locker room, the crowd, which had only moments earlier given Hogan a loud ovation, began showing its anger at his actions. Many fans began throwing garbage into the ring to show their displeasure with Hogan's actions. Hall later recalled that the fans throwing trash at the ring took him by surprise, as he had always believed that no matter how angry the fans got, they never should throw things at the wrestlers.
By the time Okerlund returned to the ring to speak to Hogan, the ring was nearly full of debris and more was continuing to come in. A disgusted Okerlund demanded answers from Hogan for his actions, wanting to know what he was thinking by aligning himself with The Outsiders. Hogan started the interview by saying that Hall and Nash were the future of wrestling and declared that they and himself were "the new world order of wrestling", which stuck as the group's name. Hogan then brought up two reasons why he decided to join with Hall and Nash: his own ties to the WWF and the boredom with the direction his career had taken after he signed with WCW in 1994. He then made a declaration that he, Hall, and Nash were going to take over WCW and destroy everything in their path. Hogan's final portion of the interview was an angry diatribe aimed at the fans, who had been giving him an increasingly negative reaction over the previous eighteen months. Hogan said that after two years of holding his head up high and doing everything asked of him, he had had enough. He reminded the fans that if it had not been for him, none of them would be in the building and none of the newer wrestlers the fans had taken a shine to (who Hogan referred to as "johnny-come-latelies") would be there. Hogan even took a shot at Bischoff, saying that without Hogan, he "would still be selling meat from a truck in Minneapolis." Hogan then asked the fans and Okerlund, "Whatcha gonna do when the new world organization (he had twice referred to the group by this name during his interview) runs wild on you?" The show closed with the three wrestlers continuing to taunt the fans, who continued to pelt the ring with garbage. Just before the pay-per-view went off the air, a still-stunned Tony Schiavone told Hogan that he "can go to hell. Straight to hell." As a result of Hogan's heel turn, wrestlers he had feuded with in the WWF, such as Savage and Roddy Piper
, had their popularity as faces immensely boosted.
and Randy Savage but were held back by WCW security. Hogan returned the next week on Nitro and assisted Hall and Nash in beating up Lex Luger and Big Bubba Rogers during Nitros main event. He then made a challenge to the reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion, The Giant
, for Hog Wild in August. The newly rechristened "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan won the match after knocking The Giant out with his title belt. After the match, The Booty Man
came to the ring wearing an nWo t-shirt and carrying a cake and gift for Hogan, who was celebrating his birthday. All three nWo members assaulted Booty Man and left him lying unconscious on the outside of the ring. They did, however, make use of his gift- a can of black spray paint. Hogan spray painted "NWO" on the belt, and declared himself to be the nWo World Heavyweight Champion. This tagging would become a signature gesture of the group as they spray-painted almost anything with their initials, especially the backs of wrestlers they had knocked unconscious. Hogan would also refer to himself as the nWo champion during this and any other time he held the belt while a member of the group.
As WCW's annual pay-per-view Fall Brawl was drawing closer, WCW was preparing their team to fight at Fall Brawl 1996: War Games against the nWo. On September 9, the nWo tricked fans and wrestlers into thinking that Sting
had joined the nWo (in reality WCW put Jeff Farmer
, who had wrestled for the company as Cobra one year prior, into the Sting facepaint). Although Sting had not joined the nWo, many of his fellow WCW wrestlers doubted his story and believed that he had in fact jumped ship. Even Lex Luger, his longtime ally, friend and tag team partner, doubted his alliance and pointedly told Sting that he didn't believe he was with WCW. This came to a head at Fall Brawl. Going into the match only three wrestlers on each side had been officially named- Hogan and the Outsiders were to fight for the nWo and Luger, Arn Anderson
, and Ric Flair
for WCW. The last man out for team nWo was indeed the fake Sting, who apparently had convinced everyone (including the broadcast team) that the real Sting was nWo. However, Sting showed up as the last man for Team WCW and began taking apart the four members of the nWo by himself. After assaulting Hogan, Hall, Nash, and the bogus Sting, Sting walked over to Luger, shoved him, and said, "Is that good enough for ya?" Sting then left the ring and Team WCW, now fighting a 4-on-3 handicap match, lost when the nWo Sting locked Luger in the Scorpion Death Lock while Hogan executed a rear chinlock. The next night on Nitro, an angry Sting laid into his fellow wrestlers as well as the fans for doubting his true colors. Sting said he was no longer going to help WCW in its battle with the nWo, declaring himself a "free agent". He then told his doubters to "stick it" and left the ring in the beginning of a dramatic character shift and a fifteen-month retreat from the ring.
During this time the faction began introducing new members. Ted DiBiase
was introduced as the man who was "financing" the nWo on August 16 (since this was implied as a continuation of DiBiase's "Million Dollar Man" gimmick in the WWF and the WWF had copyrighted the name, DiBiase was referred to as "Trillionaire Ted" on air). The Giant became the first WCW defector when he joined the nWo on September 2. Two weeks following that Sean Waltman
, who had recently left the WWF where he starred as "The 1-2-3 Kid", debuted in WCW as "Syxx", the group's cruiserweight contender. In October the nWo debuted Vincent
, who had previously been DiBiase's manservant in the WWF as "Virgil", as its "head of security". Referee Nick Patrick
became the group's official referee after he began showing partiality to nWo members during their matches. The nWo continued to dominate WCW, with Hogan successfully retaining his "nWo" World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Savage and Hall and Nash winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship
from Harlem Heat
(Booker T and Stevie Ray
) at Halloween Havoc 1996.
As WCW only recognized Hogan, Nash, and Hall as WCW employees due to their holding WCW titles, the other nWo members went unrecognized as WCW employees. Because of this, they were unable to wrestle other WCW wrestlers, which led to the nWo starting a segment on WCW Saturday Night
, called nWo Saturday Night, where nWo stable members wrestled jobbers
in an empty arena. The nWo used their financing to purchase ad time during WCW programming, which amounted to low budget anti-WCW propaganda. They would also hijack the broadcast signal on occasion. While all of this was going on, the nWo began gaining more and more power.
In October at Halloween Havoc
, Roddy Piper
made his WCW debut and immediately went after Hogan. For the next several weeks Piper pressed Eric Bischoff to give him a match against Hogan. However, a contract was never agreed to and Piper grew restless as the weeks wore on. The entire situation came to a head at the end of the November 18 edition of Nitro. Bischoff, who was still the program's lead broadcaster and who had continued to rail against the nWo, went into the ring on air and claimed that he and WCW management had gone to Piper's home in Portland, Oregon
to try and negotiate a contract with him and his representatives for a match against Hogan. Bischoff also claimed that Piper was not in the building but swore he would work with him to get the match signed. An irate Piper finally had enough and stormed to the ring while Bischoff was talking, to the surprise of the WCW Executive Vice-President. He immediately called Bischoff a liar and began asking him questions that Bischoff had no answers for. While Piper was asking his questions, The Giant ran down to the ring and grabbed him. Syxx, Hall, Nash, and Vincent followed and each tried to hold Piper back from attacking Bischoff. Hogan and DiBiase then entered the ring, with Hogan walking over to Bischoff and hugging him. Hogan then took the microphone from Bischoff and revealed to the crowd that WCW's Executive Vice-President had been working for the nWo all along.
Bischoff and Hogan eventually got Piper to sign the contract at World War 3 six days later (November 24), but the signing did not come without an nWo attack. Nevertheless, Piper and Hogan were booked for a match at Starrcade in December. The next night on Nitro, Bischoff permanently left the broadcast booth and became a egomaniacal tyrant as WCW Executive Vice-President as well as a manager-type figure within the nWo. At the top of the program, Bischoff issued an ultimatum to the WCW locker room. All wrestlers were given thirty days to have their WCW contracts switched over to nWo contracts and join the group. Anyone who failed to comply would become an nWo target, as Bischoff plainly stated at the end of his speech: "Either you're with us, or you're against us."
Almost immediately after Bischoff's speech, the American Males, Scotty Riggs and Marcus Bagwell
, headed to the ring. Riggs and Bagwell, who had won the WCW World Tag Team Championship in September 1995 but had largely floundered since, had been having some friction over the previous weeks that came to a head when Bagwell attacked his tag team partner out of frustration after being eliminated from the World War 3 battle royal the night before. Bagwell and Riggs were debating the question of joining the nWo, with Bagwell wanting to join and Riggs refusing to. Bagwell finally turned on his partner and attacked him, with the rest of the nWo joining in. Upon his induction into the group, Bagwell changed his look and became known as "Buff" Bagwell, playing off his muscular physique. Others who joined the nWo were Mr. Wallstreet
on December 9 and Big Bubba Rogers
and Scott Norton
on December 16. Japanese wrestler Masahiro Chono
also joined the group on December 16 and established himself as the leader of nWo Japan, a sister stable in New Japan Pro Wrestling
.
The Giant won a 60-man battle royal at World War 3 1996, earning a title match against Hogan. At Starrcade 1996
, Piper defeated Hogan in a non-title match. At the same event, the nWo stole Eddie Guerrero
's newly won United States heavyweight title belt; this caused to Guerrero constantly feud with mid-card nWo members such as Scott Norton and Syxx. The next night, The Giant was kicked out of the nWo when he refused to choke slam Piper in an nWo assault.
Toward the end of the year, on an episode of Nitro, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash introduced Kyle Petty
from NASCAR
as an honorary member of the group, as Petty drove the nWo race car on the Busch Series circuit (Petty had been previously involved in an angle with Jim Crockett Promotions, the predecessor of WCW, as a "judge" in the "Million Dollar Match" between Dusty Rhodes
and Ric Flair
at Starrcade
1984 that featured Joe Frazier
as referee for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship). An angle was run where the Steiner Brothers (Rick
and Scott
) "vandalized
" the nWo car at a racetrack by peeling off the wrap (NASCAR teams often use vinyl wrap to cover a car instead of painting the car; multiple schemes printed on vinyl similar to decals are positioned, and each may be peeled off to show another scheme for another race), kayfabe
scaring off Petty and replacing him with Steve Grissom
. In reality, the deal with Dan Shaver Racing had two drivers driving in selected races each. As part of the angle, Grissom's races carried the WCW paint scheme and Petty's an nWo paint scheme.
, who ran in to officiate after Nick Patrick was knocked down, was not an official referee for Souled Out; Bischoff also fired Anderson for his actions. The nWo went 4-1 in the remaining matches on the card, with the only loss suffered by Mr. Wallstreet in his match against Jeff Jarrett
.
At SuperBrawl VII, Piper wrestled Hogan for the title in a losing effort. This match marked the first time (and one of the few times) that Hogan had successfully pinned Piper. Randy Savage, who had recently returned and was at ringside for the match, helped Hogan win by slipping him brass knuckles, which Hogan then used to knock Piper out. Savage then participated in a post-match beatdown of Piper, cementing his place in the nWo. Earlier that night, The Outsiders lost their titles to Lex Luger and The Giant, while Syxx defeated Dean Malenko
for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The next night, Bischoff again returned the tag team titles to The Outsiders, as Luger had been injured and was not cleared to wrestle in the match. Luger, however, would not immediately give Bischoff the belt back and instead issued a challenge for a "winner-take-all" tag team match at Uncensored, which Bischoff accepted. Two weeks later, on the March 3 edition of Nitro, Turner Sports
president Harvey Schiller
suspended Bischoff for abuse of his office. Around that same time, NBA star Dennis Rodman
became a member of the nWo.
Luger's challenge turned into a three-team elimination match at Uncensored. He was on Team WCW with The Giant and the Steiner Brothers. Team nWo consisted of Hogan, The Outsiders, and Randy Savage. A third team was headed by Roddy Piper
, who was still angry over his loss to Hogan at SuperBrawl, and consisted of himself and three of the Four Horsemen
– Steve McMichael
, Jeff Jarrett
, and Chris Benoit
. The match did not start well for Team WCW as the nWo jumped Rick Steiner
backstage and left him unable to compete. The nWo eliminated every wrestler except for Luger without losing a man, but Luger rallied to eliminate Hall, Nash, and Savage. However, Savage hit Luger with a can of spray paint (given to him by Rodman) while Hogan was in Luger's finishing hold, the Torture Rack, and Nash held the referee with his back to the action, which enabled Hogan to pin Luger and win the match for the nWo. In addition to winning, per a pre-match stipulation, the nWo gained the right to challenge for any WCW championship whenever and wherever they pleased. The event, however, did end on a happy note for WCW as Sting descended from the rafters and attacked every member of Team nWo with a baseball bat and his signature move the Scorpion Deathdrop, thereby indicating his allegiance to WCW.
At Spring Stampede 1997, tension began to surface within the nWo ranks. Nick Patrick was kicked out of the group after counting Savage out in his loss to Diamond Dallas Page
as Nash powerbombed him in the middle of the ring. The show ended with Savage and Bischoff at each other's throats and forcing them both to be held back by other group members. J.J. Dillon
, who was appointed as WCW commissioner during Bischoff's suspension, later had Big Bubba Rogers and Mr. Wallstreet removed from the nWo due to a contractual technicality. Finally, Ted DiBiase quit the group months later and joined The Steiner Brothers on the August 4 episode of Nitro as their manager. In the interim, the nWo recruited The Great Muta
on May 26, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan
and Hiro Saito
several weeks after Spring Stampede; they made occasional appearances on television due to their working for New Japan Pro Wrestling
(with which WCW had a working relationship). The nWo also added Konnan
, whom they dubbed "K-Dogg", on July 14 after he attacked Rey Mysterio, Jr. while Kevin Nash watched.
At Bash at the Beach in July, Dennis Rodman made his wrestling debut as he teamed with Hogan to take on Luger and The Giant in a tag team match. Luger won the match for his team by forcing Hogan to submit to the Torture Rack, and earned a World Heavyweight Championship shot at Road Wild, set for August. Luger, however, elected to take his shot on the August 4 edition of Nitro, five days before the pay-per-view, and defeated Hogan to win the championship. Hogan managed to regain the title at Road Wild after Rodman, dressed up as Sting, hit Luger with a baseball bat; as the show ended the nWo celebrated in the locker room as Rodman "rechristened" the WCW championship by spray-painting the nWo logo on it.
A War Games match was announced for Fall Brawl 1997: War Games, after the nWo mocked The Four Horsemen in a skit where they dressed as members of the group. The skit surrounded the recent addition of Curt Hennig
to the Horsemen in place of a retiring Arn Anderson
. The Horsemen (Ric Flair, Benoit, Hennig, and McMichael) took on Nash, Bagwell, Syxx, and Konnan and were defeated after Hennig turned on the Horsemen immediately after entering and joined the nWo; McMichael surrendered for the Horsemen to stop the nWo's assault on Flair, which proved useless as Hennig punctuated his act by slamming the cage door on Flair's head. The next night, Hennig came out wearing Flair's robe, which he gave to Hogan as a gift, and later that evening became the fifth nWo member to hold a WCW championship at the time (after Hogan, Hall, Nash & Syxx) when he defeated McMichael for his United States Championship.
Rick Rude joined the nWo on an episode of Nitro on the same night that he made a pre-taped appearance on the WWF's show Raw is War. He spoke of his sympathy for Bret Hart
because of the Montreal Screwjob
and how he had a grudge against Sting for ending his career in a match in Japan
three years earlier. Scott Hall then won a 60-man Battle Royal
at World War 3 1997, and per a pre-match stipulation earned a WCW World Heavyweight Championship shot at SuperBrawl VIII scheduled for the following February.
Bret Hart
made his WCW debut on the December 15, 1997 edition of Nitro. Speculation had been abounding since the November 10 edition of Nitro (the night after the Montreal Screwjob
) over whether he would align himself with the nWo as Eric Bischoff, who announced the signing of Hart to WCW that night as well as shooting on the incident where Hart punched out Vince McMahon backstage, declared that Hart was the newest member of the nWo that night. Instead of joining the nWo, however, he agreed to be the special referee in the match pitting Larry Zbyszko
against the nWo's Eric Bischoff, with the winner of the match would gain control of WCW Monday Nitro. On the Monday before Starrcade, the nWo staged a complete takeover of WCW Monday Nitro. They tore down the set and ran off commentators Tony Schiavone
, Bobby Heenan
, and Mike Tenay
. They then replaced all WCW logos with the nWo logo and turned WCW Monday Nitro into nWo Monday Nitro. This event was intended as a legit test run for a permanent changeover of Nitro to an nWo-centric show, with the soon-debuting Thunder
becoming the WCW-centric prime-time show. However, due to abysmal ratings following the twenty-plus minutes of the conversion of the set on live television, the plan for an nWo weekly show was quietly dropped, with the only evidence being the occasional nWo Monday Nitro t-shirt being worn by an nWo member.
