Writing that NWO logo on Vince's chair backwards to read it clearly in a mirror was clever... Unless Vince really wanted to bring in the One Warrior Nation instead. 😆🤷♂️
I think it was just a case of bad luck. It was going well, but Hogan got a hero’s welcome and turned face, Nash got injured, Hall was dealing with his issues(he got through it eventually), and the whole thing just sputtered out.
It was never gonna be like it was in WCW. Which is Why DX had a Bigger reaction then NWO when Shawn and Hunter Reformed DX . Because DX was Vince's Creation and NWO was some other Companies Creation
Honestly, it wouldn't have been that big an issue if they were treated like an unstoppable force from day one. Have the old nWo members get back with the Black and White, have new blood enter the stable and have one of the new guys (maybe Undertaker, it would have fit his Big Evil makeover and his hatred for Ric Flair) become the new leader after savagely beating the crap out of Hogan, and then take it from there.
My first live wrestling event was No Way Out in Milwaukee with the NWO. The hype was amazing, the crowd was totally into it, and the possibilities seemed endless. Shame how it turned out, but i was so glad to be there at the start.
@@anthonyselby6436I definitely recommend watching them at there prime in WCW dude. Especially the earlier days. The 1996 original invasion was unbelievable. When Hall jumped that guard rail the crowd was chanting Razor.
The peak was when it was The Rock, Austin, HHH, Taker, and Mankind. Unfortunately by the time NWO were in WWE they were Over-the-Hill in my opinion. It could've been better if they had NWO vs DX
Both hall and Nash maintained through the years that hall was completely sober for the 1st month until they learned that Vince decided to “bury” the NWO at wrestlemania. Vince also never understood that part of the magic of the NWO was that hall and Nash were “cool heels” and often cheered but hogan was always booed in wcw, this would’ve worked in wwf if hall and Nash were booed but hogan being cheered a lot but they decided that hogan couldn’t work as a heel or cheered and turned him a month in.
I've said it for over 20 years. Most fans (myself included) didn't see it as the NWO coming in to the WWF. It was Razor, Diesel, and Hulk Hogan coming home.
You are not going to take over, even via just storyline, a company from the ego maniac Vince McMahon. Stone Cold Steve Austin had a program with Vince and so did DX but that put McMahon over also. Just no way the NWO was going to take over in the manner they did in Atlanta. The key to all that was WCW took all the momentum that the WWF/WWE had built up over Hulkamania all those years and capitalized in turning Hogan into a shocking heel. Vince McMahon never had that opportunity. Nothing was ever like two things, two different things for Hogan, when he turned face in the 80s into Hulkamania, which helped launch Wrestlemania, and when he turned heel in WCW. Not even turning face again back in WCW or even back in WWE. Like the NWO, once an idea is spent, even a good one, the second, third, etc. time around isn't as good. Other things were in WCW both Hall and Nash and even Hogan were still relatively young men in their primes. They also were not serious risk or even bump takers in the ring and often did promos only. When they returned later to WWE their bodies began to fail. Hall also did not have the leverage he had in WCW. Vince was not going to put up with the BS WCW or Bischoff did. Hogan never liked being second fiddle to anyone. He agreed to do it for the Rock, Brock Lesnar, in that old Andre passing the torch angle stuff. One thing many noticed though was Hogan putting someone else over had the hidden agenda of also putting himself over in a subtle yet very effective way. Wrestling today functions like a TV Series that enjoyed years, even decades, of success, but like ALL shows, the popularity and effectiveness of the entertainment fades and eventually the show is canceled and it's run is over. You then still enjoy reruns in syndication. Like a favorite song you tire of. Nostalgia still feels good at times but not like the original first time and certainly not as long. Just gets old and then older. Wrestling as a form of suspense, drama, entertainment is old and I don't see anything that is going to change that without major adjustments in how and what is being presented. Folks, that just isn't possible because it's all been done already. The unknown, the secrets, the tricks, have all been compromised. What kind of show would it be if a magician showed you how they did all their magic tricks. Would you then want to see it again?
Idk about that.. the gap of time that Nash and hall where in WCW makes it so tons of fans never even knew them a Razor n Diesel. Not saying some people didn’t feel this way but idk about the majority. (Just my opinion)
Imagine if the nWo had come in as a platform for all of those wrestlers alienated by the invasion storyline. Start it out with just Hogan and Hall and Nash, but slowly build it into a "home" for all of the wrestlers that came over in the invasion. It essentially becomes the Invasion V2, But with the recognizable stars of the nWo at the forefront. You keep this going up until the moment Goldberg barrels into the WWE, The storyline becomes the nWo trying to recruit him, and Goldberg refusing due to their history. Goldberg presents himself as a hero, we get our real invasion storyline, or at least some sort of attempt at making good on it, we get a good story to build up Goldberg more than what he got. It just seems like there were a lot of opportunities missed here.
That wouldn't have worked either. Goldberg got what he got because no one really liked him anyways. He wasn't safe to work with and only had a few moves. He was never going to be over the top WWF guys.
Not saying nWo wouldve worked but Goldberg beat The Rock at Backlash. He wasnt safe so no he couldnt be top dog for long . Back to nWo they didnt really work for wwf because they were essentially wwf taking over wcw in wcw .they couldve spun it better but Coming back vince done away with them by letting The biggest in the Game At the Time Take out Hogan at The Blue Wrestlemania . Essentially boasting in the defeat of WcW culture .
The invasion angle should've been spearheaded by the nwo in the first place. Have it be revealed who's in charge after the Austin defection and bam. The nwo drove wcw out of business and now they're here for wwf and macmahon can't stop them either
With OSW's Warrior in WCW arc still so fresh in my mind, I love that the conclusion of this video is that we didn't see enough "Wakka wa hey hey" bollocks. It was frustrating at times, but when it was done right it was some world class heeling.
