Was This Wrestler A Member Of The New World Order?
- by Joey Haverford
- – on
- in Sports
The New World Order is still regarded as the most important faction in wrestling history. Fans were stunned when Hulk Hogan turned heel after years of being the beloved fan favorite to join Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in forming the group. The goal of the three men was to lead a hostile takeover over WCW with their own entity known as the nWo. Hogan, Nash and Hall were the perfect three to lead this as many fans assumed the former WWE stars were working for WWE in creating the first ever WCW vs. WWE invasion. This wasn’t the case but it blurred the lines of reality.
However, one big problem would hurt the future of the nWo and WCW. Too many wrestlers joined the evil faction leading to overexposure. It was one thing for the credible top names to join and give it credibility. They started to add irrelevant wrestlers and guys that just wanted to become a part of the cool faction. WCW would water down their best storyline.
There have been many variations of the New World Order through the years. We will look at twenty-five wrestling names and you will have to guess if they were a part of the faction. The nWo, nWo Hollywood, nWo Wolfpac, nWo elite, nWo B-team, nWo 2000 and WWE’s nWo all count. Test your memory and figure out if these names ever were a part of the nWo at any point.
Curt Hennig
Curt Hennig is remembered most for his time in WWE as Mr. Perfect. Everything he did in the ring truly looked perfect thanks to athleticism and wrestling brilliance that was second to none. Hennig wrestled under his real name in WCW during the Monday Night Wars. The career of Hennig took a bit of a hit in WCW with less memorable moments than his WWE time. Can you remember if Hennig was ever a member of the New World Order in his career?
Sting
Sting is one of the few wrestlers to spend his entire time during the Monday Night Wars in WCW. The majority of wrestlers went back and forth between WCW and WWE, but Sting always remained loyal to his wrestling home. Sting was arguably the greatest foe of the New World Order during their peak years. As the one man with the ability to take down Hulk Hogan, Sting would frequently battle the faction by coming down from the rafters with a baseball bat. Did he ever join the group he spent so much time hating?
Diamond Dallas Page
The path to the top of WCW for Diamond Dallas Page showed just how far hard work could get you. DDP was nearing 40 when he started his WCW career with the odds being he would be a lower card worker for a few years before calling it quits. Instead, he became a fan favorite and the company pushed him to the top of the card because of it. The New World Order had so many members during their variations incarnations in WCW. Was DDP one of them?
Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase had a tremendous in-ring career in WWE as one of the most successful heels. Fans truly hated DiBiase for the arrogance he showed as the Million Dollar Man villain. An injury would force DiBiase to retire from the ring sooner than he would have hoped for. WWE continued to use him in a new role as a manager in hopes of his promos getting talent over. WCW would sign him away from WWE during the Monday Night Wars in an attempt to bring in more familiar faces. Did DiBiase join the New World Order?
Meng
The real life tough persona of Meng after the shows is what he is remembered for. Meng was the last man anyone would ever want to get into a real fight with. Many people starting issues with him and other wrestlers at the bar following shows found that out the hard way. WCW employed Meng for many years in the 90s and he typically provided solid entertainment as a lower mid-carder. Did the New World Order ever induct the intimidating star in their faction?
Masahiro Chono
One of the cooler ideas Eric Bischoff had when running WCW was to bring in stars from all over the world. The Mexican stars like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio Jr. and Psychosis made a bigger impact, but there were performers from other countries as well. WCW had a strong relationship with New Japan leading to numerous Japanese stars coming over. Masahiro Chono was arguably the most successful of them having a strong NJPW career and memorable WCW matches. Was he ever in the New World Order?
Disco Inferno
The issue of lackluster performers with zero impact joining the New World Order truly killed them. You can’t mention lackluster WCW wrestlers that made zero impact without referencing Disco Inferno. The comedic act was best served humorously losing to the better wrestlers and being made a fool out of. Disco did remain employed throughout the entire Monday Night Wars era to beat the odds. There’s no possible way he should have joined the nWo. Did the group fall that low?
Booker T
Booker T is absolutely a WCW legend. There are only a handful of wrestlers that can even match the legacy Booker created in WCW. The two chapters of Booker’s WCW career featured him thriving as a tag team wrestler with Stevie Ray in Harlem Heat and then killing it once again as a singles star. WWE also managed to love Booker’s work enough to use him for many years. Did Booker ever find his way in the New World Order throughout his long career?
Stevie Ray
The brother of Booker T also had a great career in WCW. Stevie Ray’s success mostly came from tagging with Booker in Harlem Heat for many years. The brothers won a total of ten WCW Tag Team Championships together. If Ray had it his way, Harlem Heat would have lasted forever. Stevie could not get over on his own as a singles star like Booker did. WCW struggled to find the right role for him. Did they place him in the New World Order out of desperation?
Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero was one of the most talented wrestlers in WCW that would never get a big push. WCW typically only wanted the veterans in the upper card and it ended up screwing them in the long. WWE signed all the young talent such as Eddie to become future stars for them. You’d think Guerrero would have been a perfect fit for the New World Order with his great heel personality and the fact that WCW needed to find something for him. Did they make it happen?
Brian Adams
Brian Adams is most remembered for his WWE career as Crush. From his time in the Demolition team to his singles run as a heel, the best moments of his wrestling life came in WWE. The money offered by WCW in 1998 would cause him to jump ship, but it ended up being a terrible decision. Adams failed to make an impact and many fans actually forget he was even in WCW. Did the New World Order ever induct him into the faction?