At Starrcade 1997
, Zbyszko defeated Bischoff by disqualification after Scott Hall interfered, giving full control of Nitro to WCW. In the main event, Hogan lost the WCW Championship to Sting. Hogan had originally pinned Sting, but confusion arose when Bret Hart appeared at ringside and accused referee and former nWo member Nick Patrick of making a fast count, claiming "it would never happen again" (referencing the Montreal Screwjob
). In reality, Nick Patrick was supposed to make it a fast count, revealing himself to be a crooked official. By Bret Hart's account in his biography, Patrick simply forgot to speed up the count, which left the fans extremely confused. Hart laid out Patrick and ordered the match to continue with himself as the referee. Hogan then submitted to Sting's Scorpion Death Lock
.
. This prompted Sting to finally speak after 16 months, telling Dillon "You got no guts!" before turning to Hogan and declaring him a "dead man".
In addition to the title being vacated, Scott Hall was still slated to face the world champion at SuperBrawl as per the stipulation surrounding his World War 3 win, and this also would have to be resolved with the vacant championship. New WCW commissioner Roddy Piper
resolved that at Souled Out on January 24. Piper acknowledged Hall's number one contendership, but declared that since there was no champion for him to face at SuperBrawl he would face the winner of a second Hogan vs. Sting match at Uncensored in March.
Later that evening the feud between Hall and Larry Zbyszko came to an end when he defeated Hall by disqualification when Louie Spicolli
, who had just signed with WCW a month earlier, interfered. After the match Dusty Rhodes
, who had been in the broadcast booth that night and who Zbyszko had asked to come to the ring with him, joined Hall and Spicolli in attacking Zbyszko and joined the nWo, where he served as a mentor to Hall.
While that was going on, Kevin Nash was banned from using his finisher, the jackknife powerbomb. At Souled Out he attempted to perform the move on The Giant in their match, but could not lift the 500-pound wrestler over his head and instead dropped him on his head and neck leading to a severe injury that kept The Giant out of action for several weeks. This led to J.J. Dillon announcing on Nitro that the jackknife as well as any variation of the powerbomb were barred from WCW, and that anyone using the move(s) would be seriously fined and disqualified for that match. He also said that if Nash attempted his finisher, not only would he be disqualified and fined, but escorted out of the arena by Doug Dilinger and the WCW security. Nash called Dillon's bluff in a match later that evening by powerbombing Ray Traylor, which led to him being handcuffed and escorted from the building by security.
The nWo continued to expand their ranks into the new year as former WWF star Brian Adams
jumped ship to WCW and joined the nWo. Hogan gained a second bodyguard when Ed Leslie
, who had previously tried to join the nWo at Road Wild in 1996, debuted as a barely recognizable bearded biker dubbed "The Disciple".
Soon, problems began to arise between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage on the January 5, 1998 main event of Nitro. Savage had attempted to defeat Lex Luger on numerous occasions, but lost because of botched interference from fellow nWo members, including Hogan. This led to heated arguments between Savage and Hogan, and there were near physical confrontations between Savage and Nash.
At SuperBrawl VIII, the nWo had a mixed array of success. Hall and Nash regained the tag team championships from the Steiner Brothers after Scott Steiner unexpectedly turned on his brother Rick and manager Ted DiBiase. Scott handed the belts to Hall and Nash after the match and celebrated with The Outsiders and Dusty Rhodes, marking his induction into the nWo. However, Hogan lost to Sting in a match for the vacated world championship, and was attacked by Savage late in the match when he hit a downed Hogan with a can of spray paint while Sting fought off the rest of the group.
After SuperBrawl Savage then made his intentions clear. He declared that he no longer needed the nWo's help to win matches, that Hogan had dropped the ball, and that he was going after Sting to try and bring the world championship back to the nWo. Hogan and Savage tried to one-up each other on episodes of Nitro and Thunder over the next few weeks, which led to a steel cage match at Uncensored in March which ended in a no contest. Savage then stated to Hogan that there were certain members of the nWo who were plotting to throw him out of the group, which were the first signs of a breakup of the group. Earlier that night, Hall lost his World War 3-earned title match against Sting.
The rift between the different factions of the nWo grew wider after Syxx, who had been out injured since October, was released from his contract. Shortly thereafter Scott Hall was removed from television and this led to a confrontation between Kevin Nash, Eric Bischoff, and Hogan on the March 26 edition of Thunder. Hogan told Nash that he didn't know where Hall was and made a shoot
statement regarding Syxx saying that he "couldn't cut the mustard." (Sean Waltman (Syxx) returned to the World Wrestling Federation four days later as X-Pac and returned the favor, saying that if Hall and Nash were contractually able to do so, they would jump ship and follow him back to the WWF, which led Bischoff to respond with a simple "bite me" on the April 6 Nitro; Hall had been sent to rehab to deal with his ongoing alcoholism.)
The differences within the nWo were becoming more apparent. Randy Savage and Nash were suddenly realizing that Hogan was only looking out for himself, and the nWo was secondary. Nash sided with Savage after Hogan had interfered in a number of Sting/Nash matches, not wanting to have to face Nash to take back his title. Nash supported Savage in his quest to defeat Sting, but also agreed to team with Hogan against the returning Roddy Piper and The Giant in a Baseball Bat on a Pole Match. Nash made it clear, however, that he would just as soon use the bat on Hogan. At Spring Stampede 1998, Hogan and Nash defeated Piper and The Giant. After the match, Hogan assaulted Nash. Nash later helped Savage defeat Sting by powerbombing the champion, earning Savage the win, the title, and the ire of Hogan who came out following the match arguing that Savage had "his title". Hogan and The Disciple then attacked Nash and Savage, and the next night on Nitro Hogan issued a challenge to Savage for his newly won world championship.
The no-disqualification match between the two came to a climax just before its conclusion. While Hogan was attacking Savage in a corner, The Disciple hit referee Nick Patrick with a neckbreaker and then hit the fallen champion with his finishing move, The Apocalypse, on the title belt. While this was happening a furious Nash ran to ringside with Eric Bischoff following close behind to try and intercept him. Despite the best efforts of all three men in the ring Nash easily took them on, eventually powerbombing Hogan in a move that signaled the breakup of the nWo into two separate factions.
The match, however, was not over. Nash laid the unconscious Savage on top of Hogan, while Bret Hart came to the ring. In an unexpected move, Hart laid out Nash with the championship belt, moved the pile so Hogan was covering Savage, and revived Patrick by placing him near Hogan. The referee counted Savage out and Hogan became WCW World Heavyweight Champion for a fourth time. Although Hogan had the title back in his and appeared to have taken the reins of the nWo again, he was now the leader of a severely splintered group whose loyalties were now going to have to be split between either him or Nash.
On the May 4 edition of Nitro, Kevin Nash, Randy Savage, and Konnan appeared wearing black shirts with a red nWo logo, as opposed to the familiar white logo. They called themselves nWo Wolfpac, and were joined in the following weeks by Curt Hennig, Miss Elizabeth, and Rick Rude. The Wolfpac became the first nWo incarnation to wrestle as faces. Hogan's side retained the black and white colors of the original nWo and took on the moniker nWo Hollywood, with Vincent, Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Scott Steiner, Scott Norton, Brian Adams, and The Disciple on his side. Bret Hart never officially joined either side but supported nWo Hollywood.
The allegiances of two nWo members were not yet known, however, as Hall's mystery disappearance from television was still unresolved (despite his standing as WCW Tag Team Champion) and Buff Bagwell had suffered a severe neck injury at the April 21 Thunder taping and was out of action. This didn't stop either side from recruiting new members, however, and the first WCW member to join one of the nWo factions caused a major problem for one of the main events for May's Slamboree. Nash and Hall were to defend their world tag team championships against two of WCW's stalwarts, Sting and The Giant. However, The Giant joined nWo Hollywood shortly before Slamboree as retribution for Nash's injuring him at Souled Out in January. Despite this, the Giant maintained his alliance with Sting, but strongly suggested that Sting had a decision to make in terms of his allegiance. What happened at Slamboree exacerbated this problem.
Hall made his return to WCW in the colors of the Wolfpac for The Outsiders' title defense. During the match, however, he turned on Nash by hitting him with the title belt, which gave the win to the team of Sting and The Giant. The next night Hall was introduced as the newest member of nWo Hollywood.
On the May 25 edition of Nitro the Wolfpac added Lex Luger, who said joining "just feels right" and urged his friend Sting to join him. However, nWo Hollywood wasn't ready to see Sting join the Wolfpac and made their own effort to try and woo Sting. Sting revealed his decision on the following week's Nitro, swerving Hogan into believing that he was going to join his side, then turning on him and tearing off the black and white T-shirt he was wearing to reveal a red and black one underneath. As part of his joining the Wolfpac, Sting began painting his face red and black instead of the black and white "Crow" style face-paint he had been wearing since 1996.
At The Great American Bash 1998, the Wolfpac lost two members as Hennig and Rude turned on Konnan following a loss and joined nWo Hollywood. It wasn't a total loss for the red and black, however, as Sting defeated The Giant in a singles match for control of the vacated tag team championships. The next night on Nitro, Sting chose Nash as his partner and the two began defending the titles.
In the meantime, a new contender for Hogan's championship emerged in undefeated rookie and United States Champion Goldberg
, who had run off an impressive string of victories. On the July 2, 1998 edition of Thunder, Goldberg was granted a title match against Hogan for the July 6 edition of Nitro. However, Hogan changed his mind and forced Goldberg to wrestle Scott Hall in order to earn his title match. Goldberg defeated Hall and then topped Hogan in the main event to win his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
After his loss to Goldberg, Hogan turned his attention to celebrity matches for the next two months, wrestling in two tag team matches at Bash at the Beach
and Road Wild
. Hogan won the first match with Dennis Rodman
over Diamond Dallas Page
and Karl Malone
. The second match was a culmination of a storyline involving several Tonight Show skits involving Jay Leno making fun of Hogan, which resulted in Hogan and Eric Bischoff kayfabe
taking over the show and Diamond Dallas Page coming to save the day. Hogan and Bischoff lost to Page and Leno thanks to interference from Kevin Eubanks
.
Meanwhile the feud between Scott Hall and Kevin Nash continued while Nash continued to defend his half of the tag team championship with Sting. On the July 20 edition of Nitro Hall and The Giant challenged the champions to a match for the titles. Late in the match Bret Hart, who had been feuding with Sting over the previous few weeks, came out in an attempt to attack Sting. Sting knocked Hart to the floor and climbed the turnbuckle to taunt him, but the momentary lapse in concentration enabled Hall to hit the Outsiders Edge and pin Sting to take the tag team championships back to the black and white.
The nWo Wolfpac became hugely popular amongst wrestling fans in the summer of 1998 while continuing their battle with nWo Hollywood, and formed a somewhat uneasy alliance with the WCW roster. Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan had his own battle to deal with in the form of The Warrior
, who returned to wrestling on an August edition of Nitro. Warrior formed his own faction dubbed the One Warrior Nation, which included himself and former nWo member The Disciple.
The feud between Hall and Nash culminated in a singles match at Halloween Havoc in October, where Hall earned a countout win after Nash left the ring following two Jackknife Powerbombs. Nash later stated that he didn't care about winning the match, he just wanted his friend back. On the same night Hollywood Hogan defeated The Warrior when Hogan's nephew, Horace
, interfered and joined nWo Hollywood. Bret Hart defeated Wolfpac member Sting, putting him out of action for about 6 months.
At World War 3 1998, nWo Hollywood attacked Scott Hall and kicked him out of the group for disrespecting Hogan and Bischoff a few weeks earlier. Kevin Nash went on to win the 60 man battle royal and earned a WCW World Title shot against the still-undefeated Goldberg. On the Thanksgiving episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, nWo Hollywood leader Hulk Hogan announced his retirement from professional wrestling. Scott Steiner went on to assume the leadership role in the nWo Hollywood faction.
Three months earlier that year, Harlem Heat
's Stevie Ray
, who had previously flirted with the possibility of becoming a member of the nWo, officially joined nWo Hollywood on August 24.
At Starrcade 1998
, Nash handed Goldberg his first loss and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hall interfered in the match and shocked Goldberg with a cattle prod, incapacitating him long enough for an oblivious Nash to hit the Jackknife Powerbomb and score the win.
Later that night Hogan made his return to WCW for the first time since November and was challenged by the reigning champion. Hogan accepted Nash's request and took Goldberg's place in the main event. In the match, after the bell rang to begin the bout, Hogan poked Nash in the chest, after which Nash fell to the mat as if he'd been shot. Hogan covered Nash for the pin and became champion again.
After the win Hogan celebrated in the ring with Nash, Hall, and Scott Steiner, revealing that it was all a conspiracy and the nWo had reunited under the Wolfpac label. However, while Hogan, Hall, Nash, Steiner, Lex Luger, Buff Bagwell, and Konnan were part of the Wolfpac, the undercard wrestlers in the nWo (The Giant, Curt Hennig, Horace Hogan, Stevie Ray, Brian Adams, and Vincent) were still in the black and white colors of nWo Hollywood and never were officially assimilated back into the group. This short-lived group was sardonically labeled the nWo B-Team by fans and commentators. This "B-team" was a staple of WCW programming throughout 1999 and Stevie Ray was eventually made their leader. This B version of the nWo officially consisted of Stevie Ray, Vincent, Horace, Scott Norton, and Brian Adams. Konnan was one of the first people eliminated from the group, after being attacked by Lex Luger. He would then align with Rey Misterio, Jr. and feud with the nWo. Sting, a former member of the Wolfpac, had been on hiatus during the nWo reuniting and did not partake in the now-heel stable upon his return.
On the Elite/Wolfpac side they enjoyed initial success with Hulk Hogan as WCW World Champion, Scott Steiner as Television Champion and Scott Hall as United States Champion. However they were wrecked by injuries when Hall's foot was accidentally backed over by a car and he was put on the shelf (and subsequently was stripped of the title) while Lex Luger suffered a torn biceps and as a result he and Elizabeth went on hiatus. Hogan dropped the World Championship at Uncensored to Ric Flair and Steiner lost his Television Championship to Booker T after Bagwell accidentally nailed him with a chair. Shortly after Steiner beat him down and threw him out of the group. Scott later reunited with his brother Rick, who interfered on Scott's behalf during his match with Bagwell at Slamboree in May 1999. Scott then inducted Rick into the nWo, although Rick never actually embraced it. A month earlier, Hogan was severely injured during a fatal four-way match (with Page, Flair and a returned, white-painted Sting with a returned Randy Savage as the guest referee) at Spring Stampede for the world title, which Diamond Dallas Page won, and was put out of action indefinitely. Nash then began a rivalry with Page, who he blamed for causing Hogan's injury, and defeated him for the world title at Slamboree. By this point, however, the nWo storyline had petered. Scott Steiner was forced to go on hiatus due to a back injury. Other minor members included Disco Inferno
, David Flair
, and Samantha
. Inferno engaged in a feud with Konnan that ended with a loss to him at Spring Stampede 99 (which was the quiet end of his membership) while Flair and Samantha were quietly removed from television following Hogan's title loss at Uncensored.