I often always wonder what the plan was with the nwo. It seemed like they had no intentions of turning Hogan face until they saw the popularity of hogan.. then it looked like it was teased to be a "nwo" branded kliq reunion.. so many possibilities
That was actually the original plan. Plan was going to combine the nWo AND DX since both groups were pretty much the Kliq sans Hogan. But Hall had substance issues and was fired and Nash got hurt. Which left HHH, Michaels, and xPac. And since all three agreed that wasn't going to work as well as if Nash and Hall were with them, they just went with the HHH vs Michaels feud with xPac letting his contract run out and going to TNA Wrestling.
Biggest thing I remember about the big nWo return was that the first time these 3 mega stars appeared live on WWE tv in YEARS was on an episode of Sunday Night Heat before the No Way Out PPV. The last thing on Jeat was the three of them standing backstage and starting their walk to the ring talking smack. I get the big "whats gonna happen..buy the PPV NOW! DONTCHA DARE MISS IT" (points if you get that) but it alwys struck me odd that was the first live appearance.
Great video. The invasion storyline not being successful surprised me. My alternative viewpoint - if you look at the historical RAW ratings, then it shows that peak popularity was during the late 90s-2000. What followed was a gradual long-term decline in ratings. So given how the invasion storyline coincided with the turning point from all-time high popularity to decline, it may not be fair to say it was a dissapointment, but rather as a sign of the times. As it happens I actually stopped regulary following pro wrestling in the early 2000s. Those who still follow it may still consider it to be popular, but from a historical perspective it is only a small fraction of what it was during its peak that occurred over 20 years ago.
The worst thing WWE did was run the invasion story line a year or so before the big WCW stars joined. Had they waited and not pre announced anything I can imagine the pop if the nWo run in unannounced on a big match or if Goldberg came out and speared the Rock etc.
@terrimitchell5236 buying it wasn't the problem. What Vince did with it was. Shane wanted to keep it going and broadcast it online. In 2001 that was forward thinking.
Personally I think it’s down to the booking, wwe didn’t capitalise on what they had, sure injuries plagued them but they could have easily been top heels in the wwf
Well produced video and I feel like your video clarifies what I've felt about WWF/WWE since after 1998; From 1995 - 1998, WWF had good momentum with wrestlers like: British Bulldog Vader Goldust Mr. Perfect Marc Mero Owen Hart Brian Pillman Farooq Road Warriors Jeff Jarret Godfather (Also known as Kama and Papa Shango) Savio Vega Roddy Piper The Patriot Ahmed Johnson Kane Psycho Sid Shamrock The return of The Ultimate Warrior These people helped build up the so called "Attitude Era" and by the time the "Attitude Era" took off to greater heights, barely any of these people were on the main event scene, and some just left the show completely; And this truly started the downfall of WWF/WWE
I also remembered how Shawn Michaels was trying to convince Triple H to join the group, then they got disbanded which then turned the story into, will Triple H join Raw or Smackdown, which led to the DX tease, heel turn and an all time great HBK performance
Omg. You dont know how many people ive talked to that never realized the No Way Out-NWO thing. So many people just looked past until later years and said "wait a min..." Not gonna lie it was a pretty cool way of bringing them in. Cheesy? Cringy? Yeah but still pretty smart.
Not the true story according to Hall and Nash which begs question why are you doing this topic if you're not gonna hear Hall & Nash POV in interviews they've done? Hall was taking anti- alcohol medicine called Antabuse which makes you violently ill if you come into contact with alcohol because he wanted the nWo angle to be a success. In Hall's words he was being a "good boy". Hall also got sick when Austin poured beer on him during kidnapping angle but I digress. Hall only started drink the day before WM X8 when McMahon had a meeting with 3 nWo members. Vince changed the finish they'd agreed to 5 months earlier by having Austin go over Hall instead of vice versa. Hall's was furious, & according to Nash this is what caused Hall to go from sober to not being sober. Hall said they called him & asked him to return and now they didn't want to do BUSINESS. They instead are killing the nWo after only 5 weeks by having face beat them 2 on 1 cleanly, & then making Hogan turn heel, & then having Hogan & Rock beat up Outsiders. Hall said to Nash & Hogan after the meeting with Vince "i'll meet you at the bar, bye". You also didn't bring up ratings, merch sales, gate receipts, attendance... which went up with nWo presence. One publication IIRC Meltzer said merch sales was on par with peak of Attitude Era bc of nWo t-shirt sales,
The invasion angle might have worked if they had booked the alliance as a legitimate threat. Instead it was mostly squash matches with the WWE talent being supermen who easily defeated their opponents. They even made it appear that all 3 NWO members were terrified of Stone Cold.
nWo in WWE felt like Vince couldn’t let them succeed because they weren’t his invention. Part of me wishes he just made them all enter as their old WWE characters randomly at a Royal Rumble.
I gotta say Hulk Hogan being revealed az the 3rd member of the nWo had to be a way bigger shock than Vince being revealed az the higher power in the ministry of darkness.
That's one thing you don't hear about much, and that's how lame that pay off was. That was during the time when WWF was trying anything to match nWo with so many different factions.
I’d love to the a new nWo brought back some day. It would need the right moment and story, and most importantly the right wresters. It could work. I’d love to here that theme song again on Raw
@@Jameshellen12with the way WWE has booked factions I doubt it Unless having some direct control by higher ups, like Vince or Triple H, most don’t last long with going into the breaking up phase Judgement Day is proof The Bloodline was the most recent exception but is helped because they WANT Roman to get over And even then we’ve had plenty of Heel factions that has glaring issues with the most prominent being over booking and near invincible status The Bloodline with Roman’s ridiculously long entrances and never losing with cheap wins continually with no face ever thinking to have allies to remove the Usos, Solo, or Paul Evolution was a older version because of Triple H’s constant grasp on the Heavyweight title and main event with every lose of the title going RIGHT back to him very quickly
Since you mentioned the colorless logo, I just realized my 3 favorite wrestling shirts of 90s and those same 3 are 3 of my 4 favorite all time adding in the bullet club. But the 3 I am speaing of are the nWo, Austin 3:16, and DX black and white only seems to make a classic wrestling shirt
The NWO beating the crap outta of the Rock was the greatest beating I’ve ever seen. Should have been on Worldstar! I’m surprised the Rock survived the truck ramming.
