New World Order (professional wrestling)

New World Order
File:Nwologo.jpg The nWo logo
Statistics
Members	Hollywood Hulk Hogan (leader and co-founder) Scott Hall (co-founder) Kevin Nash (co-founder) see full list
Name(s)	New World Order nWo Hollywood nWo Wolfpac nWo 2000 nWo Japan The Band The Wolfpac
Combined billed weight	904 lb (410 kg)
Debut	July 7, 1996
Years active	1996–2000, 2002-present (reunions)

The New World Order (commonly abbreviated NWO, in logo stylized as nWo) is a professional wrestling stable that originally consisted of Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. They are best known for their appearances in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The stable originated in WCW with the gimmick of a group of unsanctioned wrestlers aiming to "take over" and control WCW in the manner of a street gang. The group later appeared in the WWF (now known as WWE) after the purchase of WCW by the WWF. A similar group, known as The Band (which would later become interchangeable with the alias "The Wolfpac", a division of the nWo in WCW), appeared on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2010; although a resurrection of the nWo was implied, this group was never billed as such, since WWE owns the rights to this trademark.

The nWo angle became one of the most influential forces in the mid-to-late 1990s success of WCW and was instrumental in turning mainstream North American professional wrestling back into a more mature, adult-oriented product. Based on the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) invasion angle in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) 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.

Concept

The nWo storyline was an idea WCW Executive Vice President Eric Bischoff was inspired by after attending New Japan Pro Wrestling's Battle Formation show at the Tokyo Dome on April 29, 1996. The show was headlined by a NJPW vs. UWF International match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, as Shinya Hashimoto defeated Nobuhiko Takada. He wanted to do an invasion-type angle where WCW was 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.

History

World Championship Wrestling (1996–2000)

Formation

Main article: The Outsiders

Scott Hall (left) and Kevin Nash (right) first appeared on WCW television in spring of 1996

On May 19, 1996, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash wrestled their final matches for the WWF as "Razor Ramon" and "Diesel," respectively, as they both had opted to sign with rival WCW instead of staying with the WWF. Eight days after his last WWF appearance, Hall showed up in Macon, Georgia for May 27's Nitro from the Macon Coliseum. As The Mauler and Steve Doll wrestled, Hall emerged from the crowd and entered the ring, bringing the match to a halt, 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 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 for a war. The next week, Hall claimed to have a "big surprise" for fellow professional wrestler Sting. On the following Nitro, the big surprise was revealed to be Kevin Nash. They were dubbed The Outsiders, randomly appearing at WCW events to cause trouble and (inevitably) be led out of the building by WCW security.

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 bigger concern to the WWF, as he had not fully distanced himself from his "Razor Ramon" character. WCW attempted to address these concerns at The Great American Bash in June 1996. Bischoff 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 they both said no. The WWF, still unsatisfied, filed a lawsuit, claiming that Bischoff had proposed inter-promotional matches for TBS to associate the two companies with each other.

Also at The Great American Bash, both Hall and Nash pressed Bischoff to name his company's three representatives for their impending match. Bischoff said that he had found three men who would answer their challenge, but would not name them. Bischoff held a draft on Nitro to determine WCW's representatives, and Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage were chosen.

Bash at the Beach 1996: Hostile Takeover

Main article: Bash at the Beach

The match Bischoff promised, a six-man tag billed as the "Hostile Takeover match", was scheduled as the main event of Bash at the Beach 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 the third man was. Team WCW then entered with all three members wearing face paint as a sign of solidarity.

Luger was injured (kayfabe) shortly after the match began and had to be removed on a stretcher. The match reached its climax at approximately the sixteen-minute mark, shortly after a late tag from Sting to Savage. Savage went on the attack, nailing both Outsiders with repeated axe-handle smashes from the top rope. However, while referee Randy Anderson checked on a downed Hall, Hall grabbed his shirt while Nash nailed Savage with a low blow which knocked both men to the mat. With all four men down, Anderson had no choice but to begin counting them out as he did not see the low blow. As he began his count, the fans' attention turned to the entrance area as Hulk Hogan entered and began walking to the ring to a loud roar from the crowd. Hall spotted him and immediately fled the ring. Hogan, who had not been seen on WCW television for some time, climbed into the ring to chase away Nash. Hogan walked to the nearest corner and performed his leg drop finisher on the fallen Savage. The Outsiders returned to the ring as Hogan leg-dropped his long-time ally and friend for a second time, then high-fived Hall and Nash, officially revealing himself to be their third team member. The official match result was a no-contest.