Earlier that year, nWo Black and White saw the Giant and Curt Hennig beaten down and removed from the group (with Hall explaining that it was "time to trim the fat"), The Giant would later become The Big Show
at WWF's
St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House
, and Hennig would later team with Barry Windham
, while the others continued on with a storyline that saw every member told by Hogan they were the leader of the group. This led to infighting that eventually saw Stevie Ray win control defeating the other members in a Battle Royal. However by that time the Wolfpac Elite had collapsed and the nWo no longer had any importance in WCW. As the year went on, the nWo Black & White members slowly began distancing themselves from each other. Scott Norton left the company altogether shortly after the battle royal, preferring to stay in Japan where he had begun to build his career. Brian Adams was kicked out of the group and vanished from WCW programming for some time, eventually forming a tag team with Bryan Clark called KroniK
. Vincent left the group and joined the West Texas Rednecks
alongside former nWo stablemates Curt Hennig and Barry Windham
, changing his name to "Curly Bill" and later to "Shane
" (as another slap at Vince McMahon). Stevie Ray reformed Harlem Heat with Booker T later that year and they won three more tag team titles together before splitting up for good toward the end of the year. Horace Hogan entered the newly created hardcore division
and contended for its championship (never winning it), then played a part in the New Blood storyline that dominated WCW in the early part of 2000. He left the company after the incident at Bash at the Beach that year where Vince Russo fired his uncle.
Hogan and Nash also entered a feud before the end of the summer. Nash lost his world championship in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach in July pitting him and Sting against Sid Vicious
and Randy Savage
as Savage pinned him. The next night Hogan returned to Nitro and accepted a challenge from Savage for the championship; Nash interfered by powerbombing Savage and gave Hogan the victory, but the next week Nash attacked Hogan during a match with Vicious and aligned himself with Vicious and Rick Steiner
. Over the next few weeks Hogan and Nash, along with Vicious and Steiner (on Nash's side) and Sting and a returning Goldberg (on Hogan's side) feuded with each other, culminating in a match at Road Wild where Hogan put his title and career on the line against Nash's career. Hogan returned to his Hulk Hogan persona and won the match at Road Wild forcing Nash to retire. Nash did continue to make appearances afterward, usually stirring up trouble backstage with Hall as his cohort, and wearing silly disguises to play mind games on some of the talent.
and Bret Hart would reform the nWo. Hall, Nash and Jarrett would interfere on Hart's behalf in his match with Goldberg, causing Hart to win the vacant WCW World Title, and Nash announced that "the Band is back together". After Goldberg accidentally injured himself breaking the nWo's limousine windshield, Sid Vicious, Chris Beniot and Terry Funk
were left to feud with the nWo. Scott Steiner returned and rejoined the group after attacking Vicious. The Harris Brothers would act as the nWo's bodygaurds before joining the group themselves. As nWo members, the Harris brothers would become WCW Tag Team Champions twice. Hart was forced to vacant the World Title and went on hiatus from WCW in late January 2000 due to his injures. At the following Souled Out
, Nash defeated Funk for the commissionership, but his reign was cut short after he suffered a broken ankle and had to withdraw from WCW for a while. Jarrett would win a title shot facing new World Champion Sid Vicious at Superbrawl. However, Jarrett would also feud with fellow nWo member Scott Hall after Hall attempted to defeat Vicious and win the title himself. The match at Superbrawl would be changed to a three-way dance between Hall, Jarrett and Vicious. Vicious won the match and Hall left WCW for good. Jarrett faced Vicious for the title again at Uncensored and lost. With the return of Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo
in April, the nWo completely dismantled and Jarrett, Steiner and the Harris brothers joined the New Blood while the returning Nash joined the Millionaire's Club.
After the WWF bought WCW in 2001, Vince McMahon
brought in Hogan, Hall and Nash, the original nWo, at No Way Out 2002
. In this storyline, the nWo was brought in as McMahon's hired thugs in an attempt to "kill" the WWF so that McMahon would not have to share power with new WWF "co-owner" Ric Flair
. They began by targeting the company's two biggest stars, Steve Austin
and The Rock. Hogan left the group after he lost his WrestleMania X8
match with the Rock and was assaulted after that match by Hall and Nash. Hogan's comeback to the WWF after 8 years had fans cheering him, even though he was a heel. As a result, he turned face and began feuding with Hall and Nash, with The Rock, Kane and Bradshaw
at his side on occasion. Hall and Nash then brought in two former nWo members, X-Pac
(formerly known as Syxx), on March 21, 2002, edition of SmackDown! in Ottawa, Ontario and The Big Show
(formerly known as The Giant), on the April 22 edition of Raw.
The nWo reunion in the WWF did not last long, however. During an attack on Bradshaw
, Kevin Nash injured his biceps and was put out of action for several months. Meanwhile, Hall asked for his release from WWE in May 2002, because he was in the middle of a custody dispute with his ex-wife over their two children, according to Nash (Nash made that statement during media promotions in Detroit for Vengeance 2002). This dispute led to Hall getting drunk on an airline flight back from the U.K. and getting into an altercation. Upon returning to the United States, Hall was immediately fired. Flair became a semi-member of the nWo after turning on Stone Cold Steve Austin
. As owner of Raw, Flair set up a lumberjack match with Austin against the newest member of the nWo, which turned out to be Booker T
. Booker had just finished a silly skit with Goldust minutes earlier, where he had been wearing a lumberjack costume and fake beard, all but destroying his "tough" momentum going into the match. Nash introduced Shawn Michaels
into the nWo on June 3 edition of Raw. Michaels then literally "kicked" Booker out of the nWo one week later. Michaels, then in the midst of a four-year retirement from pro wrestling, would be the first nWo member who had never wrestled in WCW. Michaels and Nash then would set their sights on recruiting Triple H
(by using threats and demands) into the nWo, implying that they would re-create on-screen their old backstage group The Kliq. This storyline was ultimately never resolved, as Nash suffered a torn quadriceps tendon that forced him to miss an extended period of time. Afterwards, the nWo storyline was permanently abandoned and the remaining members drifted apart. Michaels went on to return to active competition within weeks, Big Show was eventually traded to SmackDown, and X-Pac was released from his contract.
, X-Pac, the Big Show, and Chris Benoit
to take on Booker T, Goldust, Bubba Ray Dudley, Spike Dudley
, and Rob Van Dam
. Seconds after tagging in for the first time, Nash tore his quadriceps after delivering a big boot onto Booker T, immediately putting him back on the injured list. On the following Raw (July 15), Vince McMahon came out to the ring to the entrance of the nWo and made the announcement that the group was officially disbanded as Eric Bischoff became Raw General Manager. This marked the last time anything regarding the nWo was seen on WWE programming, apart from a mention from DX and Eric Bischoff in a promo in 2006. Also, WWE wrestler Randy Orton
wore a T-shirt with his initials "rKo" in the classic nWo logo design and Michael Tarver
wore an nXt
shirt.
(TNA), Kevin Nash had hinted that "the band was getting back together". On the January 4, 2010 live TNA Impact!
Monday night three-hour special, Sean Waltman (Syxx/X-Pac) and Scott Hall made their returns to TNA and with Nash had sought to rehash, to some extent, their invasive alliance (though not legally permitted to use the nWo moniker due to WWE's ownership), additionally with the debuting Hogan (who used an edit of the nWo 2000 theme as his entrance music, as well as all black attire and 5 o'clock shadow). This was the first time in over eight years the members had been seen together at a wrestling event. Hogan conceded the others were his "brothers 4 life"; however, he would decline the offer, stating that "it's a different time". Eric Bischoff then came down and clarified that in partnering with Hogan to run the talent department, everyone would have to earn their spots in the company. At the end of the show, Nash, Hall and Waltman assaulted Mick Foley
, who confronted Bischoff in the office while trying to get a meeting with Hogan, and beat him down until Hogan arrived on the scene to end the show.
The following week "The Band" attacked Beer Money, Inc.
(Robert Roode and James Storm
), who had asked Bischoff for a match against Hall and Nash, after their match with Hernandez
and Matt Morgan, which led to Bischoff, clearly on friendly terms with The Band, coming out and announcing a match between Beer Money and Hall and Nash at Genesis
. At the pay-per-view Waltman, once again using the ringname Syxx-Pac, replaced Hall after a game of rock-paper-scissors
for the spot in the match and teamed up with Nash in a losing effort against Beer Money. On the following episode of Impact!, Hogan told Nash, Hall and Syxx-Pac that their attitude towards their pay-per-view return was disrespectful. He added that since Hall and Syxx-Pac did not have TNA contracts, they were ordered to leave the company. Despite this Hall and Syxx-Pac kept on returning to Impact! Zone for random attacks and on the February 4 edition of Impact! Hall and Syxx-Pac turned on Kevin Nash and beat him down. At Destination X
Hall and Syxx-Pac faced Nash and Eric Young
in a tag team match, where their TNA futures were on the line; if The Band managed to win the match, they would get contracts with TNA, but if they lost, they would have to leave the company for good. In the end Nash turned on Young and gave Hall and Syxx-Pac the victory.
On the March 29 edition of Impact! Nash offered Young a spot in the Band, claiming that what happened in Destination X was just business and nothing personal. Young refused the offer and in the main event of the evening, teamed up with Rob Van Dam
and Jeff Hardy
to defeat the Band in a six man tag team steel cage match. At Lockdown
Nash defeated Young in a steel cage match. Later in the night Nash replaced Syxx-Pac, who no-showed the event, and teamed up with Hall in a St. Louis Street Fight, where they were defeated by Team 3D
. It was later reported that Waltman had let TNA know days in advance that he was not cleared to wrestle by the Missouri State Commission and was not going to be able to attend the event. On the April 26 edition of Impact!, Waltman was found lying backstage in a pool of his own blood, after apparently having been put through a table off screen by Team 3D. The following week, Eric Young turned on Team 3D and revealed himself as the surprise third member of the Band, replacing Syxx-Pac. On May 4, at the tapings of the May 13 edition of Impact!, after TNA World Tag Team Champion
Matt Morgan had been attacked by Samoa Joe
, Nash cashed in his "Feast or Fired" contract, teaming with Hall, and pinned him to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Prior to their match at Sacrifice
, Kevin Nash invoked the so called "Freebird Rule". This rule allowed Eric Young to be recognized as a champion and allowed any two of the three members to defend the championships at any time. At the event Nash and Hall defeated Ink Inc.
(Jesse Neal
and Shannon Moore
), after an interference from Brother Ray, one half of Team 3D and Neal's trainer. At the June 14 tapings of the June 17 edition of Impact! The Band was stripped of the Tag Team Championship, due to Scott Hall's legal problems. The following day it was reported that both Hall and Sean Waltman had been released from their contracts with TNA. On the June 24 edition of Impact! Nash and Young decided to part ways, as Nash intended to go after Hogan, whom he blamed for what had happened to Hall and Waltman, and didn't want Young to get into trouble for it.
After Nash was unable to convince Hogan to re–hire Hall and Waltman and failed to secure a meeting with Eric Bischoff, he set his sights on renewing his feud with Jeff Jarrett, who claimed that Nash had tried to hurt TNA by bringing Hall and Waltman in. On the August 5th edition of Impact!, Sting, who had feuded with Jarrett prior to his 30 day suspension, returned to TNA and, together with Nash, beat down Jarrett, Bischoff and Hogan. On the August 26 edition of Impact! Nash defeated Jarrett in a singles match, after an interference from Sting. The following week Nash helped Sting defeat Jarrett. After the match Samoa Joe aligned himself with Jarrett and Hogan and drove Nash and Sting away. At No Surrender
Jarrett and Joe defeated Nash and Sting in a tag team match, after Jarrett hit Sting with a baseball bat. On the September 16 edition of Reaction
, Nash and Sting were joined by D'Angelo Dinero
, who claimed to have gotten inside information from Bischoff's secretary Miss Tessmacher
, that would suggest that Nash and Sting were right about Hogan and Bischoff being up to something. At Bound for Glory
Nash, Sting and Dinero faced Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe in a handicap match, after Hulk Hogan, who was scheduled to team with Jarrett and Joe, was forced to pull out due to a back surgery. At the end of the match Jarrett abandoned Joe and left him to be pinned by Nash. At the end of the event it was revealed that Nash and Sting had been right about Hogan and Bischoff all along, as they turned heel with Jarrett, Abyss and Jeff Hardy, and in the process turned Nash, Sting and Dinero back to being faces. On October 13, 2010, Nash's contract with TNA expired and he announced his retirement from professional wrestling. His last TNA appearance was a taping broadcast on October 14, 2010, when Nash and Sting both announced they were walking away from TNA rather than being a part of Hogan and Bischoff's regime.
(*) - During their reign, Hall and Nash invoked "The Band Rules" and named Eric Young
as a co-champion
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...
stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling
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...
(WCW). The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE) after the purchase of WCW by the WWF. The group was briefly revived in 2010 under the name of The Band in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total 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...
(TNA). The stable's gimmick was a group of unsanctioned wrestlers aiming to "take over" and control WCW in the manner of a street gang; many of the group's initial seven members had each gained fame in the rival World Wrestling Federation
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...
, although this connection was only implied.
The nWo angle is one of the most influential forces in the late 1990s success of WCW, and was instrumental in turning mainstream American wrestling back into a more mature, adult-oriented product. The brainchild of WCW Executive Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, and fueled initially by the unexpected heel turn
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
of Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance 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 ....
, the nWo storyline is generally considered one of the most successful angles in the history of modern-day professional wrestling, spawning several imitations and parodies (including groups such as bWo
Blue World Order
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...
, lWo
Latino World Order
The Latino World Order was a professional wrestling stable that existed in World Championship Wrestling in 1998 and 1999 led by Eddie Guerrero...
and oWn). It dominated WCW programming throughout the late-1990s and almost until the dissolution of WCW in 2001, during which time there were several, sometimes rival incarnations of the group; the rival WWF even resurrected the angle for a time in 2002. As a result of so many members having joined, the nWo holds the record of the biggest wrestling stable in wrestling history.
Concept
The nWo storyline was an idea WCW Executive Vice President Eric BischoffEric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
came up with after attending a New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
show. He wanted to do an invasion-type angle where WCW was kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
being sabotaged by another wrestling group (initially insinuated as being the WWF, since its founding members had previously wrestled for the company). The nWo was originally portrayed as a separate entity from WCW (often, propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
-style vignettes and product commercials concerning the nWo were preceded by an "interruption in the feed", and a voice proclaiming, "The following announcement has been paid for by the New World Order").
Others, such as Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin 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...
, television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
Craig Leathers
Craig Leathers
Craig Leathers was a longtime director and producer of World Championship Wrestling telecasts. He has worked with Eric Bischoff for many years during the mid to late 1990s...
, chief WCW booker Terry Taylor
Terry Taylor
Terry Taylor , is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
, and Taylor's assistants Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
and Paul Orndorff
Paul Orndorff
Paul Parlette Orndorff, Jr. is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling as "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff...
, all contributed their own ideas to the nWo concept. For instance, the logo was designed by Craig Leathers, Scott Hall is credited with the group's trademark hand-signals, and Taylor belatedly scrawled the group's most popular catchphrase, "When you're nWo, you're nWo 4 life", in one segment he scripted for WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
in late 1996.
Formation
On May 19, 1996, Scott HallScott Hall
Scott 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...
and Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin 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...
wrestled their final matches for the WWF as "Razor Ramon" and "Diesel," respectively, as their contracts had expired and they had recently signed with WCW. Eight days later, on the May 27 episode of Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
, Hall unexpectedly interrupted a match between The Mauler
Mike Enos
Mike Enos is a retired professional wrestler who wrestled mainly as a tag-team wrestler in World Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association and the World Wrestling Federation between 1989 and 2000....
and Steve Doll
Steve Doll
Steve Doll was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation as Steven Dunn in the tag team Well Dunn.-Professional wrestling career:...
and called for the ring announcer's microphone. "You all know who I am," Hall said to the stunned crowd, "but you don't know why I'm here." He went on to deliver a now-famous speech which has since become known as the "You Want a War?" speech, stating that he and unnamed allies had a challenge for WCW Executive Vice-President Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
and any WCW superstar. As Nitro neared its end, Hall accosted Bischoff, who was also the lead broadcaster for Nitro at the time, in the broadcast booth and demanded that he tell WCW owner Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
to pick three of his best wrestlers. The next week, Hall reappeared on Nitro five minutes before the end of the broadcast and again interrogated Bischoff. Sting
Sting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
confronted and slapped Hall after Hall threw a toothpick at him, and Hall said he had a "little...no...BIG surprise" for Sting. During the next Nitro, Hall again pestered Bischoff in the broadcast booth. Bischoff demanded to know of the "surprise" Hall had in store for Sting while being unaware that Nash, the surprise, was standing right behind him. Hall finally pointed his partner out, and Nash said, "So this is WCW, where the big boys play, huh? Look at the adjective: Play. We ain't here to play!" From then on, the two would become known as The Outsiders, randomly appearing at WCW events to cause trouble and (inevitably) be led out of the building by WCW security. Initially, the WCW broadcasters did not use "The Outsiders" to refer to Hall and Nash collectively, instead referring to Hall and Nash individually by their last names.