The invasion didn’t end at survivor series ‘01. If you think about it. The invasion continued with the nwo, Scott Steiner and Goldberg. And just like the original invasion, they were all beat like a drum.
i remember the nWo hitting the rock with (i wanna say a) wrench (?) first before the whole ambulance attack, that whole angle as a kid was wild i went to bed that night (school night) like ?!!!!???! lmaooo
a problem was the nwo in wcw at first was made to make it seem like WWE was coming in to take over WCW. When the NWO appeared in WWE it looks like mid 1990's WWE was trying to take over
Just about everything from WCW failed in WWE... why? Because they were buried in an attempt to paint WCW as inferior to WWE. Vince can never get over the reality that WCW from 96-99 was wrestling's peak and most likely always will be.
@@Heathboy420 WWE was really bad before around 99. They had a couple of hot years in 99 and 2000 and then it really plummeted back down a few months into 2001 (just after WM 17).
The true story is WWE and Vince McMahon didn't take any WCW star seriously and basically buried them immediately. The WWE run of the nWo was handicapped from the start. The additions that were made to it nobody wanted.
It failed for one reason and one only. It was started as a WWE invades WCW angle. By the time it got to thet actual WWE, there was nothing to invade, they were "home".
I think Vince pulled the plug, because his 2nd biggest creation the Rock got boo''d and Hollywood Hogan got cheered. He didn't want the same thing to happen to Austin. Vince couldn't have his two biggest creations being outshined by WCW's biggest creation. Austin 316 started a week before the formation of the nWo and nWo beat Austin 316 for the next 83 weeks, the first 3 members were the ones beating WWE in the ratings.
Vinnie Mac could have easily allowed WCW to function separately after he bought it and brought cross over matches into Wrestlemania like champion vs champ Sting vs Stone Cold
At the time, a lot of the top WCW guys had guaranteed contracts with AOL, not with WCW itself. McMahon had the option to take some of those AOL contracts, but didn't want to because they were much higher than what he felt like paying. So, WWE only had access to the lesser stars that had contracts with WCW, and whoever was willing to give-up their guaranteed money and sign a new deal with WWE (Booker T would be the only example of this that I can think of). Back then, Sting had no interest in working for McMahon, so he decided to keep collecting his AOL money until that contract expired.
This should’ve been done like Bullet Club in NJPW, some young guy beating the shit out of Hogan with Nash and Hall and taking leadership and bringing couple new guys that could replace nash and hall down the line.
The problem with the wwe version of nwo was vince can't imagine not having control of his company thus why no invasion angle wwe has done has ever worked. Especially with the fact vince was the one in charge of the writing
Imagine if that new ‘class’ had included Matt Hardy, Christian & Bubba Ray…potential triples TLC with Jeff, Edge & D-Von would have likely drawn huge numbers. The angles beforehand either slowly building up one pair’s split, another spending weeks of mid/post-split tension, maybe Jeff appealing to Matt to get him to come back to the ‘light’ Hell, if they couldn’t make any plans after this point, you’ve had the money match so you could have them win but take out their ‘weak link’, claim he was only ever in the group so that their team wasn’t around to stop the others, giving you a new mini-feud, a possible redemption/reunion story, etc And if they needed a new figurehead after a year off two, well then Jericho had built himself up by then, had the attitude and credibility to run with it, and we know he could have reinvented himself. Mabe tease Trips due to the Kliq links, then have the members all brain him and select Jericho…or maybe imply Y2J had been seeding the ranks for a while with his guys, then stepping up as Nash stepped down
Awesome video. Some things to touch on NWO starting 🔥 Ending was trash WWE run was cool but over the hill , like it was dope seeing em in WWE it just ran its course but them coming in beating up the Rock as a kid was cool especially Smackdown Shut Your Mouth Overall dude there shirts are still selling high in 2023 and will only continue so yeah a bunch of crap storylines , members , but damn was a legacy created so yeah all that NWO is a success shit is gonna be talked about long after all of us 👍
I'll always compare DX to nWo in terms of their revival run: Triple H and Shawn Michaels did it right by reviving DX gradually but inevitably. It got the crowd invested in the group's return. NWO was force-fed by Vince Mcmahon to the crowd. He really should have gotten Razor Ramon and Diesel to return on their own and gradually build back the nWo.
The timing of this upload is curious. The similarities, I'm my mind between WWE NWO and AEW CM Punk 2.0, are pretty funny. I wonder if the outcome will be the same? 🤔
The NWOs failure in WWE just highlighted the fact that the WWE was constantly promoting mostly younger talent that could actually wrestle. Nash, Hogan and Hall were dinosaurs by comparison. These guys were barely performing actual moves. Their stable was outdated. Hogan's name was the only thing getting them as far as they did in WWE. Just my opinion
The nWo in the WWE died when Hogan became babyface, I would have had Triple H join Hall, Nash, and Xpac and reform the Kliq. Have HBK join later in a managerial role, have Hall and Nash win the tag titles and Xpac the IC title, have them lose them, and culminate in an NWO Hall and Nash vs DX HBK and HHH. Xpac would try to backstab DX for nWo, but eventually DX wins, then have Triple H betray HBK and start their rivalry
The 2 monster companies could have EASILY existed separately with crossover matches Champ Hollywood Hogan vs WWE Champ Austin… when Wrestlemania comes around Hulk Hogan comes out in w the red and yellow and kicks out after a stunner and hulks up so Stone Cold gives him the finger after Hogan points YOUUU! and stuns him again but Hogan kicks out again and drops the big leg and Austin moves and then gives Hogan a third stunner for the 123
I think they should of used NWO to reboot the WCW vs WWE storyline but have it done properly. Have NWO cut a promo saying how it wasn’t WCW beating WWE in the ratings every week, it was the NWO. Then could of brought in Goldberg, Steiner etc. over the coming weeks/months and done a WWE vs NWO/WCW match up and maybe even have NWO go over at first. That’s what I would of liked to have seen happened personally.
