nWo 2026

[tiger_rick]

Don't worry, it's not a new version of the faction. Last night was 30 years since Bash at the Beach 1996, since the Brain didn't know whose side Hogan was on, the crowd in Daytona Beach all took their kitchen bins to a wrestling show to lob at the ring, Mean Gene Okerlund reached peak annoying twat, Hulk Hogan put him in his place with his greatest promo and formed the New World Organisation Order of Wrestling, brother.

Feels like all of this important stuff in wrestling history, that's as fresh as a daisy in the old memory bank, is 25, 30, 35 years ago. We're all getting as old as WCW main eventers, brothers.

Those first few months of the nWo are still some of the greatest moments ever. It was a truly brilliant angle that was perfectly presented. Featured so much stuff that's the norm now but was ground-breaking for wrestling TV and absolutely changed the industry. They probably still don't get enough credit for the very best of this angle. History is written by the winners, as they say, so that fucking DX tank symbolises the greatest moment in history, while Randy Savage leaping into limousines, Eric Bischoff crashing through tables, Fake Sting wandering through the rain, Rey Mysterio hurtling into caravans, Real Sting turning his back on the audience, Hogan, Hall and Nash turning black and white and all the other stuff is YouTube fodder, brother.

They obviously watered it all down. Bischoff is accused of never having another idea but he clearly did, he saw WCW and nWo as what Raw and Smackdown would eventually become and was fixated on it at a time when audiences weren't really ready for it. Because of that, they never got their commumpence and it never got a satisfactory conclusion. It was also the start of real week to week TV wrestling and suffered from having the same ending to Nitro every fucking week for years. PPV level main event on free TV, big schmozz, we're out of time, folks, roll credits. A real shame that such a hot angle eventually became the noose around the company's neck. Er, brothers.

When did you first see that Hogan heel turn?

Highs and lows of the nWo?

Could it ever have worked as a separate "brand"?

[HarmonicGenerator]

I wasn’t watching wrestling at all at that point, so I knew them as a logo and a t-shirt more than anything else. I was aware that Hulk Hogan was now calling himself Hollywood Hogan and had stubble behind the blonde tache, but that’s as far as my knowledge went. Seeing copies of the WCW/nWo PS1 game at the time, I’d have assumed they were a rival company. There certainly wasn’t school chat about the nWo at all, in fact you never heard wrestling chat at all until ‘98 and then it was all about Stone Cold and Kane. nWo could stick it, brother.

I probably really didn’t get any grip on it until after WCW itself went under, but I can’t think where I’d have read about them. I wouldn’t have ever seen any of it until Vince brought them in in 2002, and to WWE’s credit, they built them up as a huge deal for that first night. They felt like an existential threat to someone who’d never seen the original run. The logo was incredibly cool to teenage me, their WWF Magazine cover was cool, I was into it. Then by night 2 they’d done vehicular manslaughter on The Rock, a few weeks later Stone Cold at his 02 worst was chasing them around with tasers or something, and by WrestleMania it was done for (though I remained a fan because they recruited X-Pac soon after).

But as for original nWo? I don’t think I even knew WCW could be seen over here, let alone where and when to watch it. The nWo, those t-shirts aside (sold in Game, next to APA and New Age Outlaws), were very much an after-the-fact phenomenon for me.

Edited July 8 by HarmonicGenerator
Autocorrect doesn’t like”nWo” very much

[BarryOVega]

I’d seen the odd bit of Nitro when flicking through Sky on a Friday night and landing on TNT, I remember seeing Bischoff fucking off Randy Anderson and his family, that’s about it for the nWo years though

I definitely know I learnt the details about Hogan’s heel turn reading about it in some historical moments thing Fin used to do in Power Slam

As with a lot of people I imagine, I first properly saw the nWo and how cool they were in games like World Tour and especially Thunder 

[Chili]

Didn't see the turn but I think the first I saw Hogan was villain was that Disney studios Nitro outdoors where they cut a promo. As someone never massively into Hogan as the superhero and not seeing him for a few years in general it wasn't a massive surprise but I must have found the idea interesting as I started watching more.

To answer the separate brand stuff, no, not a fucking chance in the way Bischoff always envisions it, unless he thought of how Japanese groups have little offshoot indie shows (Suzuki-Gun and that sort of stuff), it just didn't really hold any logic or longevity as an idea, the nWo exclusive to one show would have been dull VERRRRRY quickly.

I genuinely think the best nWo moment is that very early carpark attack. Because it's pulled off so well in post by the rest of the roster and announcers that it FEELS real enough in a pro wrestling sense, that complete chaos has erupted and the show genuinely needs to be delayed because everything has gone to shit. It's such a brilliant bit of business. The network has uploaded a few of those big comps about the nWo so here's what we have so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DavidB6937]

It all passed me by if I'm honest. WCW was only ever something I dipped in and out of while I watched WWF/E weekly religiously.