Despite the fact that Hall and Nash were both fully employed by WCW, the storyline's implication that they were WWF wrestlers "invading" WCW was enough of a concern to the WWF that it considered legal action over Hall and Nash's antics. Hall was the largest concern to the WWF; in addition to his usage of the terms "Billionaire Ted", "The Huckster", "The Nacho Man", and "Scheme Gene" (disparaging references to Turner, Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance 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 ....
, "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall 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...
, and "Mean" Gene Okerlund
Gene Okerlund
Eugene "Mean Gene" Okerlund is a semi-retired American professional wrestling interviewer and announcer. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan...
that the WWF had made in early 1996 skits mocking WCW) in interviews, he had not fully distanced himself from his "Razor Ramon" character in the WWF, continuing to speak in a faux-Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n accent and referring to people as "chico." WCW attempted to address these concerns at The Great American Bash in June 1996, where Bischoff invited The Outsiders to do an interview with him. He promised them a match at the next pay-per-view event, and then directly asked both Hall and Nash if they were employed by the WWF, to which each replied in the negative. The WWF, still unsatisfied, filed a lawsuit, charging that Bischoff had proposed inter-promotional matches for TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
to associate the two companies with each other. This was despite the fact that Ted Turner and WWF chairman Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
had carried on a rivalry for (at the time) eleven years, based on the fallout from McMahon's 1984 purchase of Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
and its flagship program World Championship Wrestling, and the program's subsequent failure and McMahon's sale of its time slot to Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
(the forerunner to WCW). Also, prior to the nWo storyline, Bischoff routinely revealed results of taped episodes of Monday Night RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, the WWF's flagship show, on live Nitro broadcasts (at the time RAW was only live every other week, as the WWF would show a live RAW on a Monday night and then tape the next week's show the following day) and had presided over a controversial angle on a December 1995 edition of Nitro in which Madusa
Debra Miceli
Debrah Ann Miceli is a Monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is best known under her ring names Madusa or Alundra Blayze. Her early career was spent in the American Wrestling Association, where she held the AWA World Women's Championship one time...
, who had competed in the WWF as Alundra Blayze and was the reigning WWF Women's champion
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
, appeared on the air with her championship belt and threw it in a trash can.
During their interview with Bischoff at The Great American Bash, both Hall and Nash pressed him again to name his company's three representatives. Bischoff said that he had found three men who would answer their challenge, but would not name them. Hall became skeptical of Bischoff's refusal and it led to an attack by both Outsiders, ending when Nash powerbomb
Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
ed Bischoff through the interview stage. Following this show, The Outsiders continued to randomly terrorize WCW events, always being chased away by armed security guards. Meanwhile, Bischoff held a draft on Nitro to determine WCW's representatives. Sting, his tag team partner Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall 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...
were chosen.
The Hostile Takeover Match
The match Bischoff promised, a six-man tag known as the "Hostile Takeover Match," served as the main event of Bash At The BeachBash at the Beach (1996)
Bash at the Beach was the third annual Bash at the Beach professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling . It took place on July 7, 1996 from the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida...
, which was held at the Ocean Center
Ocean Center
The Ocean Center is a multi-purpose facility, in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. It was built in 1985 and expanded in 2009, doubling the facility's size...
in Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
on July 7, 1996. Hall and Nash came to the ring by themselves, leaving speculation open as to who would be their partner. WCW interviewer "Mean Gene" Okerlund
Gene Okerlund
Eugene "Mean Gene" Okerlund is a semi-retired American professional wrestling interviewer and announcer. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan...
came into the ring immediately following Hall and Nash's entrance and, after discussing the situation with ring announcer Michael Buffer
Michael Buffer
Michael Buffer is an American professional ring announcer for boxing and professional wrestling matches. He is known for his trademarked catchphrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!" He is known for pioneering a distinct announcing style in which he rolls certain letters and adds other inflections to...
and referee Randy Anderson
Randy Anderson
Randy "Pee Wee" Anderson was a professional wrestling referee who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance 's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...
, demanded that The Outsiders tell him where their third man was. Hall and Nash assured Okerlund that their partner was in the building, but they did not need him at the moment. After Okerlund left the ring, Team WCW made their entrance with all three members wearing face paint as a sign of solidarity; Sting had been wearing face paint for years in the ring, but Luger and Savage had never done so before.
The match did not start well for Team WCW, as Luger was taken out of the match shortly after it began. While he was being held in a corner by Nash, Sting ran over and hit a Stinger Splash to try to break up the hold. Although he hit Nash as well, Sting's move sandwiched Luger between Nash and the corner; Luger slumped to the mat unconscious and had to be removed from the arena on a stretcher. WCW announcer Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
was heard on the broadcast asking for someone to come out and replace the injured Luger, since Hall and Nash had a third man waiting. With the match-up even at two a side for the moment and Hall and Nash's partner still yet to be revealed, the two sides continued to battle as announcers Heenan, Tony Schiavone
Tony Schiavone
Noah Anthony "Tony" Schiavone is an American sports broadcaster. He is the play-by-play broadcaster for the Gwinnett Braves of the International League...
, and Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
speculated as to who the third man was, at one point even accusing each other of being the third man.
The match reached its climax at approximately the sixteen-minute mark, shortly after a late tag from an exhausted Sting to Savage. Savage immediately went on the attack, nailing both Outsiders with repeated axe-handle smashes from the top rope. However, while referee Anderson checked on a downed Hall, Nash nailed Savage with a low blow
Low Blow
Low Blow is an album by Victor Bailey released in 1999. "Graham Cracker" is a tribute to Larry Graham.-Track listing:# "Low Blow" – 3:11# "Sweet Tooth" – 5:58# "City Living" – 6:11# "Do You Know Who/Continuum" – 5:17...
which knocked both men to the mat. With all four men down, as Sting had not yet made it out of the ring, Anderson had no choice but to begin counting them out. As he began his count, the fans' attention turned to the entrance area as Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance 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 ....
entered the scene and began walking to the ring to a loud roar from the crowd. Hall spotted him and immediately rolled out of the ring.
Hogan, who had not been seen on WCW television for some time, climbed into the ring to chase away Nash. He then characteristically tore off his T-shirt and threw it at The Outsiders, staring them down outside the ring while Hall and Nash feigned shock. Hogan then walked to the nearest corner, stared out at the crowd one final time, then stunned the audience into silence by hitting his leg drop finisher on the fallen Savage. The Outsiders came into the ring as Hogan leg dropped his long-time ally and friend for a second time, then high-fived him, revealing Hogan to be the third man. After Hall and Nash beat down Sting, who made one final attempt to save the day for WCW, Hogan threw the bewildered Anderson out of the ring and hit a third and final leg drop on Savage while The Outsiders performed a mock three-count on Savage. The official match result was a no-contest.
After Sting helped Savage back to the locker room, the crowd, which had only moments earlier given Hogan a loud ovation, began showing its anger at his actions. Many fans began throwing garbage into the ring to show their displeasure with Hogan's actions. Hall later recalled that the fans throwing trash at the ring took him by surprise, as he had always believed that no matter how angry the fans got, they never should throw things at the wrestlers.
By the time Okerlund returned to the ring to speak to Hogan, the ring was nearly full of debris and more was continuing to come in. A disgusted Okerlund demanded answers from Hogan for his actions, wanting to know what he was thinking by aligning himself with The Outsiders. Hogan started the interview by saying that Hall and Nash were the future of wrestling and declared that they and himself were "the new world order of wrestling", which stuck as the group's name. Hogan then brought up two reasons why he decided to join with Hall and Nash: his own ties to the WWF and the boredom with the direction his career had taken after he signed with WCW in 1994. He then made a declaration that he, Hall, and Nash were going to take over WCW and destroy everything in their path. Hogan's final portion of the interview was an angry diatribe aimed at the fans, who had been giving him an increasingly negative reaction over the previous eighteen months. Hogan said that after two years of holding his head up high and doing everything asked of him, he had had enough. He reminded the fans that if it had not been for him, none of them would be in the building and none of the newer wrestlers the fans had taken a shine to (who Hogan referred to as "johnny-come-latelies") would be there. Hogan even took a shot at Bischoff, saying that without Hogan, he "would still be selling meat from a truck in Minneapolis." Hogan then asked the fans and Okerlund, "Whatcha gonna do when the new world organization (he had twice referred to the group by this name during his interview) runs wild on you?" The show closed with the three wrestlers continuing to taunt the fans, who continued to pelt the ring with garbage. Just before the pay-per-view went off the air, a still-stunned Tony Schiavone told Hogan that he "can go to hell. Straight to hell." As a result of Hogan's heel turn, wrestlers he had feuded with in the WWF, such as Savage and Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
, had their popularity as faces immensely boosted.
1996
The night after Bash at the Beach, Hall and Nash arrived at Monday Nitro by themselves without Hogan and made no apologies for their actions. They also factored in the end of the program as they attempted to attack Sting, Arn AndersonArn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
and Randy Savage but were held back by WCW security. Hogan returned the next week on Nitro and assisted Hall and Nash in beating up Lex Luger and Big Bubba Rogers during Nitros main event. He then made a challenge to the reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion, The Giant
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
, for Hog Wild in August. The newly rechristened "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan won the match after knocking The Giant out with his title belt. After the match, The Booty Man
Edward Leslie
Edward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend...
came to the ring wearing an nWo t-shirt and carrying a cake and gift for Hogan, who was celebrating his birthday. All three nWo members assaulted Booty Man and left him lying unconscious on the outside of the ring. They did, however, make use of his gift- a can of black spray paint. Hogan spray painted "NWO" on the belt, and declared himself to be the nWo World Heavyweight Champion. This tagging would become a signature gesture of the group as they spray-painted almost anything with their initials, especially the backs of wrestlers they had knocked unconscious. Hogan would also refer to himself as the nWo champion during this and any other time he held the belt while a member of the group.
As WCW's annual pay-per-view Fall Brawl was drawing closer, WCW was preparing their team to fight at Fall Brawl 1996: War Games against the nWo. On September 9, the nWo tricked fans and wrestlers into thinking that Sting
Sting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
had joined the nWo (in reality WCW put Jeff Farmer
Jeff Farmer (wrestler)
Jeff Farmer is a professional wrestler best known as Fake Sting, and later nWo Sting. A mainstay of World Championship Wrestling during the 1990s, he led a Japanese faction of the heel stable New World Order in New Japan Pro Wrestling competing in the promotion until WCW's close in 2001. Farmer is...
, who had wrestled for the company as Cobra one year prior, into the Sting facepaint). Although Sting had not joined the nWo, many of his fellow WCW wrestlers doubted his story and believed that he had in fact jumped ship. Even Lex Luger, his longtime ally, friend and tag team partner, doubted his alliance and pointedly told Sting that he didn't believe he was with WCW. This came to a head at Fall Brawl. Going into the match only three wrestlers on each side had been officially named- Hogan and the Outsiders were to fight for the nWo and Luger, Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
, and Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
for WCW. The last man out for team nWo was indeed the fake Sting, who apparently had convinced everyone (including the broadcast team) that the real Sting was nWo. However, Sting showed up as the last man for Team WCW and began taking apart the four members of the nWo by himself. After assaulting Hogan, Hall, Nash, and the bogus Sting, Sting walked over to Luger, shoved him, and said, "Is that good enough for ya?" Sting then left the ring and Team WCW, now fighting a 4-on-3 handicap match, lost when the nWo Sting locked Luger in the Scorpion Death Lock while Hogan executed a rear chinlock. The next night on Nitro, an angry Sting laid into his fellow wrestlers as well as the fans for doubting his true colors. Sting said he was no longer going to help WCW in its battle with the nWo, declaring himself a "free agent". He then told his doubters to "stick it" and left the ring in the beginning of a dramatic character shift and a fifteen-month retreat from the ring.
During this time the faction began introducing new members. Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
was introduced as the man who was "financing" the nWo on August 16 (since this was implied as a continuation of DiBiase's "Million Dollar Man" gimmick in the WWF and the WWF had copyrighted the name, DiBiase was referred to as "Trillionaire Ted" on air). The Giant became the first WCW defector when he joined the nWo on September 2. Two weeks following that Sean Waltman
Sean Waltman
Sean 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 ...
, who had recently left the WWF where he starred as "The 1-2-3 Kid", debuted in WCW as "Syxx", the group's cruiserweight contender. In October the nWo debuted Vincent
Mike Jones (wrestler)
Mike Jones is an American professional wrestler, who most recently performed for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Virgil, where he appeared on its Raw brand as Ted DiBiase, Jr.'s personal assistant...
, who had previously been DiBiase's manservant in the WWF as "Virgil", as its "head of security". Referee Nick Patrick
Nick Hamilton
Joseph Nicholas "Nick" Patrick Hamilton Jr. , better known by his ring name Nick Patrick, is a professional wrestling referee. He is a former referee for World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
became the group's official referee after he began showing partiality to nWo members during their matches. The nWo continued to dominate WCW, with Hogan successfully retaining his "nWo" World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Savage and Hall and Nash winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
from Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team made up of two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman. Booker Huffman took the ring name of Booker T, and Lane Huffman took the ring name of Stevie Ray...
(Booker T and Stevie Ray
Lane Huffman
Lane Steven Huffman is a retired American professional wrestler who is better known as Stevie Ray. He is best known as being part of the tag team Harlem Heat with his younger brother Booker T...
) at Halloween Havoc 1996.
As WCW only recognized Hogan, Nash, and Hall as WCW employees due to their holding WCW titles, the other nWo members went unrecognized as WCW employees. Because of this, they were unable to wrestle other WCW wrestlers, which led to the nWo starting a segment on WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...
, called nWo Saturday Night, where nWo stable members wrestled 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...
in an empty arena. The nWo used their financing to purchase ad time during WCW programming, which amounted to low budget anti-WCW propaganda. They would also hijack the broadcast signal on occasion. While all of this was going on, the nWo began gaining more and more power.
In October at Halloween Havoc
Halloween Havoc
Halloween Havoc was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Championship Wrestling from 1989 through 2000. The final five events were held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena...
, Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
made his WCW debut and immediately went after Hogan. For the next several weeks Piper pressed Eric Bischoff to give him a match against Hogan. However, a contract was never agreed to and Piper grew restless as the weeks wore on. The entire situation came to a head at the end of the November 18 edition of Nitro. Bischoff, who was still the program's lead broadcaster and who had continued to rail against the nWo, went into the ring on air and claimed that he and WCW management had gone to Piper's home in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
to try and negotiate a contract with him and his representatives for a match against Hogan. Bischoff also claimed that Piper was not in the building but swore he would work with him to get the match signed. An irate Piper finally had enough and stormed to the ring while Bischoff was talking, to the surprise of the WCW Executive Vice-President. He immediately called Bischoff a liar and began asking him questions that Bischoff had no answers for. While Piper was asking his questions, The Giant ran down to the ring and grabbed him. Syxx, Hall, Nash, and Vincent followed and each tried to hold Piper back from attacking Bischoff. Hogan and DiBiase then entered the ring, with Hogan walking over to Bischoff and hugging him. Hogan then took the microphone from Bischoff and revealed to the crowd that WCW's Executive Vice-President had been working for the nWo all along.
Bischoff and Hogan eventually got Piper to sign the contract at World War 3 six days later (November 24), but the signing did not come without an nWo attack. Nevertheless, Piper and Hogan were booked for a match at Starrcade in December. The next night on Nitro, Bischoff permanently left the broadcast booth and became a egomaniacal tyrant as WCW Executive Vice-President as well as a manager-type figure within the nWo. At the top of the program, Bischoff issued an ultimatum to the WCW locker room. All wrestlers were given thirty days to have their WCW contracts switched over to nWo contracts and join the group. Anyone who failed to comply would become an nWo target, as Bischoff plainly stated at the end of his speech: "Either you're with us, or you're against us."