I wouldn’t say it was as a failure, we got to see the nWo in the WWF / WWE which was exciting at the time, it definitely could have been better, but it served it purpose and it was cool at the time. Hogan VS Rock was awesome, there was some cool entrances and background skits, the nWo were in the video games at the time. It is what it is.
Vince shouldn't have revealed he bought WCW. They could have kept the war going on and brought back the Jim Crocket cup tournament using stars from both federations in dream matches with money being the motive for mismatched stars to team up (Hogan and The Rock vs Hall and Nash). Maybe even had actual NWO wrestlers invade the arena like the NEXUS did.
I'd love for the NWO to come back. Brink Nash back as a mouth piece and elevate some new guys. Stick 'em on Smackdown and have them "invade" Raw over time.
They needed Youngblood with them like you say. Imagine Dudleys and Hogan with Dudleys doing majority of work and then tagging him in. They should have interfered in random “for tv matches” beat up the competitors and then hung and ringside to interfere again later. Build them up to facing Rock and Austin, not day 1!
The promos they cut on that no-way-out show I thought were spectacular they were definitely insincere bless you guys and God bless Vince McMahon I spit my beer out I like what happened at first when they returned Hogan Roxanne was brilliant I wish to Stone Cold Scott Hall think it worked out better but I personally thought it was good at first there was a scene where a young Brock Lesnar was encountered by the NWO although Hogan it left at that point and the righty little Shawn Michaels dancing around in his cowboy hat and cut-off t-shirt that I thought was really good at first
I think Vince never had intention of showcasing the nWo. He wanted just to kill it. WWE always fuxked up with Hall. They let Austin pour beer on him. Like, come on. Others have talked about it. Secondly, there wasn't a plan for Hogan to go face before Mania like you suggested. This literally happened during the match with The Rock. That's when they decided to flip Hogan. But that was also a ridiculous thing. But yes, I'm 100% sure Vince did it all on purpose.
If I had to guess, this may have been a good way for Vince to figure out if these guys are real moneymakers had to provide true value to the company, or a way to bury former employees who came back.
The nWo is what was basically kicking Vince & WWF ass at the time of the Monday night war to think he was gonna bring them back & show the faction in any other light then he did is pretty delusional if you ask me
Writing that NWO logo on Vince's chair backwards to read it clearly in a mirror was clever... Unless Vince really wanted to bring in the One Warrior Nation instead. 😆🤷♂️
I think it was just a case of bad luck. It was going well, but Hogan got a hero’s welcome and turned face, Nash got injured, Hall was dealing with his issues(he got through it eventually), and the whole thing just sputtered out.
👍
I wouldn’t say they failed. They had their nostalgia run and ended it before it dragged out.
It was never gonna be like it was in WCW. Which is Why DX had a Bigger reaction then NWO when Shawn and Hunter Reformed DX . Because DX was Vince's Creation and NWO was some other Companies Creation
Honestly, it wouldn't have been that big an issue if they were treated like an unstoppable force from day one. Have the old nWo members get back with the Black and White, have new blood enter the stable and have one of the new guys (maybe Undertaker, it would have fit his Big Evil makeover and his hatred for Ric Flair) become the new leader after savagely beating the crap out of Hogan, and then take it from there.
My first live wrestling event was No Way Out in Milwaukee with the NWO. The hype was amazing, the crowd was totally into it, and the possibilities seemed endless. Shame how it turned out, but i was so glad to be there at the start.
That was the height of the WWE roster ever imo.
Peak roster ..... I was 10 years old ..... man I wish we could go back in time
@@anthonyselby6436 As a 10 year old, did you know it was peak? What did the NWO showing up mean to you?
@@anthonyselby6436I definitely recommend watching them at there prime in WCW dude. Especially the earlier days.
The 1996 original invasion was unbelievable. When Hall jumped that guard rail the crowd was chanting Razor.
The peak was when it was The Rock, Austin, HHH, Taker, and Mankind. Unfortunately by the time NWO were in WWE they were Over-the-Hill in my opinion. It could've been better if they had NWO vs DX
Both hall and Nash maintained through the years that hall was completely sober for the 1st month until they learned that Vince decided to “bury” the NWO at wrestlemania. Vince also never understood that part of the magic of the NWO was that hall and Nash were “cool heels” and often cheered but hogan was always booed in wcw, this would’ve worked in wwf if hall and Nash were booed but hogan being cheered a lot but they decided that hogan couldn’t work as a heel or cheered and turned him a month in.
I've said it for over 20 years. Most fans (myself included) didn't see it as the NWO coming in to the WWF. It was Razor, Diesel, and Hulk Hogan coming home.
This. They just happened to be wearing matching T-shirts.
Very true.
That's kind of what I thought too back then.