After the match, "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviewed Hogan. During the interview, Hogan exclaimed, "Well, the first thing you gotta realize, brother, is this right here is the future of wrestling! You can call this the new world order of wrestling, brother!" Hogan's statement gave the group its name - the New World Order. The show closed with the three wrestlers continuing to taunt the fans, who booed and pelted them with garbage.

Hogan pictured during his "Hollywood" gimmick

The night after Bash at the Beach, Hall and Nash arrived at Monday Nitro without Hogan, attempting to attack Sting, Arn Anderson 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 Nitro's main event. He then made a challenge to the reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion, The Giant, for Hog Wild in August.

WCW Championship

At Hog Wild, the newly rechristened "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan (often shortened to Hollywood Hogan) won the match after knocking The Giant out with his title belt. After the match, Hogan rechristened the belt as the nWo World Heavyweight Championship by painting the group acronym in capital letters across the faceplate.

Within two days of Hog Wild, Ted DiBiase made his WCW debut, declared himself the financier of the nWo, and was given the nickname "Trillionaire Ted". On the September 2 Nitro, the nWo got its first defection from WCW as the Giant, who just weeks earlier lost his title to Hogan, turned on his Dungeon of Doom teammates and attacked The Four Horsemen and Randy Savage.

As WCW's annual pay-per-view Fall Brawl was drawing closer, WCW was preparing for another battle against the nWo. On September 9 in Columbus, Georgia, the nWo tricked fans and wrestlers into thinking that Sting had joined the nWo by putting wrestler Jeff Farmer into the group as a Sting clone, complete with Sting attire and face paint. This point was furthered when Farmer, as the fake Sting, attacked Luger, who had been lured into an attack by referee Nick Patrick. This led Luger, his longtime ally and tag team partner, to publicly question Sting. At Fall Brawl, as Team WCW was being interviewed, Sting told his teammates that he had nothing to do with the attack, but Luger did not believe him. Going into the match, only three wrestlers on each side had been officially named: Hogan and The Outsiders for the nWo, with Luger, Arn Anderson, and Ric Flair for Team WCW. Sting had originally been named the fourth man for WCW, but his participation was in doubt. The fourth man for the nWo was indeed the fake Sting, who convinced everyone (including the broadcast team) that the real Sting was nWo. The real Sting showed up moments later as the last man for Team WCW and took apart the nWo by himself. After assaulting Hogan, Hall, Nash and the fake Sting, Sting 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.

The next night on Nitro, an angry Sting laid into his fellow wrestlers as well as the fans for doubting his true colors. Sting then began a retreat from the ring that would last for nearly fifteen months, and in the process, left his loyalties on the table for either side to try and move him to theirs. The nWo stepped up its efforts to try and recruit Sting, yet never removed the fake Sting from the group. As Sting's character and look evolved, so too did Farmer's nWo Sting character.

Syxx was the sixth person to join the nWo

On the same night Sting made his speech, the nWo inducted its sixth official member into the group, Sean Waltman, who was friends with Hall and Nash in real-life and wrestled as "The 1-2-3 Kid" in the WWF, now known as Syxx. 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. Miss Elizabeth turned against the Four Horsemen and joined the group as Hogan's valet.

In the storyline, WCW only recognized Hogan, Nash, and Hall as WCW employees due to their holding WCW titles, and the other nWo members went unrecognized as WCW employees; because of this, they were unable to wrestle other WCW wrestlers. This led to the nWo starting a segment on WCW Saturday Night, called nWo Saturday Night, where nWo stable members wrestled local jobbers. The nWo also used their "financing" to purchase ad time during WCW programming, which amounted to low budget anti-WCW propaganda, or "hijack" the broadcast signal.

The nWo continued to dominate WCW, with Hogan successfully retaining his "nWo" World Heavyweight Championship against "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Hall and Nash winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship from Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) at Halloween Havoc. In the meantime, The Giant stole Flair's WCW United States Championship and claimed it for himself.

At Halloween Havoc, Hogan's old rival Roddy Piper, whom WCW had just signed to a contract, came to the ring to confront Hogan. Piper began seeking a match with Hogan the next night.