Almost immediately after Bischoff's speech, the American Males, Scotty Riggs and Marcus Bagwell
Buff Bagwell
Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell...
, headed to the ring. Riggs and Bagwell, who had won the WCW World Tag Team Championship in September 1995 but had largely floundered since, had been having some friction over the previous weeks that came to a head when Bagwell attacked his tag team partner out of frustration after being eliminated from the World War 3 battle royal the night before. Bagwell and Riggs were debating the question of joining the nWo, with Bagwell wanting to join and Riggs refusing to. Bagwell finally turned on his partner and attacked him, with the rest of the nWo joining in. Upon his induction into the group, Bagwell changed his look and became known as "Buff" Bagwell, playing off his muscular physique. Others who joined the nWo were Mr. Wallstreet
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
on December 9 and Big Bubba Rogers
Ray Traylor
Ray Walter Traylor, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.-Early years:Traylor, a prison guard in...
and Scott Norton
Scott Norton
Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
on December 16. Japanese wrestler Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
also joined the group on December 16 and established himself as the leader of nWo Japan, a sister stable in New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
.
The Giant won a 60-man battle royal at World War 3 1996, earning a title match against Hogan. At Starrcade 1996
Starrcade (1996)
Starrcade was the fourteenth annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It was the ninth Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling , and it took place on December 29, 1996 from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee...
, Piper defeated Hogan in a non-title match. At the same event, the nWo stole Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
's newly won United States heavyweight title belt; this caused to Guerrero constantly feud with mid-card nWo members such as Scott Norton and Syxx. The next night, The Giant was kicked out of the nWo when he refused to choke slam Piper in an nWo assault.
Toward the end of the year, on an episode of Nitro, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash introduced Kyle Petty
Kyle Petty
Kyle Eugene Petty is a former American NASCAR driver and is currently a co-host for NASCAR RaceDay and panel member for NASCAR Smarts which are both on SPEED. He also commentates for TNT in the summer. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of the late Adam...
from NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
as an honorary member of the group, as Petty drove the nWo race car on the Busch Series circuit (Petty had been previously involved in an angle with Jim Crockett Promotions, the predecessor of WCW, as a "judge" in the "Million Dollar Match" between Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
and Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
at Starrcade
Starrcade
Starrcade was an annual professional wrestling event held from 1983 to 2000 by the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling as their flagship event equal to WWE's WrestleMania , and featured the largest feuds of the promotion...
1984 that featured Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
as referee for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship). An angle was run where the Steiner Brothers (Rick
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
and Scott
Scott Steiner
Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
) "vandalized
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
" the nWo car at a racetrack by peeling off the wrap (NASCAR teams often use vinyl wrap to cover a car instead of painting the car; multiple schemes printed on vinyl similar to decals are positioned, and each may be peeled off to show another scheme for another race), kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
scaring off Petty and replacing him with Steve Grissom
Steve Grissom
Steve Grissom is a NASCAR driver. Grissom was the 1993 Busch Series champion and has eleven Busch wins in 185 starts. He turned down a scholarship to play quarterback at the University of Alabama to focus a career on racing....
. In reality, the deal with Dan Shaver Racing had two drivers driving in selected races each. As part of the angle, Grissom's races carried the WCW paint scheme and Petty's an nWo paint scheme.
1997
At the start of 1997, nWo had become so powerful that they had their own pay-per-view event, titled Souled Out. Hogan and The Giant fought to a no contest in the main event due to the nWo referee, Nick Patrick, being biased toward Hogan in the match. U.S. champion Eddie Guerrero retained his title against Syxx in a ladder match. Nash and Hall lost their WCW World Tag Team Championship to The Steiner Brothers, but Bischoff re-awarded them the titles the next night on Nitro after claiming that Randy AndersonRandy Anderson
Randy "Pee Wee" Anderson was a professional wrestling referee who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance 's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...
, who ran in to officiate after Nick Patrick was knocked down, was not an official referee for Souled Out; Bischoff also fired Anderson for his actions. The nWo went 4-1 in the remaining matches on the card, with the only loss suffered by Mr. Wallstreet in his match against Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
.
At SuperBrawl VII, Piper wrestled Hogan for the title in a losing effort. This match marked the first time (and one of the few times) that Hogan had successfully pinned Piper. Randy Savage, who had recently returned and was at ringside for the match, helped Hogan win by slipping him brass knuckles, which Hogan then used to knock Piper out. Savage then participated in a post-match beatdown of Piper, cementing his place in the nWo. Earlier that night, The Outsiders lost their titles to Lex Luger and The Giant, while Syxx defeated Dean Malenko
Dean Malenko
Dean Simon is a retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Dean Malenko. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He is best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling , New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling...
for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The next night, Bischoff again returned the tag team titles to The Outsiders, as Luger had been injured and was not cleared to wrestle in the match. Luger, however, would not immediately give Bischoff the belt back and instead issued a challenge for a "winner-take-all" tag team match at Uncensored, which Bischoff accepted. Two weeks later, on the March 3 edition of Nitro, Turner Sports
Turner Sports
Turner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
president Harvey Schiller
Harvey Schiller
Harvey W. Schiller, Ph.D., is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Global Options Group, a multidisciplinary international risk management and business solutions company. In addition, Dr...
suspended Bischoff for abuse of his office. Around that same time, NBA star Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis 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...
became a member of the nWo.
Luger's challenge turned into a three-team elimination match at Uncensored. He was on Team WCW with The Giant and the Steiner Brothers. Team nWo consisted of Hogan, The Outsiders, and Randy Savage. A third team was headed by Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
, who was still angry over his loss to Hogan at SuperBrawl, and consisted of himself and three of the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
– Steve McMichael
Steve McMichael
-World Wrestling Federation :After the end of his NFL career, he appeared at ringside in the WWF for Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI on April 2, 1995 in Hartford, Connecticut. Taylor was wrestling Bam Bam Bigelow and there were several football players at ringside to keep wrestlers from...
, Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
, and Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
. The match did not start well for Team WCW as the nWo jumped Rick Steiner
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
backstage and left him unable to compete. The nWo eliminated every wrestler except for Luger without losing a man, but Luger rallied to eliminate Hall, Nash, and Savage. However, Savage hit Luger with a can of spray paint (given to him by Rodman) while Hogan was in Luger's finishing hold, the Torture Rack, and Nash held the referee with his back to the action, which enabled Hogan to pin Luger and win the match for the nWo. In addition to winning, per a pre-match stipulation, the nWo gained the right to challenge for any WCW championship whenever and wherever they pleased. The event, however, did end on a happy note for WCW as Sting descended from the rafters and attacked every member of Team nWo with a baseball bat and his signature move the Scorpion Deathdrop, thereby indicating his allegiance to WCW.
At Spring Stampede 1997, tension began to surface within the nWo ranks. Nick Patrick was kicked out of the group after counting Savage out in his loss to Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
as Nash powerbombed him in the middle of the ring. The show ended with Savage and Bischoff at each other's throats and forcing them both to be held back by other group members. J.J. Dillon
James J. Dillon
James J. "J.J." Dillon is a retired American professional wrestler and manager.He is best known for being the strategic leader of the original Four Horsemen that consisted of Nature Boy Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn and Ole Anderson. He is most remembered as a manager in pro wrestling...
, who was appointed as WCW commissioner during Bischoff's suspension, later had Big Bubba Rogers and Mr. Wallstreet removed from the nWo due to a contractual technicality. Finally, Ted DiBiase quit the group months later and joined The Steiner Brothers on the August 4 episode of Nitro as their manager. In the interim, the nWo recruited The Great Muta
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
on May 26, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Hiroyoshi Tenzan
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the Real World Tag League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Climax Tag League in NJPW becoming in the only tag team which has done...
and Hiro Saito
Hiro Saito
Hiroyuki Saito is a professional wrestler best known by the shortened name of .-Career:Hiro debuted in 1978 in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In May 1985, he defeated The Cobra to win the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship only to lose back to him 2 months later...
several weeks after Spring Stampede; they made occasional appearances on television due to their working for New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
(with which WCW had a working relationship). The nWo also added Konnan
Konnan
Carlos Santiago Espada Moises , also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent...
, whom they dubbed "K-Dogg", on July 14 after he attacked Rey Mysterio, Jr. while Kevin Nash watched.
At Bash at the Beach in July, Dennis Rodman made his wrestling debut as he teamed with Hogan to take on Luger and The Giant in a tag team match. Luger won the match for his team by forcing Hogan to submit to the Torture Rack, and earned a World Heavyweight Championship shot at Road Wild, set for August. Luger, however, elected to take his shot on the August 4 edition of Nitro, five days before the pay-per-view, and defeated Hogan to win the championship. Hogan managed to regain the title at Road Wild after Rodman, dressed up as Sting, hit Luger with a baseball bat; as the show ended the nWo celebrated in the locker room as Rodman "rechristened" the WCW championship by spray-painting the nWo logo on it.
A War Games match was announced for Fall Brawl 1997: War Games, after the nWo mocked The Four Horsemen in a skit where they dressed as members of the group. The skit surrounded the recent addition of Curt Hennig
Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
to the Horsemen in place of a retiring Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
. The Horsemen (Ric Flair, Benoit, Hennig, and McMichael) took on Nash, Bagwell, Syxx, and Konnan and were defeated after Hennig turned on the Horsemen immediately after entering and joined the nWo; McMichael surrendered for the Horsemen to stop the nWo's assault on Flair, which proved useless as Hennig punctuated his act by slamming the cage door on Flair's head. The next night, Hennig came out wearing Flair's robe, which he gave to Hogan as a gift, and later that evening became the fifth nWo member to hold a WCW championship at the time (after Hogan, Hall, Nash & Syxx) when he defeated McMichael for his United States Championship.
Rick Rude joined the nWo on an episode of Nitro on the same night that he made a pre-taped appearance on the WWF's show Raw is War. He spoke of his sympathy for Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
because of the Montreal Screwjob
Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob was a controversial, purportedly real life professional wrestling event in which the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon, double-crossed the defending WWF Champion, Bret Hart, during the main event match of the professional wrestling pay-per-view event...
and how he had a grudge against Sting for ending his career in a match in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
three years earlier. Scott Hall then won a 60-man Battle Royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
at World War 3 1997, and per a pre-match stipulation earned a WCW World Heavyweight Championship shot at SuperBrawl VIII scheduled for the following February.
Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
made his WCW debut on the December 15, 1997 edition of Nitro. Speculation had been abounding since the November 10 edition of Nitro (the night after the Montreal Screwjob
Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob was a controversial, purportedly real life professional wrestling event in which the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon, double-crossed the defending WWF Champion, Bret Hart, during the main event match of the professional wrestling pay-per-view event...
) over whether he would align himself with the nWo as Eric Bischoff, who announced the signing of Hart to WCW that night as well as shooting on the incident where Hart punched out Vince McMahon backstage, declared that Hart was the newest member of the nWo that night. Instead of joining the nWo, however, he agreed to be the special referee in the match pitting Larry Zbyszko
Larry Zbyszko
Lawrence "Larry" Whistler is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s....
against the nWo's Eric Bischoff, with the winner of the match would gain control of WCW Monday Nitro. On the Monday before Starrcade, the nWo staged a complete takeover of WCW Monday Nitro. They tore down the set and ran off commentators Tony Schiavone
Tony Schiavone
Noah Anthony "Tony" Schiavone is an American sports broadcaster. He is the play-by-play broadcaster for the Gwinnett Braves of the International League...
, Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
, and Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...
. They then replaced all WCW logos with the nWo logo and turned WCW Monday Nitro into nWo Monday Nitro. This event was intended as a legit test run for a permanent changeover of Nitro to an nWo-centric show, with the soon-debuting Thunder
WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001...
becoming the WCW-centric prime-time show. However, due to abysmal ratings following the twenty-plus minutes of the conversion of the set on live television, the plan for an nWo weekly show was quietly dropped, with the only evidence being the occasional nWo Monday Nitro t-shirt being worn by an nWo member.
At Starrcade 1997
Starrcade (1997)
Starrcade was the fifteenth annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It was the tenth Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling , and it took place on December 28, 1997 from the MCI Center in Washington, D.C...
, Zbyszko defeated Bischoff by disqualification after Scott Hall interfered, giving full control of Nitro to WCW. In the main event, Hogan lost the WCW Championship to Sting. Hogan had originally pinned Sting, but confusion arose when Bret Hart appeared at ringside and accused referee and former nWo member Nick Patrick of making a fast count, claiming "it would never happen again" (referencing the Montreal Screwjob
Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob was a controversial, purportedly real life professional wrestling event in which the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon, double-crossed the defending WWF Champion, Bret Hart, during the main event match of the professional wrestling pay-per-view event...
). In reality, Nick Patrick was supposed to make it a fast count, revealing himself to be a crooked official. By Bret Hart's account in his biography, Patrick simply forgot to speed up the count, which left the fans extremely confused. Hart laid out Patrick and ordered the match to continue with himself as the referee. Hogan then submitted to Sting's Scorpion Death Lock
Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
.
1998
Shortly after Hogan lost the belt at Starrcade, the nWo started showing signs of division within the group. For example, whereas before the group traveled to the arena together in one limousine, as 1998 began they all began traveling in separate cars. Though Bischoff denied any problems existed, clearly there were. Because of the controversy surrounding Sting's title win, James J. Dillon vacated the title on January 8, 1998 on the inaugural episode of WCW ThunderWCW Thunder
WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001...
. This prompted Sting to finally speak after 16 months, telling Dillon "You got no guts!" before turning to Hogan and declaring him a "dead man".
In addition to the title being vacated, Scott Hall was still slated to face the world champion at SuperBrawl as per the stipulation surrounding his World War 3 win, and this also would have to be resolved with the vacant championship. New WCW commissioner Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
resolved that at Souled Out on January 24. Piper acknowledged Hall's number one contendership, but declared that since there was no champion for him to face at SuperBrawl he would face the winner of a second Hogan vs. Sting match at Uncensored in March.
Later that evening the feud between Hall and Larry Zbyszko came to an end when he defeated Hall by disqualification when Louie Spicolli
Louie Spicolli
Louis Mucciolo, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He performed in Mexico under the ring name Madonna's Boyfriend, for the World Wrestling Federation as Rad Radford, and in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling in the 1990s as Louie Spicolli...
, who had just signed with WCW a month earlier, interfered. After the match Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
, who had been in the broadcast booth that night and who Zbyszko had asked to come to the ring with him, joined Hall and Spicolli in attacking Zbyszko and joined the nWo, where he served as a mentor to Hall.
While that was going on, Kevin Nash was banned from using his finisher, the jackknife powerbomb. At Souled Out he attempted to perform the move on The Giant in their match, but could not lift the 500-pound wrestler over his head and instead dropped him on his head and neck leading to a severe injury that kept The Giant out of action for several weeks. This led to J.J. Dillon announcing on Nitro that the jackknife as well as any variation of the powerbomb were barred from WCW, and that anyone using the move(s) would be seriously fined and disqualified for that match. He also said that if Nash attempted his finisher, not only would he be disqualified and fined, but escorted out of the arena by Doug Dilinger and the WCW security. Nash called Dillon's bluff in a match later that evening by powerbombing Ray Traylor, which led to him being handcuffed and escorted from the building by security.
The nWo continued to expand their ranks into the new year as former WWF star Brian Adams
Brian Adams (wrestler)
Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation , under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling under his given name.Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team...
jumped ship to WCW and joined the nWo. Hogan gained a second bodyguard when Ed Leslie
Edward Leslie
Edward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend...
, who had previously tried to join the nWo at Road Wild in 1996, debuted as a barely recognizable bearded biker dubbed "The Disciple".
Soon, problems began to arise between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage on the January 5, 1998 main event of Nitro. Savage had attempted to defeat Lex Luger on numerous occasions, but lost because of botched interference from fellow nWo members, including Hogan. This led to heated arguments between Savage and Hogan, and there were near physical confrontations between Savage and Nash.