You are not going to take over, even via just storyline, a company from the ego maniac Vince McMahon. Stone Cold Steve Austin had a program with Vince and so did DX but that put McMahon over also. Just no way the NWO was going to take over in the manner they did in Atlanta. The key to all that was WCW took all the momentum that the WWF/WWE had built up over Hulkamania all those years and capitalized in turning Hogan into a shocking heel. Vince McMahon never had that opportunity. Nothing was ever like two things, two different things for Hogan, when he turned face in the 80s into Hulkamania, which helped launch Wrestlemania, and when he turned heel in WCW. Not even turning face again back in WCW or even back in WWE. Like the NWO, once an idea is spent, even a good one, the second, third, etc. time around isn't as good. Other things were in WCW both Hall and Nash and even Hogan were still relatively young men in their primes. They also were not serious risk or even bump takers in the ring and often did promos only. When they returned later to WWE their bodies began to fail. Hall also did not have the leverage he had in WCW. Vince was not going to put up with the BS WCW or Bischoff did. Hogan never liked being second fiddle to anyone. He agreed to do it for the Rock, Brock Lesnar, in that old Andre passing the torch angle stuff. One thing many noticed though was Hogan putting someone else over had the hidden agenda of also putting himself over in a subtle yet very effective way. Wrestling today functions like a TV Series that enjoyed years, even decades, of success, but like ALL shows, the popularity and effectiveness of the entertainment fades and eventually the show is canceled and it's run is over. You then still enjoy reruns in syndication. Like a favorite song you tire of. Nostalgia still feels good at times but not like the original first time and certainly not as long. Just gets old and then older. Wrestling as a form of suspense, drama, entertainment is old and I don't see anything that is going to change that without major adjustments in how and what is being presented. Folks, that just isn't possible because it's all been done already. The unknown, the secrets, the tricks, have all been compromised. What kind of show would it be if a magician showed you how they did all their magic tricks. Would you then want to see it again?
Idk about that.. the gap of time that Nash and hall where in WCW makes it so tons of fans never even knew them a Razor n Diesel. Not saying some people didn’t feel this way but idk about the majority. (Just my opinion)
Imagine if the nWo had come in as a platform for all of those wrestlers alienated by the invasion storyline.
Start it out with just Hogan and Hall and Nash, but slowly build it into a "home" for all of the wrestlers that came over in the invasion. It essentially becomes the Invasion V2, But with the recognizable stars of the nWo at the forefront. You keep this going up until the moment Goldberg barrels into the WWE, The storyline becomes the nWo trying to recruit him, and Goldberg refusing due to their history. Goldberg presents himself as a hero, we get our real invasion storyline, or at least some sort of attempt at making good on it, we get a good story to build up Goldberg more than what he got. It just seems like there were a lot of opportunities missed here.
That wouldn't have worked either. Goldberg got what he got because no one really liked him anyways. He wasn't safe to work with and only had a few moves. He was never going to be over the top WWF guys.
Not saying nWo wouldve worked but Goldberg beat The Rock at Backlash. He wasnt safe so no he couldnt be top dog for long . Back to nWo they didnt really work for wwf because they were essentially wwf taking over wcw in wcw .they couldve spun it better but Coming back vince done away with them by letting The biggest in the Game At the Time Take out Hogan at The Blue Wrestlemania . Essentially boasting in the defeat of WcW culture .
The invasion angle should've been spearheaded by the nwo in the first place. Have it be revealed who's in charge after the Austin defection and bam. The nwo drove wcw out of business and now they're here for wwf and macmahon can't stop them either
I see what you're getting at and you're kind of right, but we all know that Invasion story was hard to promote without Lex Luger and Sting
With OSW's Warrior in WCW arc still so fresh in my mind, I love that the conclusion of this video is that we didn't see enough "Wakka wa hey hey" bollocks. It was frustrating at times, but when it was done right it was some world class heeling.
Rock House ("Wakka wa hey hey" lol) is legendary
I often always wonder what the plan was with the nwo. It seemed like they had no intentions of turning Hogan face until they saw the popularity of hogan.. then it looked like it was teased to be a "nwo" branded kliq reunion.. so many possibilities
That was actually the original plan. Plan was going to combine the nWo AND DX since both groups were pretty much the Kliq sans Hogan.
But Hall had substance issues and was fired and Nash got hurt. Which left HHH, Michaels, and xPac. And since all three agreed that wasn't going to work as well as if Nash and Hall were with them, they just went with the HHH vs Michaels feud with xPac letting his contract run out and going to TNA Wrestling.
Biggest thing I remember about the big nWo return was that the first time these 3 mega stars appeared live on WWE tv in YEARS was on an episode of Sunday Night Heat before the No Way Out PPV. The last thing on Jeat was the three of them standing backstage and starting their walk to the ring talking smack. I get the big "whats gonna happen..buy the PPV NOW! DONTCHA DARE MISS IT" (points if you get that) but it alwys struck me odd that was the first live appearance.
Hall was the coolest mofo ever 😢
Exactly. A talent who's appeal transcended wrestling.
@@TheJudgeofLevelstmask non wrestling fans who Scott hall is, they won't know
Don’t say that the LA Knight fans will have a stroke
*when he wasn't drinking himself stupid.
... ... hey, yo.
Incredible video, Jack! You do such an incredible job with this series. Thanks to Cultaholic for turning out such great content!
Great video. The invasion storyline not being successful surprised me. My alternative viewpoint - if you look at the historical RAW ratings, then it shows that peak popularity was during the late 90s-2000. What followed was a gradual long-term decline in ratings. So given how the invasion storyline coincided with the turning point from all-time high popularity to decline, it may not be fair to say it was a dissapointment, but rather as a sign of the times. As it happens I actually stopped regulary following pro wrestling in the early 2000s. Those who still follow it may still consider it to be popular, but from a historical perspective it is only a small fraction of what it was during its peak that occurred over 20 years ago.
The worst thing WWE did was run the invasion story line a year or so before the big WCW stars joined. Had they waited and not pre announced anything I can imagine the pop if the nWo run in unannounced on a big match or if Goldberg came out and speared the Rock etc.
Agreed. Also making them all heels was worse.
The worst mistake wwe did was buying wcw that's when I stopped watching wrestling.
@terrimitchell5236 buying it wasn't the problem. What Vince did with it was. Shane wanted to keep it going and broadcast it online. In 2001 that was forward thinking.
Wasn’t possible, since many wrestlers needed the work
They had to do something
Genuinely never thought about it being written backwards due to how it appeared on the mirror haha
Personally I think it’s down to the booking, wwe didn’t capitalise on what they had, sure injuries plagued them but they could have easily been top heels in the wwf
It also didn't help that no one would boo hulk hogan in 2002
@@benpezzot8805true but what’s wrong with cheering heels?