It sounded interesting but by that point I was so done with Hogan that even the turn wasn't enough to get me to tune in on a regular basis.

It didn't help that I didn't really know anyone else that watched it either so it wasn't like I had anyone to enjoy it with.

There's no doubting the significance of it all but again it's one of those things that's been ruined over time by overexposure and Hogan bullshitting so much and being a racist and all that. It makes it so much harder to just enjoy in general.

One of my favourite things about the Network was being able to catch so much of the WCW stuff that I missed.

[simonworden]

I always feel amazed how quick they did dilute the mix with Giant, Ted Dibiase, Syxx and even nWo Sting having at least some reasoning to be there storyline and booking wise but then it isn't even 1997 and you've got Virgil, and IRS joining. I get the argument you could make that they needed some bodies for the faces to throw around but they weren't exactly stellar picks at the time. 

[SuperBacon]

I was a huge nwo mark, and combined with starting to read Powerslam, other wrestling magazines and getting cable, meant I was all over it brother.

But like with Austin vs Hart, I was both siding-it and also wanted Sting, and ultimately WCW, to triumph. Macho Man in the nwo for me was the best shit ever, and him vs DDP was the highlight for me.

I was black and white for life, but then I was bout it bout it rowdy rowdy or whatever and was a wolfpac guy. The first thing I did when I went to Florida in 1998 was buy an Austin 3:16 and red nwo logo t-shirt. I even wore them in public!

Then it all very quickly went to shit. It's funny watching back the OSW arc on some of the nwo as it just shows how much they were all over the product, which at the time didn't bother me, but man that must've been so shit for the other wrestlers. No wonder they all joined. Waka wah hey hey!

Deep down in my heart I'm still nwo 4 life.

[gmoney]

I'd also argue The Giant wasn't a good fit storyline or character wise. He goes from imposing angry guy to wisecracking stooge for Hogan. It was a waste and he never really recovered from that in WCW. 

I'm actually watching this period in WCW at the moment, slowly. I'm up to just after Halloween Havoc. For all that's great about it, there's still quite a lot of parts that don't work that well or are repetitive straight away. They do the "Hogan's buddy joins but ahhh, actually they turn on them" twice with Beefcake and The Nasty Boys. There's an interminable show long segment in one ep of Nitro where the NWO are in hotel, making wisecracks that are mostly shite and it's just drags on forever. It reminded me of 1999 NWO B team segments. Hogan is clearly having an absolute ball as a heel, and most of the promos he does are genuinely fantastic, but in a build to a Flair match at a Clash of Champions he cuts an absolutely terrible promo where he seems like he's trying to get a new catchphrase over calling Flair the "stupid little man". He drops it again in another promo, it's hilarious how shit it is. 

Anyway, I sound like a right negative Nancy. It's a great angle. 

[tiger_rick]

WCW PG insults were generally terrible. Hogan was the worst with his various nasty and smelly references but DDP just calling everyone scum was as bad. "Hollywood Scum Hogan". Brilliant, mate.

[Chili]

Hogan trying to get over people calling him "Wood" as a nickname during his JNCO jeans era is my favourite. Proper Rimmer trying to get "Duke" to stick feels.

Edited July 8 by Chili

[gmoney]

23 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

WCW PG insults were generally terrible. Hogan was the worst with his various nasty and smelly references but DDP just calling everyone scum was as bad. "Hollywood Scum Hogan". Brilliant, mate.

"Big Stinky Giant" was another Hogan gem. 

[Chico Torres]

Found out about in on TNT teletext, took a chance and they surprisingly had full Bash at the Beach results and details of the turn. I was shocked, hard to explain now but Hogan turning heel was unthinkable and game-changing.

The more they added people, which wasn’t too long after the formation, the more diluted it became. But those first few weeks were electric mainly because it felt the entire dynamic of wrestling had changed. No longer was it a clearly defined binary of good guys and bad guys but now there was a genuine third way.

The moment that stands out the most for me was the end of one of the Nitros, I don’t recall the full details but some shit was going down and a lot of the WCW roster came out as a unified force and it was goodies and baddies….together! Harlem Heat side by side with the Dungeon of Doom and all sorts and it was genuinely different. Like there was an internal WCW universe but now there was this external factor and all the old rules had changed. To be clear not some “shades of grey”  shite but an actual new category of superheel distinct from normal babyface and heel, and it’s the effect that had on the latter two that was the most exciting.

Sadly that was also why it declined quickly. I think they had this great concept but struggled with executing on that new dynamic. What’s the point of being a regular heel instead of a superheel. Why are regular faces and heels still facing each other rather than focusing on eliminating the outside force. It could have been something truly different but as more people joined and midcarders were added it became just another group.