At SuperBrawl VIII, the nWo had a mixed array of success. Hall and Nash regained the tag team championships from the Steiner Brothers after Scott Steiner unexpectedly turned on his brother Rick and manager Ted DiBiase. Scott handed the belts to Hall and Nash after the match and celebrated with The Outsiders and Dusty Rhodes, marking his induction into the nWo. However, Hogan lost to Sting in a match for the vacated world championship, and was attacked by Savage late in the match when he hit a downed Hogan with a can of spray paint while Sting fought off the rest of the group.
After SuperBrawl Savage then made his intentions clear. He declared that he no longer needed the nWo's help to win matches, that Hogan had dropped the ball, and that he was going after Sting to try and bring the world championship back to the nWo. Hogan and Savage tried to one-up each other on episodes of Nitro and Thunder over the next few weeks, which led to a steel cage match at Uncensored in March which ended in a no contest. Savage then stated to Hogan that there were certain members of the nWo who were plotting to throw him out of the group, which were the first signs of a breakup of the group. Earlier that night, Hall lost his World War 3-earned title match against Sting.
The rift between the different factions of the nWo grew wider after Syxx, who had been out injured since October, was released from his contract. Shortly thereafter Scott Hall was removed from television and this led to a confrontation between Kevin Nash, Eric Bischoff, and Hogan on the March 26 edition of Thunder. Hogan told Nash that he didn't know where Hall was and made a shoot
Shoot (professional wrestling)
A shoot in professional wrestling is a term that refers to any unplanned, unscripted or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. Contrary to popular belief, the name does not originate from "shooting in" for a takedown, as in amateur wrestling - rather it is a carny term shortened from...
statement regarding Syxx saying that he "couldn't cut the mustard." (Sean Waltman (Syxx) returned to the World Wrestling Federation four days later as X-Pac and returned the favor, saying that if Hall and Nash were contractually able to do so, they would jump ship and follow him back to the WWF, which led Bischoff to respond with a simple "bite me" on the April 6 Nitro; Hall had been sent to rehab to deal with his ongoing alcoholism.)
The differences within the nWo were becoming more apparent. Randy Savage and Nash were suddenly realizing that Hogan was only looking out for himself, and the nWo was secondary. Nash sided with Savage after Hogan had interfered in a number of Sting/Nash matches, not wanting to have to face Nash to take back his title. Nash supported Savage in his quest to defeat Sting, but also agreed to team with Hogan against the returning Roddy Piper and The Giant in a Baseball Bat on a Pole Match. Nash made it clear, however, that he would just as soon use the bat on Hogan. At Spring Stampede 1998, Hogan and Nash defeated Piper and The Giant. After the match, Hogan assaulted Nash. Nash later helped Savage defeat Sting by powerbombing the champion, earning Savage the win, the title, and the ire of Hogan who came out following the match arguing that Savage had "his title". Hogan and The Disciple then attacked Nash and Savage, and the next night on Nitro Hogan issued a challenge to Savage for his newly won world championship.
The no-disqualification match between the two came to a climax just before its conclusion. While Hogan was attacking Savage in a corner, The Disciple hit referee Nick Patrick with a neckbreaker and then hit the fallen champion with his finishing move, The Apocalypse, on the title belt. While this was happening a furious Nash ran to ringside with Eric Bischoff following close behind to try and intercept him. Despite the best efforts of all three men in the ring Nash easily took them on, eventually powerbombing Hogan in a move that signaled the breakup of the nWo into two separate factions.
The match, however, was not over. Nash laid the unconscious Savage on top of Hogan, while Bret Hart came to the ring. In an unexpected move, Hart laid out Nash with the championship belt, moved the pile so Hogan was covering Savage, and revived Patrick by placing him near Hogan. The referee counted Savage out and Hogan became WCW World Heavyweight Champion for a fourth time. Although Hogan had the title back in his and appeared to have taken the reins of the nWo again, he was now the leader of a severely splintered group whose loyalties were now going to have to be split between either him or Nash.
On the May 4 edition of Nitro, Kevin Nash, Randy Savage, and Konnan appeared wearing black shirts with a red nWo logo, as opposed to the familiar white logo. They called themselves nWo Wolfpac, and were joined in the following weeks by Curt Hennig, Miss Elizabeth, and Rick Rude. The Wolfpac became the first nWo incarnation to wrestle as faces. Hogan's side retained the black and white colors of the original nWo and took on the moniker nWo Hollywood, with Vincent, Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Scott Steiner, Scott Norton, Brian Adams, and The Disciple on his side. Bret Hart never officially joined either side but supported nWo Hollywood.
The allegiances of two nWo members were not yet known, however, as Hall's mystery disappearance from television was still unresolved (despite his standing as WCW Tag Team Champion) and Buff Bagwell had suffered a severe neck injury at the April 21 Thunder taping and was out of action. This didn't stop either side from recruiting new members, however, and the first WCW member to join one of the nWo factions caused a major problem for one of the main events for May's Slamboree. Nash and Hall were to defend their world tag team championships against two of WCW's stalwarts, Sting and The Giant. However, The Giant joined nWo Hollywood shortly before Slamboree as retribution for Nash's injuring him at Souled Out in January. Despite this, the Giant maintained his alliance with Sting, but strongly suggested that Sting had a decision to make in terms of his allegiance. What happened at Slamboree exacerbated this problem.
Hall made his return to WCW in the colors of the Wolfpac for The Outsiders' title defense. During the match, however, he turned on Nash by hitting him with the title belt, which gave the win to the team of Sting and The Giant. The next night Hall was introduced as the newest member of nWo Hollywood.
On the May 25 edition of Nitro the Wolfpac added Lex Luger, who said joining "just feels right" and urged his friend Sting to join him. However, nWo Hollywood wasn't ready to see Sting join the Wolfpac and made their own effort to try and woo Sting. Sting revealed his decision on the following week's Nitro, swerving Hogan into believing that he was going to join his side, then turning on him and tearing off the black and white T-shirt he was wearing to reveal a red and black one underneath. As part of his joining the Wolfpac, Sting began painting his face red and black instead of the black and white "Crow" style face-paint he had been wearing since 1996.
At The Great American Bash 1998, the Wolfpac lost two members as Hennig and Rude turned on Konnan following a loss and joined nWo Hollywood. It wasn't a total loss for the red and black, however, as Sting defeated The Giant in a singles match for control of the vacated tag team championships. The next night on Nitro, Sting chose Nash as his partner and the two began defending the titles.
In the meantime, a new contender for Hogan's championship emerged in undefeated rookie and United States Champion Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
, who had run off an impressive string of victories. On the July 2, 1998 edition of Thunder, Goldberg was granted a title match against Hogan for the July 6 edition of Nitro. However, Hogan changed his mind and forced Goldberg to wrestle Scott Hall in order to earn his title match. Goldberg defeated Hall and then topped Hogan in the main event to win his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
After his loss to Goldberg, Hogan turned his attention to celebrity matches for the next two months, wrestling in two tag team matches at Bash at the Beach
Bash at the Beach
Bash at the Beach was a yearly professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling . It was the company's PPV for the month of July, held from 1994 to 2000. The show centered around a beach theme, with the set around the entrance area for the wrestlers decorated with...
and Road Wild
Road Wild
Road Wild was a professional wrestling pay-per-view from World Championship Wrestling that was held from 1996 to 1999. It was a free event held in Sturgis, South Dakota during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The first show was called Hog Wild but WCW changed the name to Road Wild because of a...
. Hogan won the first match with Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis 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...
over Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
and Karl Malone
Karl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone , nicknamed "The Mailman", is a retired American professional basketball power forward who spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Malone spent his first 18 seasons with the Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate...
. The second match was a culmination of a storyline involving several Tonight Show skits involving Jay Leno making fun of Hogan, which resulted in Hogan and Eric Bischoff kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
taking over the show and Diamond Dallas Page coming to save the day. Hogan and Bischoff lost to Page and Leno thanks to interference from Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Tyrone Eubanks is an American jazz guitarist and composer who was the leader of the Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led The Primetime Band on the short-lived The Jay Leno Show.- Personal background :Eubanks was born into a musical family...
.
Meanwhile the feud between Scott Hall and Kevin Nash continued while Nash continued to defend his half of the tag team championship with Sting. On the July 20 edition of Nitro Hall and The Giant challenged the champions to a match for the titles. Late in the match Bret Hart, who had been feuding with Sting over the previous few weeks, came out in an attempt to attack Sting. Sting knocked Hart to the floor and climbed the turnbuckle to taunt him, but the momentary lapse in concentration enabled Hall to hit the Outsiders Edge and pin Sting to take the tag team championships back to the black and white.
The nWo Wolfpac became hugely popular amongst wrestling fans in the summer of 1998 while continuing their battle with nWo Hollywood, and formed a somewhat uneasy alliance with the WCW roster. Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan had his own battle to deal with in the form of The Warrior
Warrior (wrestler)
Also see Warrior .Warrior is an American retired professional wrestler who notably performed under the ring names The Ultimate Warrior and Warrior...
, who returned to wrestling on an August edition of Nitro. Warrior formed his own faction dubbed the One Warrior Nation, which included himself and former nWo member The Disciple.
The feud between Hall and Nash culminated in a singles match at Halloween Havoc in October, where Hall earned a countout win after Nash left the ring following two Jackknife Powerbombs. Nash later stated that he didn't care about winning the match, he just wanted his friend back. On the same night Hollywood Hogan defeated The Warrior when Hogan's nephew, Horace
Horace Hogan
Michael Bollea is an American professional wrestler. In wrestling, he is best known by his ring name, Horace Hogan. He is the nephew of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and cousin of the late Mike Awesome....
, interfered and joined nWo Hollywood. Bret Hart defeated Wolfpac member Sting, putting him out of action for about 6 months.
At World War 3 1998, nWo Hollywood attacked Scott Hall and kicked him out of the group for disrespecting Hogan and Bischoff a few weeks earlier. Kevin Nash went on to win the 60 man battle royal and earned a WCW World Title shot against the still-undefeated Goldberg. On the Thanksgiving episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, nWo Hollywood leader Hulk Hogan announced his retirement from professional wrestling. Scott Steiner went on to assume the leadership role in the nWo Hollywood faction.
Three months earlier that year, Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team made up of two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman. Booker Huffman took the ring name of Booker T, and Lane Huffman took the ring name of Stevie Ray...
's Stevie Ray
Lane Huffman
Lane Steven Huffman is a retired American professional wrestler who is better known as Stevie Ray. He is best known as being part of the tag team Harlem Heat with his younger brother Booker T...
, who had previously flirted with the possibility of becoming a member of the nWo, officially joined nWo Hollywood on August 24.
At Starrcade 1998
Starrcade (1998)
Starrcade was the sixteenth annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It was the eleventh Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling , and it took place on December 27, 1998 from the MCI Center in Washington, D.C....
, Nash handed Goldberg his first loss and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hall interfered in the match and shocked Goldberg with a cattle prod, incapacitating him long enough for an oblivious Nash to hit the Jackknife Powerbomb and score the win.
1999
As 1999 began the divided nWo factions were led by world champion Nash, who was unhappy with Hall's actions at Starrcade, and Scott Steiner, who had taken over nWo Hollywood following Hogan's retirement in November. On the first Nitro of the new year, which took place at Atlanta's Georgia Dome, Nash and Goldberg were scheduled to face off in a Starrcade rematch as Nash had promised on the December 28 edition of Nitro. However, nWo Hollywood accused the former champion of sexually harassing Miss Elizabeth and Goldberg was arrested and taken from the arena in handcuffs.Later that night Hogan made his return to WCW for the first time since November and was challenged by the reigning champion. Hogan accepted Nash's request and took Goldberg's place in the main event. In the match, after the bell rang to begin the bout, Hogan poked Nash in the chest, after which Nash fell to the mat as if he'd been shot. Hogan covered Nash for the pin and became champion again.
Fingerpoke of Doom
The Fingerpoke of Doom is a nickname for an infamous incident in American professional wrestling that happened on January 4, 1999 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, during a live broadcast of WCW Monday Nitro, the flagship show of World Championship Wrestling...
After the win Hogan celebrated in the ring with Nash, Hall, and Scott Steiner, revealing that it was all a conspiracy and the nWo had reunited under the Wolfpac label. However, while Hogan, Hall, Nash, Steiner, Lex Luger, Buff Bagwell, and Konnan were part of the Wolfpac, the undercard wrestlers in the nWo (The Giant, Curt Hennig, Horace Hogan, Stevie Ray, Brian Adams, and Vincent) were still in the black and white colors of nWo Hollywood and never were officially assimilated back into the group. This short-lived group was sardonically labeled the nWo B-Team by fans and commentators. This "B-team" was a staple of WCW programming throughout 1999 and Stevie Ray was eventually made their leader. This B version of the nWo officially consisted of Stevie Ray, Vincent, Horace, Scott Norton, and Brian Adams. Konnan was one of the first people eliminated from the group, after being attacked by Lex Luger. He would then align with Rey Misterio, Jr. and feud with the nWo. Sting, a former member of the Wolfpac, had been on hiatus during the nWo reuniting and did not partake in the now-heel stable upon his return.
End of the nWo era
The reunited New World Order did not last long for either faction.On the Elite/Wolfpac side they enjoyed initial success with Hulk Hogan as WCW World Champion, Scott Steiner as Television Champion and Scott Hall as United States Champion. However they were wrecked by injuries when Hall's foot was accidentally backed over by a car and he was put on the shelf (and subsequently was stripped of the title) while Lex Luger suffered a torn biceps and as a result he and Elizabeth went on hiatus. Hogan dropped the World Championship at Uncensored to Ric Flair and Steiner lost his Television Championship to Booker T after Bagwell accidentally nailed him with a chair. Shortly after Steiner beat him down and threw him out of the group. Scott later reunited with his brother Rick, who interfered on Scott's behalf during his match with Bagwell at Slamboree in May 1999. Scott then inducted Rick into the nWo, although Rick never actually embraced it. A month earlier, Hogan was severely injured during a fatal four-way match (with Page, Flair and a returned, white-painted Sting with a returned Randy Savage as the guest referee) at Spring Stampede for the world title, which Diamond Dallas Page won, and was put out of action indefinitely. Nash then began a rivalry with Page, who he blamed for causing Hogan's injury, and defeated him for the world title at Slamboree. By this point, however, the nWo storyline had petered. Scott Steiner was forced to go on hiatus due to a back injury. Other minor members included Disco Inferno
Glenn Gilberti
Glenn Gilbertti is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Disco Inferno. He is also a former road agent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, David Flair
David Flair
David Richard Fliehr better known by his ring name David Flair is a professional wrestler best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling , where he held the United States and World Tag Team championships...
, and Samantha
Torrie Wilson
Torrie Anne Wilson is a retired American professional wrestler, fitness competitor and model. She is best known for her tenures in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment , where she worked on both their SmackDown and Raw brands throughout her eight-year run.As a fitness...
. Inferno engaged in a feud with Konnan that ended with a loss to him at Spring Stampede 99 (which was the quiet end of his membership) while Flair and Samantha were quietly removed from television following Hogan's title loss at Uncensored.
Earlier that year, nWo Black and White saw the Giant and Curt Hennig beaten down and removed from the group (with Hall explaining that it was "time to trim the fat"), The Giant would later become The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
at WWF's
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...
St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House
St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House
St. Valentine's Day Massacre was the 27th pay-per-view under the In Your House name from the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on February 14, 1999 at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee...
, and Hennig would later team with Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
, while the others continued on with a storyline that saw every member told by Hogan they were the leader of the group. This led to infighting that eventually saw Stevie Ray win control defeating the other members in a Battle Royal. However by that time the Wolfpac Elite had collapsed and the nWo no longer had any importance in WCW. As the year went on, the nWo Black & White members slowly began distancing themselves from each other. Scott Norton left the company altogether shortly after the battle royal, preferring to stay in Japan where he had begun to build his career. Brian Adams was kicked out of the group and vanished from WCW programming for some time, eventually forming a tag team with Bryan Clark called KroniK
KroniK
KroniK was an American professional wrestling tag team composed of Brian Adams and Bryan Clark. Their name was based on the word "chronic", a slang term for marijuana.-World Championship Wrestling :...