Yea Vinnie Mac ruined it by not allowing them to run roughshod like they should have
The WWE used a good amount of WCW footage for the 2002 Austin DVD and some for the Triple H DVD that came out around that time.
I don't recall a ton of wcw footage in HHH'S dvd.
Well produced video and I feel like your video clarifies what I've felt about WWF/WWE since after 1998; From 1995 - 1998, WWF had good momentum with wrestlers like:
British Bulldog
Vader
Goldust
Mr. Perfect
Marc Mero
Owen Hart
Brian Pillman
Farooq
Road Warriors
Jeff Jarret
Godfather (Also known as Kama and Papa Shango)
Savio Vega
Roddy Piper
The Patriot
Ahmed Johnson
Kane
Psycho Sid
Shamrock
The return of The Ultimate Warrior
These people helped build up the so called "Attitude Era" and by the time the "Attitude Era" took off to greater heights, barely any of these people were on the main event scene, and some just left the show completely; And this truly started the downfall of WWF/WWE
I love these long form videos you do! Please do more!
I also remembered how Shawn Michaels was trying to convince Triple H to join the group, then they got disbanded which then turned the story into, will Triple H join Raw or Smackdown, which led to the DX tease, heel turn and an all time great HBK performance
Hbk threatened him, didn't try to convince him.
Omg. You dont know how many people ive talked to that never realized the No Way Out-NWO thing.
So many people just looked past until later years and said "wait a min..."
Not gonna lie it was a pretty cool way of bringing them in. Cheesy? Cringy? Yeah but still pretty smart.
It should’ve definitely been a surprise though
Not the true story according to Hall and Nash which begs question why are you doing this topic if you're not gonna hear Hall & Nash POV in interviews they've done? Hall was taking anti- alcohol medicine called Antabuse which makes you violently ill if you come into contact with alcohol because he wanted the nWo angle to be a success. In Hall's words he was being a "good boy". Hall also got sick when Austin poured beer on him during kidnapping angle but I digress. Hall only started drink the day before WM X8 when McMahon had a meeting with 3 nWo members. Vince changed the finish they'd agreed to 5 months earlier by having Austin go over Hall instead of vice versa. Hall's was furious, & according to Nash this is what caused Hall to go from sober to not being sober. Hall said they called him & asked him to return and now they didn't want to do BUSINESS. They instead are killing the nWo after only 5 weeks by having face beat them 2 on 1 cleanly, & then making Hogan turn heel, & then having Hogan & Rock beat up Outsiders. Hall said to Nash & Hogan after the meeting with Vince "i'll meet you at the bar, bye". You also didn't bring up ratings, merch sales, gate receipts, attendance... which went up with nWo presence. One publication IIRC Meltzer said merch sales was on par with peak of Attitude Era bc of nWo t-shirt sales,
The invasion angle might have worked if they had booked the alliance as a legitimate threat. Instead it was mostly squash matches with the WWE talent being supermen who easily defeated their opponents. They even made it appear that all 3 NWO members were terrified of Stone Cold.
It wasn’t even so much that as the WCW guys being second rung to Sting and Scott Steiner
This was fantastic Jack!! I’m gonna watch it again!!
nWo in WWE felt like Vince couldn’t let them succeed because they weren’t his invention. Part of me wishes he just made them all enter as their old WWE characters randomly at a Royal Rumble.
I actually agree with you buddy!!! I think he made Scott Hall and Nash and Hogan pay for leaving years before!!!
I gotta say Hulk Hogan being revealed az the 3rd member of the nWo had to be a way bigger shock than Vince being revealed az the higher power in the ministry of darkness.
That's one thing you don't hear about much, and that's how lame that pay off was. That was during the time when WWF was trying anything to match nWo with so many different factions.
And yet one stood the test of time as a fantastic meme
It would of been better if they had of did an NWO vs DX vs WWE
I just watched just about every ‘true story’ between yesterday and today. So when I saw this, I was very confused.
My favorite part about these videos is that intro music.
These videos trash
I’d love to the a new nWo brought back some day. It would need the right moment and story, and most importantly the right wresters. It could work. I’d love to here that theme song again on Raw
They brought back lwo, they could make nwo work
@@Jameshellen12with the way WWE has booked factions I doubt it
Unless having some direct control by higher ups, like Vince or Triple H, most don’t last long with going into the breaking up phase
Judgement Day is proof
The Bloodline was the most recent exception but is helped because they WANT Roman to get over
And even then we’ve had plenty of Heel factions that has glaring issues with the most prominent being over booking and near invincible status
The Bloodline with Roman’s ridiculously long entrances and never losing with cheap wins continually with no face ever thinking to have allies to remove the Usos, Solo, or Paul
Evolution was a older version because of Triple H’s constant grasp on the Heavyweight title and main event with every lose of the title going RIGHT back to him very quickly
Consistently amazing documentaries. Keep it up pls
Since you mentioned the colorless logo, I just realized my 3 favorite wrestling shirts of 90s and those same 3 are 3 of my 4 favorite all time adding in the bullet club. But the 3 I am speaing of are the nWo, Austin 3:16, and DX black and white only seems to make a classic wrestling shirt
I thought the nWo was going strong in WWE until Hogan left the group.
Hogan knew the gimmick was doomed by the office.
The problem really was, Vince brought them in, because they were still popular enough to make it work, but he didn't use them right!!!!
The NWO beating the crap outta of the Rock was the greatest beating I’ve ever seen. Should have been on Worldstar! I’m surprised the Rock survived the truck ramming.
Vince booking WCW stars like shit…what a surprise
The invasion didn’t end at survivor series ‘01. If you think about it. The invasion continued with the nwo, Scott Steiner and Goldberg. And just like the original invasion, they were all beat like a drum.
Triple H booked himself to beat them all.
nWo Sean O’Haire would’ve been awesome
20 min run time
Jack on voiceover
Dis gon b good 👍
This was extremely well done!