Late 1996: the nWo reveals a shocking secret

On November 18, 1996, Nitro was live at the Florence Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina and opened with Hall and Nash physically attacking Brian Knobbs, Jerry Sags, Robbie Rage, Kenny Kaos, Ciclope, and Galaxy and forcing Tony Schiavone to walk off the show after they threatened him. As the show moved into its second hour, Hogan and his entourage accosted Bischoff at the announce table and forced him to say that Hogan was better than Piper, who was still seeking a match with Hogan but whom Bischoff had not agreed on a contract with yet.

Then-WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff joined the faction in November 1996

At the end of the show, Piper and Bischoff began arguing in the ring. As Piper continued to badger Bischoff, The Giant entered the scene and grabbed Piper from behind. He was followed by Syxx, Vincent, and The Outsiders, who all stepped in to stop Piper from attacking Bischoff. Finally, Hogan and DiBiase came out and revealed to the entire world that Bischoff, despite appearances, had secretly been a member of the nWo all along. Piper and Hogan were booked for a non-title match at Starrcade in December.

The next night on Nitro, Bischoff permanently left the broadcast booth, and his character became an 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 join the group. Marcus Bagwell (redubbed "Buff Bagwell"), Mr. Wallstreet, Big Bubba Rogers, and Scott Norton became members in the following weeks. 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.

At Starrcade 1996, Piper defeated Hogan. At the same event, after multiple attempts to convince Diamond Dallas Page to join, Hall and Nash attacked Page in his United States Championship Tournament final match against Eddie Guerrero, costing him the match. The nWo left with physical possession of the title belt. It was then given to Syxx, and Guerrero began feuding with him. The next night on Nitro, The Giant was kicked out of the nWo when he refused to choke slam Piper in an nWo assault.

1997: expansion, success and feud with Sting

At nWo 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. U.S. champion Eddie Guerrero retained his title against Syxx in a ladder match, while The Outsiders lost the tag team titles to The Steiner Brothers. Bischoff re-awarded them the titles the next night on Nitro after claiming that Randy Anderson, who ran in to officiate after Patrick was knocked down, was not the official referee. Bischoff then fired Anderson for his actions.

At SuperBrawl VII, Hogan successfully defended his title against Roddy Piper. Savage, who had recently returned and was at ringside, helped Hogan win. Savage 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, issued a challenge for a "winner-take-all" tag team match at WCW Uncensored. Two weeks later on the March 3 Nitro, Turner Sports president Dr. Harvey Schiller "suspended" Bischoff for abuse of his office. At Uncensored Team nWo won the tag titles. 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. At the event, Sting descended from the rafters and attacked every member of the nWo with a baseball bat, indicating his allegiance to WCW.

Tensions began to surface within the nWo by April. At Spring Stampede, 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. Additionally, Ted DiBiase quit the group after feeling remorse for some of the WCW wrestlers who were victims of nWo assaults. 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. 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 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 regained the title at Road Wild after Rodman, dressed up as Sting, hit Luger with a baseball bat. Following Road Wild, the nWo began a rivalry with The Four Horsemen, marked by a skit where they mocked members of the group. The Horsemen responded by challenging the nWo to a WarGames match at Fall Brawl in September. The match pitted Ric Flair, Hennig, McMichael and Chris Benoit against Nash, Konnan, Syxx, and Bagwell. During the match, Hennig turned on his team to align with the nWo. The nWo was victorious after McMichael surrendered in the match.

Bret Hart made his WCW debut on the December 15 edition of Nitro and declared he would not join the nWo, but did say he would be the special guest referee for a match between Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko at Starrcade 1997. If Bischoff won the match, the nWo would be given permanent control over Nitro, but if Zbyszko won, it would remain with WCW. On the Monday before Starrcade, the nWo completely took over the show by tearing down the set and chasing off the WCW announcing crew. They destroyed anything WCW-related and rebranded it nWo Monday Nitro. This event was done as a test run for a permanent changeover of Nitro to an nWo-centric show, with the soon-debuting Thunder becoming the WCW-centric show. However, due to abysmal ratings following the twenty-plus minutes of the conversion of the set on live television, the plan was quietly dropped. Zbyszko later defeated Bischoff at Starrcade. Also at Starrcade, Hogan lost the world heavyweight title to Sting. Hogan originally pinned Sting, but confusion arose when Hart appeared at ringside and accused referee and former nWo member Nick Patrick of making a fast count. In reality, Nick Patrick was supposed to make it a fast count, revealing himself to be a crooked official. By 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, and the entire WCW came out to celebrate the defeat of Hogan.