. Vincent left the group and joined the West Texas Rednecks
West Texas Rednecks
The West Texas Rednecks was a professional wrestling stable and country music band in World Championship Wrestling in 1999. They are famous for recording of two songs, "Rap is Crap " and "Good Ol' Boys."-History:...
alongside former nWo stablemates Curt Hennig and Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
, changing his name to "Curly Bill" and later to "Shane
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
" (as another slap at Vince McMahon). Stevie Ray reformed Harlem Heat with Booker T later that year and they won three more tag team titles together before splitting up for good toward the end of the year. Horace Hogan entered the newly created hardcore division
WCW Hardcore Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Hardcore Championship was a title in World Championship Wrestling. The title was defended in Hardcore matches, in which there were few rules and restrictions and weapons were allowed. Eventually, the rules were changed so that matches began in the backstage area...
and contended for its championship (never winning it), then played a part in the New Blood storyline that dominated WCW in the early part of 2000. He left the company after the incident at Bash at the Beach that year where Vince Russo fired his uncle.
Hogan and Nash also entered a feud before the end of the summer. Nash lost his world championship in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach in July pitting him and Sting against Sid Vicious
Sid Eudy
Sidney Raymond "Sid" Eudy is an American professional wrestler, best known as Sid Vicious in World Championship Wrestling, and as Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the World Wrestling Federation...
and Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall 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...
as Savage pinned him. The next night Hogan returned to Nitro and accepted a challenge from Savage for the championship; Nash interfered by powerbombing Savage and gave Hogan the victory, but the next week Nash attacked Hogan during a match with Vicious and aligned himself with Vicious and Rick Steiner
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
. Over the next few weeks Hogan and Nash, along with Vicious and Steiner (on Nash's side) and Sting and a returning Goldberg (on Hogan's side) feuded with each other, culminating in a match at Road Wild where Hogan put his title and career on the line against Nash's career. Hogan returned to his Hulk Hogan persona and won the match at Road Wild forcing Nash to retire. Nash did continue to make appearances afterward, usually stirring up trouble backstage with Hall as his cohort, and wearing silly disguises to play mind games on some of the talent.
Reformation (late 1999-early 2000)
In late December, Nash, Hall, Jeff JarrettJeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
and Bret Hart would reform the nWo. Hall, Nash and Jarrett would interfere on Hart's behalf in his match with Goldberg, causing Hart to win the vacant WCW World Title, and Nash announced that "the Band is back together". After Goldberg accidentally injured himself breaking the nWo's limousine windshield, Sid Vicious, Chris Beniot and Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
were left to feud with the nWo. Scott Steiner returned and rejoined the group after attacking Vicious. The Harris Brothers would act as the nWo's bodygaurds before joining the group themselves. As nWo members, the Harris brothers would become WCW Tag Team Champions twice. Hart was forced to vacant the World Title and went on hiatus from WCW in late January 2000 due to his injures. At the following Souled Out
Souled Out
Souled Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view promoted by World Championship Wrestling in the month of January from 1997 through 2000. It was originally started as an nWo PPV but it did not generate the revenue it hoped for so it was turned into a WCW and nWo co-promoted PPV...
, Nash defeated Funk for the commissionership, but his reign was cut short after he suffered a broken ankle and had to withdraw from WCW for a while. Jarrett would win a title shot facing new World Champion Sid Vicious at Superbrawl. However, Jarrett would also feud with fellow nWo member Scott Hall after Hall attempted to defeat Vicious and win the title himself. The match at Superbrawl would be changed to a three-way dance between Hall, Jarrett and Vicious. Vicious won the match and Hall left WCW for good. Jarrett faced Vicious for the title again at Uncensored and lost. With the return of Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo
Vince Russo
Vincent James "Vince" Russo is an American creative writer and author, well known for his work in the professional wrestling industry. He is notable for his tenure with World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
in April, the nWo completely dismantled and Jarrett, Steiner and the Harris brothers joined the New Blood while the returning Nash joined the Millionaire's Club.
2002
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
brought in Hogan, Hall and Nash, the original nWo, at No Way Out 2002
No Way Out (2002)
No Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Federation . The event took place on February 17, 2002 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
. In this storyline, the nWo was brought in as McMahon's hired thugs in an attempt to "kill" the WWF so that McMahon would not have to share power with new WWF "co-owner" Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
. They began by targeting the company's two biggest stars, Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
and The Rock. Hogan left the group after he lost his WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania X8 was the eighteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 17, 2002 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario. The event marked the final WrestleMania event under the WWF name...
match with the Rock and was assaulted after that match by Hall and Nash. Hogan's comeback to the WWF after 8 years had fans cheering him, even though he was a heel. As a result, he turned face and began feuding with Hall and Nash, with The Rock, Kane and Bradshaw
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...
at his side on occasion. Hall and Nash then brought in two former nWo members, X-Pac
Sean Waltman
Sean 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 ...
(formerly known as Syxx), on March 21, 2002, edition of SmackDown! in Ottawa, Ontario and The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
(formerly known as The Giant), on the April 22 edition of Raw.
The nWo reunion in the WWF did not last long, however. During an attack on Bradshaw
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...
, Kevin Nash injured his biceps and was put out of action for several months. Meanwhile, Hall asked for his release from WWE in May 2002, because he was in the middle of a custody dispute with his ex-wife over their two children, according to Nash (Nash made that statement during media promotions in Detroit for Vengeance 2002). This dispute led to Hall getting drunk on an airline flight back from the U.K. and getting into an altercation. Upon returning to the United States, Hall was immediately fired. Flair became a semi-member of the nWo after turning on Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
. As owner of Raw, Flair set up a lumberjack match with Austin against the newest member of the nWo, which turned out to be Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
. Booker had just finished a silly skit with Goldust minutes earlier, where he had been wearing a lumberjack costume and fake beard, all but destroying his "tough" momentum going into the match. Nash introduced 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...
into the nWo on June 3 edition of Raw. Michaels then literally "kicked" Booker out of the nWo one week later. Michaels, then in the midst of a four-year retirement from pro wrestling, would be the first nWo member who had never wrestled in WCW. Michaels and Nash then would set their sights on recruiting Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
(by using threats and demands) into the nWo, implying that they would re-create on-screen their old backstage group The Kliq. This storyline was ultimately never resolved, as Nash suffered a torn quadriceps tendon that forced him to miss an extended period of time. Afterwards, the nWo storyline was permanently abandoned and the remaining members drifted apart. Michaels went on to return to active competition within weeks, Big Show was eventually traded to SmackDown, and X-Pac was released from his contract.
Final appearance
On July 8, Kevin Nash returned to action on Raw, teaming up with Eddie GuerreroEddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
, X-Pac, the Big Show, and Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
to take on Booker T, Goldust, Bubba Ray Dudley, Spike Dudley
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
, and Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. Seconds after tagging in for the first time, Nash tore his quadriceps after delivering a big boot onto Booker T, immediately putting him back on the injured list. On the following Raw (July 15), Vince McMahon came out to the ring to the entrance of the nWo and made the announcement that the group was officially disbanded as Eric Bischoff became Raw General Manager. This marked the last time anything regarding the nWo was seen on WWE programming, apart from a mention from DX and Eric Bischoff in a promo in 2006. Also, WWE wrestler Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
wore a T-shirt with his initials "rKo" in the classic nWo logo design and Michael Tarver
Tyrone Evans
Tyrone Evans is an American professional wrestler . He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he performed on the Raw brand under the name Michael Tarver as a member of The Nexus...
wore an nXt
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
shirt.
The Band
They would reunite in 2010 when, weeks prior to the debut of Hulk Hogan in Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal 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...
(TNA), Kevin Nash had hinted that "the band was getting back together". On the January 4, 2010 live TNA Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
Monday night three-hour special, Sean Waltman (Syxx/X-Pac) and Scott Hall made their returns to TNA and with Nash had sought to rehash, to some extent, their invasive alliance (though not legally permitted to use the nWo moniker due to WWE's ownership), additionally with the debuting Hogan (who used an edit of the nWo 2000 theme as his entrance music, as well as all black attire and 5 o'clock shadow). This was the first time in over eight years the members had been seen together at a wrestling event. Hogan conceded the others were his "brothers 4 life"; however, he would decline the offer, stating that "it's a different time". Eric Bischoff then came down and clarified that in partnering with Hogan to run the talent department, everyone would have to earn their spots in the company. At the end of the show, Nash, Hall and Waltman assaulted Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
, who confronted Bischoff in the office while trying to get a meeting with Hogan, and beat him down until Hogan arrived on the scene to end the show.
The following week "The Band" attacked Beer Money, Inc.
Beer Money, Inc.
Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where they are former four-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, while also holding the record for the longest reign as...
(Robert Roode and James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
), who had asked Bischoff for a match against Hall and Nash, after their match with Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez is an American professional wrestler of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring names, "Hotstuff Hernandez" and "Hernandez"....
and Matt Morgan, which led to Bischoff, clearly on friendly terms with The Band, coming out and announcing a match between Beer Money and Hall and Nash at Genesis
Genesis (2010)
Genesis was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on January 17, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fifth event under the Genesis chronology and the first event of the 2010 TNA PPV schedule...
. At the pay-per-view Waltman, once again using the ringname Syxx-Pac, replaced Hall after a game of rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
for the spot in the match and teamed up with Nash in a losing effort against Beer Money. On the following episode of Impact!, Hogan told Nash, Hall and Syxx-Pac that their attitude towards their pay-per-view return was disrespectful. He added that since Hall and Syxx-Pac did not have TNA contracts, they were ordered to leave the company. Despite this Hall and Syxx-Pac kept on returning to Impact! Zone for random attacks and on the February 4 edition of Impact! Hall and Syxx-Pac turned on Kevin Nash and beat him down. At Destination X
Destination X (2010)
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on March 21, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. The event was originally advertised as an all X Division pay-per-view...
Hall and Syxx-Pac faced Nash and Eric Young
Eric Young (wrestler)
Jeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he has gained popularity using a variety of comic relief gimmicks....
in a tag team match, where their TNA futures were on the line; if The Band managed to win the match, they would get contracts with TNA, but if they lost, they would have to leave the company for good. In the end Nash turned on Young and gave Hall and Syxx-Pac the victory.
On the March 29 edition of Impact! Nash offered Young a spot in the Band, claiming that what happened in Destination X was just business and nothing personal. Young refused the offer and in the main event of the evening, teamed up with Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
to defeat the Band in a six man tag team steel cage match. At Lockdown
Lockdown (2010)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on April 18, 2010 at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri. It was the sixth event under the Lockdown chronology and the fourth event of the 2010 TNA PPV...
Nash defeated Young in a steel cage match. Later in the night Nash replaced Syxx-Pac, who no-showed the event, and teamed up with Hall in a St. Louis Street Fight, where they were defeated by Team 3D
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...
. It was later reported that Waltman had let TNA know days in advance that he was not cleared to wrestle by the Missouri State Commission and was not going to be able to attend the event. On the April 26 edition of Impact!, Waltman was found lying backstage in a pool of his own blood, after apparently having been put through a table off screen by Team 3D. The following week, Eric Young turned on Team 3D and revealed himself as the surprise third member of the Band, replacing Syxx-Pac. On May 4, at the tapings of the May 13 edition of Impact!, after TNA World Tag Team Champion
TNA World Tag Team Championship
The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,...
Matt Morgan had been attacked by Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, Nash cashed in his "Feast or Fired" contract, teaming with Hall, and pinned him to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Prior to their match at Sacrifice
Sacrifice (2010)
Sacrifice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on May 16, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, Kevin Nash invoked the so called "Freebird Rule". This rule allowed Eric Young to be recognized as a champion and allowed any two of the three members to defend the championships at any time. At the event Nash and Hall defeated Ink Inc.
Ink Inc.
Ink Inc. is a professional wrestling stable, consisting of Jesse Neal, Shannon Moore and their valet Toxxin, in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Total Nonstop Action Wrestling :...
(Jesse Neal
Jesse Neal
Jesse Neal is an American professional wrestler and a former member of the U.S. military. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is one half of the tag team Ink Inc., with his partner Shannon Moore....
and Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore is an American professional wrestler, who is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment for several years in the 2000s.Moore befriended Matt and Jeff Hardy...
), after an interference from Brother Ray, one half of Team 3D and Neal's trainer. At the June 14 tapings of the June 17 edition of Impact! The Band was stripped of the Tag Team Championship, due to Scott Hall's legal problems. The following day it was reported that both Hall and Sean Waltman had been released from their contracts with TNA. On the June 24 edition of Impact! Nash and Young decided to part ways, as Nash intended to go after Hogan, whom he blamed for what had happened to Hall and Waltman, and didn't want Young to get into trouble for it.
After Nash was unable to convince Hogan to re–hire Hall and Waltman and failed to secure a meeting with Eric Bischoff, he set his sights on renewing his feud with Jeff Jarrett, who claimed that Nash had tried to hurt TNA by bringing Hall and Waltman in. On the August 5th edition of Impact!, Sting, who had feuded with Jarrett prior to his 30 day suspension, returned to TNA and, together with Nash, beat down Jarrett, Bischoff and Hogan. On the August 26 edition of Impact! Nash defeated Jarrett in a singles match, after an interference from Sting. The following week Nash helped Sting defeat Jarrett. After the match Samoa Joe aligned himself with Jarrett and Hogan and drove Nash and Sting away. At No Surrender
No Surrender (2010)
No Surrender was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on September 5, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Jarrett and Joe defeated Nash and Sting in a tag team match, after Jarrett hit Sting with a baseball bat. On the September 16 edition of Reaction
TNA Reaction
TNA Reaction was a professional wrestling-focused documentary-style television program by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that aired in the United States and Canada on Spike...
, Nash and Sting were joined by D'Angelo Dinero
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
, who claimed to have gotten inside information from Bischoff's secretary Miss Tessmacher
Brooke Adams (model)
Brooke Nichole Adams is an American model, dancer, and professional wrestler, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brooke Tessmacher. She previously worked for World Wrestling Entertainment appearing with Kelly Kelly and Layla in the dance group Extreme Exposé...
, that would suggest that Nash and Sting were right about Hogan and Bischoff being up to something. At Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (2010)
Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on October 10, 2010 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the sixth annual event under the Bound for Glory chronology. Bound For Glory is considered to be...
Nash, Sting and Dinero faced Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe in a handicap match, after Hulk Hogan, who was scheduled to team with Jarrett and Joe, was forced to pull out due to a back surgery. At the end of the match Jarrett abandoned Joe and left him to be pinned by Nash. At the end of the event it was revealed that Nash and Sting had been right about Hogan and Bischoff all along, as they turned heel with Jarrett, Abyss and Jeff Hardy, and in the process turned Nash, Sting and Dinero back to being faces. On October 13, 2010, Nash's contract with TNA expired and he announced his retirement from professional wrestling. His last TNA appearance was a taping broadcast on October 14, 2010, when Nash and Sting both announced they were walking away from TNA rather than being a part of Hogan and Bischoff's regime.