The video or the return of the nWo?
@@daniel69 Oh, the video. The return was awful lol.
I never knew which one was Hall and which one was Nash. I just knew Razor Ramon and Diesel.
i remember the nWo hitting the rock with (i wanna say a) wrench (?) first before the whole ambulance attack, that whole angle as a kid was wild i went to bed that night (school night) like ?!!!!???! lmaooo
a problem was the nwo in wcw at first was made to make it seem like WWE was coming in to take over WCW. When the NWO appeared in WWE it looks like mid 1990's WWE was trying to take over
Just about everything from WCW failed in WWE... why? Because they were buried in an attempt to paint WCW as inferior to WWE. Vince can never get over the reality that WCW from 96-99 was wrestling's peak and most likely always will be.
Definitely. Wrestling will never be as hot as it was during that period
Wwf was better than wcw during that time… it just took a lot of fans a lot of time to realize that
@@Heathboy420 not during 96
Great observation. I'd say from 96-98...WCW was king. From 98-2003 WWE was at their peak.
@@Heathboy420 WWE was really bad before around 99. They had a couple of hot years in 99 and 2000 and then it really plummeted back down a few months into 2001 (just after WM 17).
The nWo was so watered down in WWE. It was just lame
Super glad y’all don’t let that one guy do videos that much anymore
The true story is WWE and Vince McMahon didn't take any WCW star seriously and basically buried them immediately. The WWE run of the nWo was handicapped from the start. The additions that were made to it nobody wanted.
“ I promise I won’t hit you with any more trucks”
- Hollywood Hogan
It failed for one reason and one only. It was started as a WWE invades WCW angle. By the time it got to thet actual WWE, there was nothing to invade, they were "home".
I think Vince pulled the plug, because his 2nd biggest creation the Rock got boo''d and Hollywood Hogan got cheered. He didn't want the same thing to happen to Austin. Vince couldn't have his two biggest creations being outshined by WCW's biggest creation. Austin 316 started a week before the formation of the nWo and nWo beat Austin 316 for the next 83 weeks, the first 3 members were the ones beating WWE in the ratings.
Vinnie Mac could have easily allowed WCW to function separately after he bought it and brought cross over matches into Wrestlemania like champion vs champ Sting vs Stone Cold
At the time, a lot of the top WCW guys had guaranteed contracts with AOL, not with WCW itself. McMahon had the option to take some of those AOL contracts, but didn't want to because they were much higher than what he felt like paying. So, WWE only had access to the lesser stars that had contracts with WCW, and whoever was willing to give-up their guaranteed money and sign a new deal with WWE (Booker T would be the only example of this that I can think of). Back then, Sting had no interest in working for McMahon, so he decided to keep collecting his AOL money until that contract expired.
This should’ve been done like Bullet Club in NJPW, some young guy beating the shit out of Hogan with Nash and Hall and taking leadership and bringing couple new guys that could replace nash and hall down the line.
You forgot they were recruiting HHH at the end and basically told him you are in or you are against us.
The problem with the wwe version of nwo was vince can't imagine not having control of his company thus why no invasion angle wwe has done has ever worked. Especially with the fact vince was the one in charge of the writing
They had such WWE potential
They could have been WCW big in WWE
But vince buries every good thing he doesn't create
NWO 4 Life 😎🤘
Imagine if that new ‘class’ had included Matt Hardy, Christian & Bubba Ray…potential triples TLC with Jeff, Edge & D-Von would have likely drawn huge numbers. The angles beforehand either slowly building up one pair’s split, another spending weeks of mid/post-split tension, maybe Jeff appealing to Matt to get him to come back to the ‘light’
Hell, if they couldn’t make any plans after this point, you’ve had the money match so you could have them win but take out their ‘weak link’, claim he was only ever in the group so that their team wasn’t around to stop the others, giving you a new mini-feud, a possible redemption/reunion story, etc
And if they needed a new figurehead after a year off two, well then Jericho had built himself up by then, had the attitude and credibility to run with it, and we know he could have reinvented himself. Mabe tease Trips due to the Kliq links, then have the members all brain him and select Jericho…or maybe imply Y2J had been seeding the ranks for a while with his guys, then stepping up as Nash stepped down
As a kid I really thought they were going to terrorize wwe when Vince brought them in.
At least they tried to make it work I will give them that
The perfect way to book the WWE NWO would of been Night one Nexus and first year of the shield.
I remember watching this run and it was amazing to see the NWO in wwe
Awesome video.
Some things to touch on
NWO starting 🔥
Ending was trash
WWE run was cool but over the hill , like it was dope seeing em in WWE it just ran its course but them coming in beating up the Rock as a kid was cool especially Smackdown Shut Your Mouth
Overall dude there shirts are still selling high in 2023 and will only continue so yeah a bunch of crap storylines , members , but damn was a legacy created so yeah all that NWO is a success shit is gonna be talked about long after all of us 👍
I'll always compare DX to nWo in terms of their revival run: Triple H and Shawn Michaels did it right by reviving DX gradually but inevitably. It got the crowd invested in the group's return. NWO was force-fed by Vince Mcmahon to the crowd. He really should have gotten Razor Ramon and Diesel to return on their own and gradually build back the nWo.
The timing of this upload is curious.
The similarities, I'm my mind between WWE NWO and AEW CM Punk 2.0, are pretty funny.
I wonder if the outcome will be the same? 🤔
The NWOs failure in WWE just highlighted the fact that the WWE was constantly promoting mostly younger talent that could actually wrestle.
Nash, Hogan and Hall were dinosaurs by comparison.
These guys were barely performing actual moves. Their stable was outdated. Hogan's name was the only thing getting them as far as they did in WWE.