1998: dissension, nWo Hollywood and Wolfpac

Shortly after Hogan lost the belt at Starrcade, the nWo started showing signs of division within the group. 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 Thunder. 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 by declaring 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.

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".

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. 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 to 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. 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 and sent to rehab for his ongoing alcoholism. Shortly thereafter Scott Hall was removed from television; this led to a confrontation between Kevin Nash, Eric Bischoff, and Hogan on the March 26 edition of Thunder. 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.

Nash and Sting standing opposite each other in the ring, they would later join forces after the formation of the nWo Wolfpac

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. At Spring Stampede, 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 to close out the show.

The next night on Nitro, Hogan issued a challenge to the new champion for his title, and WCW Commissioner Roddy Piper made the match a no-disqualification match and said no run-ins would be permitted. Savage and Nash made their own speech later, where Nash said to Hogan "have a nice life" and implied that the nWo was not going to be together, at least in its current form, when the night was over.

Late in the match, while Hogan and Savage were fighting in a corner, The Disciple entered the ring and gave referee Nick Patrick a neckbreaker. While this was allowed, due to the match being no-DQ, it also meant that no one was able to stop Hogan and Disciple from doing whatever they wanted to Savage. The Disciple hit his finisher, The Apocalypse, on Savage while the belt was draped over his shoulder. Just after this, a furious Nash charged to the ring to aid the fallen Savage. After Nash entered the ring, Eric Bischoff came running from the back and slid into the ring to intercept him. After tossing Bischoff aside, Nash nailed the jackknife powerbomb on Hogan. As the match was still going on, Nash pulled Savage on top of Hogan and went to revive Patrick as Bret Hart entered the ring. Hart picked up the title belt, struck Nash with it, rolled Hogan back over Savage, and revived the referee so he could count Savage out. Although Hogan was WCW World Heavyweight Champion for a fourth time and appeared to have taken the reins of the nWo again, the members of the group itself were now going to have to choose whose side they would be on: his or Nash's.

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 (a name which Nash had previously been using alongside Hall and Syxx to refer to themselves as a trio), and were joined in the following weeks by Curt Hennig, Miss Elizabeth, Rick Rude and Dusty Rhodes. 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, Scott Steiner, Scott Norton, Brian Adams, and The Disciple on his side. Bret Hart never officially joined either side but supported nWo Hollywood as a member recruiter.

At 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 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. At Slamboree, 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 urged his friend Sting to join him. However, nWo Hollywood made their own effort to 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, the Wolfpac lost two members as Hennig and Rude turned on Konnan following a loss and joined nWo Hollywood. It was not 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 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.

Fans make Wolfpac hand gestures towards Kevin Nash

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 pin Sting to take the tag team championships back to the black and white. 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. 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, nWo Hollywood attacked Scott Hall and kicked him out of the group for disrespecting Hogan and Bischoff a few weeks earlier. Kevin Nash won 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 Hollywood Hogan announced his retirement from professional wrestling. Scott Steiner went on to assume the leadership role in the nWo Hollywood faction. At Starrcade, 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.

At the first Nitro after Starrcade '98, the main event would be between WCW/nWo President Eric Bischoff and WCW's franchise player Ric Flair. This was after months of feuding and weeks of demanding a match against Bischoff for the presidency of the company. Flair declared he would give up all his possessions if he lost. The match was made by Bischoff who believed that Flair would not be able to compete after he had a kayfabe heart attack during a promo. Flair defeated Bischoff in the match to become WCW president for 90 days, and Bischoff was relegated back to his old position as an on-air commentator. The ending of the match symbolized a new beginning for WCW heading into 1999 and appeared to be the possible conclusion to the nWo storyline.

1999: nWo "Elite" and B-Team

Main article: Fingerpoke of Doom

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 episode of Nitro. However, nWo Hollywood accused the former champion of stalking 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 1998 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. Hogan covered Nash for the win 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, Konnan, Buff Bagwell, Eric Bischoff and Miss Elizabeth 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 and Savage, members of the Wolfpac, were on hiatus during the nWo reuniting and did not partake in the now-heel stable upon their return.

End of the nWo era

The reunited nWo did not last long for either faction. nWo Elite/Wolfpac enjoyed initial success with Hollywood Hogan as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Scott Steiner as World Television Champion and Scott Hall as WCW United States Heavyweight 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. Luger appeared sporadically in May and June 1999 on Nitro.