List of incarnations and members
| Incarnation: | Notes: | Members: |
|---|---|---|
| nWo | Original incarnation | Hollywood Hogan Hulk Hogan Terrance 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 .... (leader), Kevin Nash Kevin Nash Kevin 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... , Scott Hall Scott Hall Scott 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... , Ted DiBiase Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career... (left), The Giant (kicked out of the group), nWo Sting Jeff Farmer (wrestler) Jeff Farmer is a professional wrestler best known as Fake Sting, and later nWo Sting. A mainstay of World Championship Wrestling during the 1990s, he led a Japanese faction of the heel stable New World Order in New Japan Pro Wrestling competing in the promotion until WCW's close in 2001. Farmer is... , Syxx Sean Waltman Sean 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 ... (fired), Vincent Mike Jones (wrestler) Mike Jones is an American professional wrestler, who most recently performed for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Virgil, where he appeared on its Raw brand as Ted DiBiase, Jr.'s personal assistant... , Nick Patrick Nick Hamilton Joseph Nicholas "Nick" Patrick Hamilton Jr. , better known by his ring name Nick Patrick, is a professional wrestling referee. He is a former referee for World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment... (kicked out of the group), Miss Elizabeth Miss Elizabeth Elizabeth Ann Hulette , best known as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager. She gained international fame from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the manager to the late... , Eric Bischoff Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... , Buff Bagwell Buff Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell... , V.K. Wallstreet Mike Rotunda Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R... (left), Masahiro Chono Masahiro Chono , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a... , Big Bubba Rogers Ray Traylor Ray Walter Traylor, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.-Early years:Traylor, a prison guard in... (left), Scott Norton Scott Norton Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:... , Randy Savage Randy Savage Randall 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... , Dennis Rodman Dennis Rodman Dennis 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... , The Great Muta Keiji Mutoh is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan... , Konnan Konnan Carlos Santiago Espada Moises , also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent... , Curt Hennig Curt Hennig Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World... , Rick Rude, Dusty Rhodes Dusty Rhodes (wrestler) Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE... , Scott Steiner Scott Steiner Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order... |
| nWo Japan | Also known as nWo Typhoon, they wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling New Japan Pro Wrestling is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it... |
Masahiro Chono Masahiro Chono , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a... (leader), Keiji Mutoh Keiji Mutoh is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan... (also wrestled as The Great Muta), Hiro Saito Hiro Saito Hiroyuki Saito is a professional wrestler best known by the shortened name of .-Career:Hiro debuted in 1978 in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In May 1985, he defeated The Cobra to win the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship only to lose back to him 2 months later... , Hiroyoshi Tenzan Hiroyoshi Tenzan is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the Real World Tag League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Climax Tag League in NJPW becoming in the only tag team which has done... , Satoshi Kojima Satoshi Kojima is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling. As a singles wrestler, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Championship simultaneously... , nWo Sting Jeff Farmer (wrestler) Jeff Farmer is a professional wrestler best known as Fake Sting, and later nWo Sting. A mainstay of World Championship Wrestling during the 1990s, he led a Japanese faction of the heel stable New World Order in New Japan Pro Wrestling competing in the promotion until WCW's close in 2001. Farmer is... , Buff Bagwell Buff Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell... , Scott Norton Scott Norton Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:... , Michael Wallstreet Mike Rotunda Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R... , AKIRA Akira Nogami is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, currently working for Yoshihiro Tajiri's Smash promotion as AKIRA.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :... , Tatsutoshi Goto Tatsutoshi Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. He competed primarily in WAR and New Japan Pro Wrestling using the name "T2000 Machine". He also briefly competed in WCW as part of the nWo Japan.-Career:... , Michiyoshi Ohara, Brian Adams Brian Adams (wrestler) Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation , under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling under his given name.Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team... , Big Titan |
| nWo Hollywood | Also known as "nWo Black and White" | Hollywood Hogan Hulk Hogan Terrance 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 .... (leader, stopped being leader after he announced his retirement), Scott Hall Scott Hall Scott 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... (kicked out of the group), Bret Hart Bret Hart Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College... (associated member, nWo recruiter), The Giant, Vincent Mike Jones (wrestler) Mike Jones is an American professional wrestler, who most recently performed for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Virgil, where he appeared on its Raw brand as Ted DiBiase, Jr.'s personal assistant... , Eric Bischoff Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... , Buff Bagwell Buff Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell... , Scott Norton Scott Norton Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:... , Dennis Rodman Dennis Rodman Dennis 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... (left), Brian Adams Brian Adams (wrestler) Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation , under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling under his given name.Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team... , The Disciple Edward Leslie Edward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend... (left after being kidnapped by The Warrior Warrior (wrestler) Also see Warrior .Warrior is an American retired professional wrestler who notably performed under the ring names The Ultimate Warrior and Warrior... ), Dusty Rhodes Dusty Rhodes (wrestler) Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE... (left), Scott Steiner Scott Steiner Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order... (became leader after Hollywood Hogan announced his retirement), Horace Hogan Horace Hogan Michael Bollea is an American professional wrestler. In wrestling, he is best known by his ring name, Horace Hogan. He is the nephew of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and cousin of the late Mike Awesome.... , Stevie Ray Lane Huffman Lane Steven Huffman is a retired American professional wrestler who is better known as Stevie Ray. He is best known as being part of the tag team Harlem Heat with his younger brother Booker T... , Miss Elizabeth Miss Elizabeth Elizabeth Ann Hulette , best known as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager. She gained international fame from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the manager to the late... , Curt Hennig Curt Hennig Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World... , Rick Rude (left after being injured), nWo Sting Jeff Farmer (wrestler) Jeff Farmer is a professional wrestler best known as Fake Sting, and later nWo Sting. A mainstay of World Championship Wrestling during the 1990s, he led a Japanese faction of the heel stable New World Order in New Japan Pro Wrestling competing in the promotion until WCW's close in 2001. Farmer is... (departed) |
| nWo Wolfpac | Also known as "nWo Black and Red", a face Face (professional wrestling) In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains... incarnation that fought against the heel Heel (professional wrestling) In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines... nWo Hollywood |
Kevin Nash Kevin Nash Kevin 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... (leader), Randy Savage Randy Savage Randall 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... (left after being injured), Konnan Konnan Carlos Santiago Espada Moises , also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent... , Lex Luger Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy... , Sting Sting (wrestler) Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... (left after being injured), (Other members included Scott Hall Scott Hall Scott 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... , Curt Hennig Curt Hennig Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World... , Rick Rude and Miss Elizabeth Miss Elizabeth Elizabeth Ann Hulette , best known as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager. She gained international fame from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the manager to the late... , however, they defected back to nWo Hollywood) |
| nWo "Elite" | Also known as "nWo Reunion" and/or "Mega nWo" and/or "nWo Wolfpac 1999" | Hollywood Hogan Hulk Hogan Terrance 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 .... (leader), Kevin Nash Kevin Nash Kevin 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... , Scott Hall Scott Hall Scott 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... , Miss Elizabeth Miss Elizabeth Elizabeth Ann Hulette , best known as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager. She gained international fame from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the manager to the late... , Eric Bischoff Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... , Buff Bagwell Buff Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell... (kicked out of the group), Scott Steiner Scott Steiner Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order... , Lex Luger Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy... , Disco Inferno (associate member), Konnan Konnan Carlos Santiago Espada Moises , also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent... (kicked out of the group), David Flair David Flair David Richard Fliehr better known by his ring name David Flair is a professional wrestler best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling , where he held the United States and World Tag Team championships... (associate member), Samantha Torrie Wilson Torrie Anne Wilson is a retired American professional wrestler, fitness competitor and model. She is best known for her tenures in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment , where she worked on both their SmackDown and Raw brands throughout her eight-year run.As a fitness... (associate member) |
| nWo "Black and White" | The "B-Team" of the "nWo Reunion" faction | The Giant (departed), Curt Hennig Curt Hennig Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World... (kicked out of the group), Vincent Mike Jones (wrestler) Mike Jones is an American professional wrestler, who most recently performed for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Virgil, where he appeared on its Raw brand as Ted DiBiase, Jr.'s personal assistant... (left), Scott Norton Scott Norton Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:... (left), Brian Adams Brian Adams (wrestler) Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation , under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling under his given name.Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team... (kicked out of the group), Horace Hogan Horace Hogan Michael Bollea is an American professional wrestler. In wrestling, he is best known by his ring name, Horace Hogan. He is the nephew of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and cousin of the late Mike Awesome.... , Stevie Ray Lane Huffman Lane Steven Huffman is a retired American professional wrestler who is better known as Stevie Ray. He is best known as being part of the tag team Harlem Heat with his younger brother Booker T... (leader, left) |
| nWo 2000 | The traditional nWo logo was silver instead of white, and the catchprase "The Band is Back Together" was used | Bret Hart Bret Hart Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College... (leader, stopped becoming leader after being injured), Jeff Jarrett Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control... , Kevin Nash Kevin Nash Kevin 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... , Scott Hall Scott Hall Scott 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... , Scott Steiner Scott Steiner Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order... , Ron and Don Harris |
| Order: | Members: | Changes: |
|---|---|---|
| First | Hollywood Hogan Hulk Hogan Terrance 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 .... (leader), Kevin Nash Kevin Nash Kevin 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... , Scott Hall Scott Hall Scott 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... |
The original three were brought in by Vince McMahon |
| Second | Kevin Nash (leader), Scott Hall, X-Pac Sean Waltman Sean 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 ... , The Big Show |
Hogan turned face and got kicked out of the group. This led them to bring in former members X-Pac and The Big Show |
| Third | Kevin Nash (leader), X-Pac, The Big Show, Booker T, 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... (co-leader) |
Hall was released from his contract. Booker T and Shawn Michaels joined the group. |
| Fourth | Kevin Nash (leader), X-Pac, The Big Show, Shawn Michaels (co-leader) | Michaels literally kicked Booker T out of the group. Soon after, Kevin Nash would suffer a legitimate quadriceps tear, putting him out of action for nearly a year. On July 15, 2002, The group was officially disbanded by Vince McMahon as Eric Bischoff became Raw General Manager. |
| Order: | Members: | Changes: |
|---|---|---|
| The Band (First) | Kevin Nash Kevin Nash Kevin 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... , Scott Hall Scott Hall Scott 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... , Syxx-Pac Sean Waltman Sean 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 ... |
Reunited on the January 4 edition of Impact!. |
| The Band / The Wolfpac (Second) | Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac | Hall and Syxx-Pac turned on Nash on the February 4 edition of Impact!. |
| The Band / The Wolfpac (Third) | Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Syxx-Pac | Nash turned on Eric Young Eric Young (wrestler) Jeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he has gained popularity using a variety of comic relief gimmicks.... and re-joined Hall and Syxx-Pac at Destination X Destination X (2010) Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on March 21, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. The event was originally advertised as an all X Division pay-per-view... on March 21. |
| The Band / The Wolfpac (Fourth) | Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Syxx-Pac, Bubba Bubba the Love Sponge Todd Alan Clem is an American radio personality better known by his Legal name Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. He is the host of The Bubba the Love Sponge Show on various Cox Radio and Beasley Broadcast Group stations, formerly on Sirius XM Howard 101, as well as on RadioIO.-Early career and the... (personal interviewer) |
Bubba the Love Sponge returned to TNA television as The Band's personal interviewer in late March |
| The Band / The Wolfpac (Fifth) | Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Syxx-Pac | Bubba fired from the company on April 30, 2010 stemming from the Cowhead Show incident |
| The Band (Sixth) | Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Young | Eric Young joined on May 3, replacing the injured Syxx-Pac. |
| The Band (Seventh) | Kevin Nash and Eric Young | Scott Hall released in June 2010. |
| The Wolfpac / The Band (Eighth) | Sting and Kevin Nash | Sting returned from his suspension on the August 5 edition of "Impact!" , wearing his nWo Wolfpac red face paint, and helping Kevin Nash |
| The Wolfpac / The Band (Ninth) | Sting, Kevin Nash, D'Angelo Dinero Elijah Burke Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher... |
On the September 16 edition of "Reaction", The Pope turned heel and joined Sting and Nash in their battle with Jeff Jarrett, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Samoa Joe |
Music
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (WCW/WWF/WWE; used by nWo Black and White/Hollywood/nWo Silver; May 19 1996–May 1999, 1999–2000, February 17 2002–July 8 2002)
- "Tear It Up" by J.Hart and H.Helm (WCW; used by nWo Black and White midcarders; 1996–1998)
- "Wolfpac Theme" by J.Hart (WCW; used by nWo Wolfpac/Elite; 1998–1999)
- "The Band Theme" by Dale Oliver (TNA; used by the Band; 2010)
- "Wolfpac Theme (Instrumental)" by J.Hart (TNA; used by the Band; 2010)
Championships and accomplishments
- New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times) – Masahiro ChonoMasahiro Chono, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
(1), Scott NortonScott NortonScott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
(1), Keiji MutohKeiji Mutohis a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
(1) - IWGP Tag Team Championship (3 times) – Masahiro ChonoMasahiro Chono, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
and Keiji MutohKeiji Mutohis a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
(1), Masahiro ChonoMasahiro Chono, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
and Hiroyoshi TenzanHiroyoshi Tenzanis a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the Real World Tag League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Climax Tag League in NJPW becoming in the only tag team which has done...
(1), Hiroyoshi TenzanHiroyoshi Tenzanis a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the Real World Tag League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Climax Tag League in NJPW becoming in the only tag team which has done...
and Satoshi KojimaSatoshi Kojimais a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling. As a singles wrestler, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Championship simultaneously...
(1)
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times) – Masahiro Chono
- Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal 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...
- TNA World Tag Team ChampionshipTNA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,...
(1 time) – Eric YoungEric Young (wrestler)Jeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he has gained popularity using a variety of comic relief gimmicks....
, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (1)*
- TNA World Tag Team Championship
- World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld 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...
- WCW Cruiserweight ChampionshipWWE Cruiserweight ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
(1 time) – 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 ... - WCW United States Heavyweight ChampionshipWWE United States ChampionshipThe WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
(8 times) – Curt HennigCurt HennigCurtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
(1), Bret HartBret HartBret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
(3), Lex LugerLex LugerLawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
(1), 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...
(1), Scott SteinerScott SteinerScott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
(1) Jeff JarrettJeff JarrettJeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
(1) - WCW World Heavyweight ChampionshipWCW World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling...
(7 times) – Hulk 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 ....
(4), 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...
(1), 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...
(1), Bret HartBret HartBret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
(1) - WCW World Tag Team ChampionshipWCW World Tag Team ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
(10 times) – Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (5), Sting and The GiantPaul WightPaul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
(1), StingSting (wrestler)Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
and Kevin Nash (1), Scott Hall and The Giant (1) Ron & Don Harris (2) - WCW World Television ChampionshipWCW World Television ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Championship Wrestling....
(3 times) – KonnanKonnanCarlos Santiago Espada Moises , also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent...
(1) Scott SteinerScott SteinerScott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
(1) 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...
(1) - WCW World War 3WCW World War 3World War 3 was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling. The pay-per-view's title also was the name of its signature match, a three-ring, sixty-man battle royal which was their answer to the World Wrestling Federation's Royal Rumble. The event...
(3 timesWCW World War 3World War 3 was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling. The pay-per-view's title also was the name of its signature match, a three-ring, sixty-man battle royal which was their answer to the World Wrestling Federation's Royal Rumble. The event...
)- The Giant (1996)
- Scott Hall (1997)
- Kevin Nash (1998)
- WCW Cruiserweight Championship
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Best gimmick (1996)
- Feud of the Year (1996) vs. World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld 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...
(*) - During their reign, Hall and Nash invoked "The Band Rules" and named Eric Young
Eric Young (wrestler)
Jeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he has gained popularity using a variety of comic relief gimmicks....
as a co-champion
See also
- D-Generation XD-Generation XD-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
- Dungeon of DoomDungeon of DoomThe Dungeon of Doom was the name of a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling that existed from 1995 to 1997.-Origin:...
- ImmortalImmortal (professional wrestling)Immortal is a villainous professional wrestling alliance in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It currently consists of Eric Bischoff, Bully Ray, Gunner, TNA founder and AAA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett, his wife and valet Karen Jarrett, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair and Scott Steiner...
- The Kliq
- The Mega PowersThe Mega PowersThe Mega Powers were a tag team in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling . The Mega Powers consisted of Hulk Hogan, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage with Miss Elizabeth as their valet...
- Millionaire's Club
- The NexusNexus (professional wrestling)The Nexus was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the professional wrestling promotion, WWE, that competed on its Raw brand. The group originally consisted of all eight rookies of NXT season one and shifted their roster several times throughout their existence...
- The New Blood
- The Outsiders
- Sting and Lex LugerSting and Lex LugerThe professional wrestling tag team of Sting and Lex Luger were best known for competing in Jim Crockett Promotions , which later became World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling All-Stars...
- Vicious and DeliciousVicious and DeliciousVicious and Delicious was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Scott Norton and Buff Bagwell that competed in World Championship Wrestling from 1996 to 1998.-Formation:...
- Juggalo World OrderJuggalo World OrderThe Juggalo World Order is a professional wrestling stable which wrestles for Juggalo Championship Wrestling...
- Main Event Mafia