Just my opinion
Overated
I actually liked NWO’s entire run! Both in WCW & WWE! Hall & Hogan both got to Wrestlemania and feuded with The Rock & Stone Cold 🤷🏽♂️
The nWo in the WWE died when Hogan became babyface, I would have had Triple H join Hall, Nash, and Xpac and reform the Kliq. Have HBK join later in a managerial role, have Hall and Nash win the tag titles and Xpac the IC title, have them lose them, and culminate in an NWO Hall and Nash vs DX HBK and HHH. Xpac would try to backstab DX for nWo, but eventually DX wins, then have Triple H betray HBK and start their rivalry
The 2 monster companies could have EASILY existed separately with crossover matches Champ Hollywood Hogan vs WWE Champ Austin… when Wrestlemania comes around Hulk Hogan comes out in w the red and yellow and kicks out after a stunner and hulks up so Stone Cold gives him the finger after Hogan points YOUUU! and stuns him again but Hogan kicks out again and drops the big leg and Austin moves and then gives Hogan a third stunner for the 123
Adding HBK to the NWO, and having him live off the cloat he was never part of was a slap in the face to Hulk, Nash and Hall.
It's like having Hall and Nash look like complete punching bags for Austin was a bad idea leading up to Mania 18...
Excellent breakdown. Keep it rolling
The invasion was amazing
I think they should of used NWO to reboot the WCW vs WWE storyline but have it done properly. Have NWO cut a promo saying how it wasn’t WCW beating WWE in the ratings every week, it was the NWO. Then could of brought in Goldberg, Steiner etc. over the coming weeks/months and done a WWE vs NWO/WCW match up and maybe even have NWO go over at first. That’s what I would of liked to have seen happened personally.
Great video, the background music is amazing. Anyone know the title?
The fact that NWO vs.DX never happened at the height of everything was what the fans wanted and never got is apart of the falloff of them also.
I wouldn’t say it was as a failure, we got to see the nWo in the WWF / WWE which was exciting at the time, it definitely could have been better, but it served it purpose and it was cool at the time. Hogan VS Rock was awesome, there was some cool entrances and background skits, the nWo were in the video games at the time. It is what it is.
Vince shouldn't have revealed he bought WCW. They could have kept the war going on and brought back the Jim Crocket cup tournament using stars from both federations in dream matches with money being the motive for mismatched stars to team up (Hogan and The Rock vs Hall and Nash). Maybe even had actual NWO wrestlers invade the arena like the NEXUS did.
It definitely wasn’t a failed run. It was entertaining to watch.
Was lame
Well done Jack 👍
Them coming in wanting a pic with the Rock was stupid skit
I'd love for the NWO to come back. Brink Nash back as a mouth piece and elevate some new guys. Stick 'em on Smackdown and have them "invade" Raw over time.
I dunno I loved the Austin heel turn. Some of his best work! Crybaby n vicious at the same time 😆🤣
Hack the Movies channel has the same intro with the VHS going into the Machine.
That Rock thing wasn't meant to happen or they didn't know it was going to? And Big Sexy wanted to hit him and they fell out over it too
The match should have been Austin vs Hogan. WWEs two greatest superstars ever.
Austin hated hogan at the time and felt the match would've looked even worse than what he did with the Rock.
@@countquackula8539 I know why the match didnt happen. Im just saying that's the match that should have happened.
The Original NWO was a Poisonous venom filled monster Cobra!
wwe's nwo remake version was just a well......a sundried up.. Belt.
They needed Youngblood with them like you say. Imagine Dudleys and Hogan with Dudleys doing majority of work and then tagging him in. They should have interfered in random “for tv matches” beat up the competitors and then hung and ringside to interfere again later. Build them up to facing Rock and Austin, not day 1!
Jack the jobber keeping the heart of RUclips wrestling content alive Yes!
The promos they cut on that no-way-out show I thought were spectacular they were definitely insincere bless you guys and God bless Vince McMahon I spit my beer out I like what happened at first when they returned Hogan Roxanne was brilliant I wish to Stone Cold Scott Hall think it worked out better but I personally thought it was good at first there was a scene where a young Brock Lesnar was encountered by the NWO although Hogan it left at that point and the righty little Shawn Michaels dancing around in his cowboy hat and cut-off t-shirt that I thought was really good at first
I think Vince never had intention of showcasing the nWo. He wanted just to kill it.
WWE always fuxked up with Hall. They let Austin pour beer on him. Like, come on. Others have talked about it.
Secondly, there wasn't a plan for Hogan to go face before Mania like you suggested. This literally happened during the match with The Rock. That's when they decided to flip Hogan. But that was also a ridiculous thing.
But yes, I'm 100% sure Vince did it all on purpose.
11:18 is why Scott Hall is the man
I remember that no way out ppv I quit watching around this time I was excited to see them back in a WWF but it wasn’t the same.
Let me save you 19 minutes…
Vince wanted to bury the nWo… and did. The end.
They said hhh was supposed to join with Shawn and nash but someone got hurt either him or Nash and it fell through. Was a damn shame.
H wasn't joining.
They treated Austin like he was number two, it should of been Austin/hogan but the styles would’ve clashed maybe
This.
If I had to guess, this may have been a good way for Vince to figure out if these guys are real moneymakers had to provide true value to the company, or a way to bury former employees who came back.
The WWE messed up their run, because WWE fans didn’t want the nWo, they wanted Real American Hulk Hogan, Diesel, and Razor Ramon.
*WWE could fuck up a cup of coffee...*
Damn it took 28 days?! It takes me a month to get paid. 😂
Vince fucked up by not making everyone's dream matches NWO vs DX, stone colde vs Goldberg, undertaker vs sting ,ECT . Plenty potential wasted
The real reason was Vince was so jealous of this creation that he wanted' to ruin their legacy
Vinnie Mac wasn't going to let them taste success. Much like Sting and Scott Steiner. Those I've mentioned were WCW creations not WWE.
Should of been Hulk Vs Austin or Austin Vs Kevin and Scott
The nWo is what was basically kicking Vince & WWF ass at the time of the Monday night war to think he was gonna bring them back & show the faction in any other light then he did is pretty delusional if you ask me