But that summer of 1996 when it all kicked off was so compelling.

[Chili]

34 minutes ago, Chico Torres said:

Found out about in on TNT teletext, took a chance and they surprisingly had full Bash at the Beach results and details of the turn. I was shocked, hard to explain now but Hogan turning heel was unthinkable and game-changing.

The more they added people, which wasn’t too long after the formation, the more diluted it became. But those first few weeks were electric mainly because it felt the entire dynamic of wrestling had changed. No longer was it a clearly defined binary of good guys and bad guys but now there was a genuine third way.

The moment that stands out the most for me was the end of one of the Nitros, I don’t recall the full details but some shit was going down and a lot of the WCW roster came out as a unified force and it was goodies and baddies….together! Harlem Heat side by side with the Dungeon of Doom and all sorts and it was genuinely different. Like there was an internal WCW universe but now there was this external factor and all the old rules had changed. To be clear not some “shades of grey”  shite but an actual new category of superheel distinct from normal babyface and heel, and it’s the effect that had on the latter two that was the most exciting.

Sadly that was also why it declined quickly. I think they had this great concept but struggled with executing on that new dynamic. What’s the point of being a regular heel instead of a superheel. Why are regular faces and heels still facing each other rather than focusing on eliminating the outside force. It could have been something truly different but as more people joined and midcarders were added it became just another group.

But that summer of 1996 when it all kicked off was so compelling.

Even worse was you had most of the nWo determined to be so cool and better and above everything instead of actually being as you said 'superheels'. It doesn't really start to come in until 1997. The 1996 nWo is actually a group of proper heels without the political stuff getting involved... much.

[Chico Torres]

19 minutes ago, Chili said:

Even worse was you had most of the nWo determined to be so cool and better and above everything instead of actually being as you said 'superheels'. It doesn't really start to come in until 1997. The 1996 nWo is actually a group of proper heels without the political stuff getting involved... much.

Yeah there was something really interesting there at first but the details weren’t thought through. It’s the first time an angle felt so all encompassing, everyone from top to bottom in the roster was impacted, everyone could be targeted, low level jibbers stood side by side with main eventers regardless of their philosophy. Usually feuds are self contained but this took over the whole promotion.

But that then made the rest of the promotion irrelevant, because why get invested in some petty feud when there’s an existential threat looming that will impact you all. Also things like Bobby Heenan, forever the voice of the rule breaker, is now being holier than thou and agreeing with Tony Schiovane. Like I said at first it was very compelling to see all those dynamics shift but after a while I didn’t want to see The Brain being pals with Tony and on the same side as these geeks, he had spent his whole life encouraging this shit and revelling in the chaos and now he’s neutered and concerned?

And yes, you had in the cool factor, the merch, the aesthetics, the way the black and white vignettes were cut and voiced over, in fact I’m pretty much on the side of the cool guys not these geeks where a whole roster of dozens of wrestlers is crippled by 3 (or 4, or 5) people, and when it came to fight their top babyface and the symbol of WCW threw a strop and went to put on goth make up and mope in his bedroom.

Edited July 8 by Chico Torres

[Chili]

11 minutes ago, Chico Torres said:

Yeah there was something really interesting there at first but the details weren’t thought through. It’s the first time an angle felt so all encompassing, everyone from top to bottom in the roster was impacted, everyone could be targeted, low level jibbers stood side by side with main eventers regardless of their philosophy. Usually feuds are self contained but this took over the whole promotion.

But that then made the rest of the promotion irrelevant, because why get invested in some petty feud when there’s an existential threat looming that will impact you all. Also things like Bobby Heenan, forever the voice of the rule breaker, is now being holier than thou and agreeing with Tony Schiovane. Like I said at first it was very compelling to see all those dynamics shift but after a while I didn’t want to see The Brain being pals with Tony and on the same side as these geeks, he had spent his whole life encouraging this shit and revelling in the chaos and now he’s neutered and concerned?

And yes, you had in the cool factor, the merch, the aesthetics, the way the black and white vignettes were cut and voiced over, in fact I’m pretty much on the side of the cool guys not these geeks where a whole roster of dozens of wrestlers is crippled by 3 (or 4, or 5) people, and when it came to fight their top babyface and the symbol of WCW threw a strop and went to put on goth make up and mope in his bedroom.

In fairness to Heenan, he had a two week mini angle where got to be classic Bobby Heenan and he's absolutely brilliant here. Always be true to your character.

I know you disagree about Crow Sting, but it did work, the payoff was completely cocked up by you know who, but I thought the whole idea of Sting and the character change was fantastic, a shame he turned into a lobster 6 months after what should have been the beginning of the endgame.

Edited July 8 by Chili