Bryan Clark
The tag team partner of Brian Adams not only shared the same first name but they had similar career paths. Bryan Clark worked in WWE under the name of Adam Bomb before jumping ship to WCW with the new name of Wrath. Clark possessed the look top promotions wanted at the time, but he failed to truly get over in a way that warranted a bigger push. The team of Clark and Adams formed Kronik during the final year of WCW. Did Clark ever join the New World order before then?
Torrie Wilson
Torrie Wilson joining WCW ended up being the best decision of her life. The gorgeous bombshell clearly stood out and saw her value in wrestling rise when WCW purchased WWE. Wilson originally signed with WCW thanks to Kevin Nash discovering and thinking she could become a big star. Torrie worked with many top names in various storylines during the final two years in WCW. Did she ever join her recruiter Nash by becoming a member of the New World Order?
Karl Malone
WCW worked with multiple celebrities throughout the 90s. Karl Malone joined the company for a few weeks and wrestled a match. It was a great get for WCW as Malone was one of the biggest sports stars in the world leading the Utah Jazz to two straight NBA Finals. Malone actually did a good job wrestling. Most celebrities struggle to understand wrestling or take it seriously. Malone did both to leave a memorable performance. Did Malone’s short stint in WCW land him in the New World Order?
Dennis Rodman
Another NBA superstar to enter the WCW ring was the controversial Dennis Rodman. The reputation of Rodman as an unpredictable personality on the court and in real life made him a perfect addition to a wrestling show. Rodman actually skipped practice for NBA Finals games to appear on Monday Nitro. The star power and controversy of Rodman gave WCW great mainstream press coverage leading up to his multiple matches. Would Rodman ever join the New World Order during his illustrious wrestling career?
Shawn Michaels
The “too sweet” embracing between members of the New World Order became very popular and wrestlers still do it today in the Bullet Club. This sign actually was created in wrestling back in WWE during the early 90s by the members of the Kliq backstage. Shawn Michaels did it with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall all the time. They were real life best friends that accidentally started something special that Nash and Hall would bring to the New World Order. Did Michaels ever join his buddies in the faction?
Triple H
Triple H was another close friend of Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. They all loved creating controversy together and didn’t give a damn about alienating the rest of the roster. Many would argue that Triple H at his peak was cooler than Michaels, Nash and Hall. Through the various incarnations of the New World Order through WCW to WWE, Triple H always seemed like he would be the perfect member of the group. Would the nWo ever get the honor of having Triple H in their stable?
Ric Flair
Most fans would name Ric Flair as the face of WCW looking back at the legacy of the company. Flair delivered classic after classic in WCW and always was the face of the company to the die-hard fan. The New World Order had one of their best stable feuds in a rivalry with Flair’s the Four Horsemen. Flair turned on many of his friends on screen through his career. Did Flair ever turn on the Four Horsemen to join the nWo?
Lex Luger
Another top WCW star that left behind a many great moments for the company was Lex Luger. The muscle head flopped horrendously in WWE when Vince McMahon wanted to make him the face of the company. Luger went back to WCW and showed he just fit in better there. WCW made Luger a red hot face and a world champion. Luger often feuded with the members of the New World Order during WCW’s best days, but would he ever jump ship?
Bret Hart
The end of Bret Hart’s WWE career created massive headlines with the Montreal Screwjob. Everyone assumed WCW would do something amazing with the superstar joining them after one of the biggest stories in wrestling history. Instead, WCW used him poorly with little thought behind his character. Hart still rants today about how much he hated his time in WCW, especially working with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. Did Hogan and Bischoff ever make Bret join them in the New World Order?
Mike Awesome
As the relative of Hulk Hogan, Mike Awesome definitely had a good connection and relationship with a major name when he joined WCW. Hogan used his power in the past to help friends get jobs and pushes. Brutus Beefcake, the Nasty Boys and many others all benefited from it. Awesome ditched ECW while being the world champion because he felt he would have a strong career in WCW. Hogan was the reason his nephew Awesome, got hired by WCW, but would he get Mike in the New World Order?
Scott Steiner
A memorable feud involving the New World Order during their very early days featured Rick and Scott Steiner battling with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash for the WCW Tag Team Championship. The Steiner Brothers did a great job representing WCW and it led to amazing battles. Scott definitely had more potential as a singles star than his brother. WCW eventually pushed him as a huge heel during their final years. Would Big Poppa Pump ever turn his back on WCW and align with his enemies?
Billy Kidman
Billy Kidman is a highly underrated wrestler from the WCW days. The look, talent and potential of Kidman could have led to a huge push. Kidman only had one major run in a feud with Hulk Hogan during the final year of WCW. Considering the abundance of wrestlers and lack of talent in the New World Order, Kidman could have been a great fit. The girlfriend of Kidman actually joined the group at one point. Did Billy ever join her in the nWo?
Virgil
Virgil is remembered fondly today for being a humorous footnote in wrestling. Most recall his time as Ted DiBiase’s manservant before they broke out. WWE tried to get him over as a singles star by defeating his former boss. Fans never took him seriously and his career went downhill. WCW did pick him up and allowed him to earn a paycheck in exchange for very little work on his behalf. Can you remember if Virgil actually got the dream gig of joining the New World Order?
Goldberg
Goldberg found great success in WCW by getting a very rare push for an unproven young guy. WCW gave him the monster push of being undefeated for over a year. Goldberg dominated the roster to become the most popular face. Like any other star, the momentum of Goldberg reached an end. WCW eventually decided the time was right to turn him heel in the most dastardly of ways. Did the Goldberg heel turn see him join the villainous New World Order?