Hogan dropped the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Uncensored to Ric Flair and Steiner lost his World Television Championship to Booker T after Buff 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, with Rick wearing a wolfpack shirt on Thunder, and coming out to the Wolfpack theme for his TV title matches on Nitro.

A month earlier, Hollywood 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 for three months. It has been debated whether this injury was legitimate or not. Nash then began a rivalry with Page, who he blamed for causing Hogan's injury, and defeated him for the World title at Slamboree. Scott Steiner was forced to go on hiatus due to a back injury and stripped of his US title. 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 1999 (which was the quiet end of his membership) while Flair and Samantha were quietly removed from television following Hogan's title loss at Uncensored.

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 left the group to reform Harlem Heat with Booker T later that year.

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 red and yellow attire on Nitro shortly before the PPV and won the match forcing Nash to retire. Nash did continue to make appearances afterward, usually stirring up trouble backstage with Hall as his cohort.

nWo 2000

In late December, Nash, Hall, Jeff Jarrett and Bret Hart reformed the nWo. Hall, Nash and Jarrett interfered on Hart's behalf in his match with Goldberg, causing Hart to win the vacant WCW World Title. After Goldberg accidentally injured himself breaking the nWo's limousine windshield, Sid Vicious, Chris Benoit and Terry Funk were left to feud with the nWo. Scott Steiner returned and rejoined the group after attacking Vicious. The Harris Brothers acted as the nWo's bodyguards before joining the group themselves. As nWo members, the Harris brothers would become WCW Tag Team Champions twice. Hart was forced to vacate the World Title and went on hiatus from WCW in mid January due to an injury suffered in a match with Goldberg weeks earlier. At the following Souled Out, Nash defeated Funk to become WCW commissioner, but his reign was cut short after he suffered a broken ankle and had to withdraw from WCW for a while. Jarrett won a title shot facing new World Champion Sid Vicious at Superbrawl. However, Jarrett also feuded with fellow nWo member Scott Hall after Hall attempted to defeat Vicious and win the title himself. The match at Superbrawl was 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.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2002)

"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan making his entrance at WrestleMania X8 in 2002, his first WrestleMania after nine years

After the WWF bought WCW video library and trademarks in 2001, Vince McMahon brought in Hogan, Hall and Nash, the original nWo, at No Way Out as 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, Stone Cold 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 over eight and half 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 and Kane at his side on occasion. Hall and Nash then brought in two former nWo members, X-Pac, on the March 21, 2002, episode of SmackDown! in Ottawa, Ontario and Big Show, on the April 22 episode of Raw.

The nWo reunion in the WWF/E did not last long, however. During an attack on Bradshaw, Kevin Nash injured his biceps and was put out of action for several months. 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. 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 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 episode 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, became 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 never finished, as Nash suffered a torn quadriceps tendon that forced him to miss an extended period of time. Afterwards, the nWo storyline was stopped and the remaining members drifted apart. Michaels returned to active competition within weeks, Big Show was eventually traded to SmackDown!, and X-Pac was released from his contract.

On July 8, Kevin Nash returned to action on Raw, teaming up with Eddie Guerrero, X-Pac, 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 on 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.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

A reunion was spurred by Hogan's TNA arrival in 2010

Although never again billed as the nWo, the group would reunite in 2010 when, weeks prior to the debut of Hulk Hogan in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Kevin Nash had hinted that "the band was getting back together" (a reference to nWo 2000 catchphrase, "The Band is Back Together"). On the January 4, 2010 live 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), 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 against Beer Money in a losing effort. 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 the Impact! Zone for random attacks and on the February 4 episode 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.

Sting with red face paint, similar to the paint he used during the Wolfpac

Beginning in late March, the group also began using their old moniker of The Wolfpac, as well as the entrance theme used by the nWo splinter group in WCW. TNA was able to do this since the Wolfpac intellectual property was not acquired by the WWF upon its purchase of WCW in 2001. On the March 29 episode of Impact!, Nash offered Young a spot in The Wolfpac. Young refused the offer and in the main event of the evening, teamed up with Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy to defeat The Wolfpac 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 episode 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 Wolfpac, replacing Syxx-Pac. On May 4, at the tapings of the May 13 episode 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, Nash invoked the so-called "Freebird Rule" which 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). At the June 14 tapings of the June 17 episode of Impact!, The Wolfpac 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 episode 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 in Hall and Waltman. On the August 5 episode 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 episode of Impact!, Nash defeated Jarrett in a singles match after an interference from Sting. The following week, Nash helped Sting to 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 episode 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 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. 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.

WWE return (2014–2015)

The nWo making their way to the ring at WrestleMania 31

The August 11, 2014 episode of Raw, aired on Hulk Hogan's 61st birthday, featured Scott Hall and Kevin Nash as guests. The two shared a moment with Hogan, revealing an nWo shirt hidden under his "Hulkamania" shirt. They were interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who told Hogan, "Party's over, grandpa". Lesnar backed out of the ring when confronted by John Cena, his opponent at SummerSlam.

On the January 19, 2015 episode of Raw, X-Pac (who had joined as Syxx in WCW), Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash came out for Hall's survey segment. They were interrupted by The Ascension, who were beaten down by the nWo, the APA, and the New Age Outlaws. On March 29 at WrestleMania 31, Hogan, Nash, and Hall returned to assist their long-time rival Sting in his WrestleMania debut match against Triple H. The nWo helped to fight off D-Generation X (X-Pac, Billy Gunn, and Road Dogg), who had interfered on behalf of Triple H. Shawn Michaels later joined Triple H's side, turning the match in his favor. Triple H would go on to win the match.

Legacy

In WCW, nWo had their own pay-per-view (PPV) called Souled Out. It was practice for WCW so that their PPVs would have co-brand naming (example: WCW/nWo Starrcade) from January 24, 1998 to March 14, 1999.

The nWo has inspired many parody factions like Stevie Richards' bWo, Eddie Guerrero's lWo, and Kinnikuman's dMp. During his time in JCW, Scott Hall, Corporal Robinson, and Insane Clown Posse formed the JWO at JCW's Evansville Invasion on October 6, 2007. To date, fellow nWo alumni Sean Waltman and Kevin Nash have joined this faction for occasional matches.

Some of the nWo members including The Giant, Scott Steiner, and Curt Hennig, were featured as downloadable content in the video game WWE 2K14. This DLC was released November 12, 2013.

List of incarnations and members

Main article: List of New World Order members

Music

• Entrance themes
  • "Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (WCW/WWF/WWE; used by nWo Black and White/Hollywood/nWo 2000; August 1996–July 1999, December 1999–March 2000, February 17, 2002–July 8, 2002, August 11, 2014, January 19, 2015, March 29, 2015–present)
  • "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)
  • "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Jimi Hendrix (WCW; used by Hollywood Hogan; June 1997–August 1999)

Championships and accomplishments

• New Japan Pro Wrestling
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times) – Masahiro Chono (1), Scott Norton (1), Keiji Mutoh (1)
  • IWGP Tag Team Championship (3 times) – Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh (1), Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan (1), Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima (1)

• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
  • TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – Eric Young, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (1)¹

• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW World Heavyweight Championship (8 times) – Hollywood Hogan (4), Randy Savage (1), Kevin Nash (2), Bret Hart (1)
  • WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (9 times) – Curt Hennig (1), Bret Hart (3), Lex Luger (1), Scott Hall (1), Scott Steiner (1), Jeff Jarrett (2)
  • WCW World Television Championship (3 times) – Konnan (1), Scott Steiner (1), Scott Hall (1)
  • WCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) – Syxx
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (5)², Sting and The Giant (1), Sting and Kevin Nash (1), Scott Hall and The Giant (1), Ron and Don Harris (2)
  • WCW World War 3 (3 times)
    • The Giant (1996)
    • Scott Hall (1997)
    • Kevin Nash (1998)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Best Gimmick (1996)
  • Feud of the Year (1996) vs. World Championship Wrestling

¹ During their reign, Hall and Nash invoked "The Band Rules" and named Eric Young as a co-champion.

² During one of their reigns, the nWo invoked "Wolfpac Rules" and named Syxx a co-champion due to an injury to Nash.

Media

• nWo 4 Life! (June 1, 1999, VHS)
• nWo: Back in Black (May 28, 2002, VHS & DVD)
• nWo: The Revolution (November 6, 2012, DVD & Blu-ray)

See also

• The Kliq
• The Four Horsemen
• Bullet Club
• D-Generation X

External links

• Official Site (Archive)
• New World Order (Original)
• New World Order (Japan)
• New World Order (Hollywood)
• New World Order (Wolfpac)
• New World Order (Elite)
• New World Order (Black and White)
• New World Order (2000)
• New World Order (WWF/E)
• The Band
• (EIEAITFAC2014NWO)