For years, fans have debated the origins of the New World Order’s (NWO) iconic swagger—but now, WWE legend X-Pac has finally set the record straight. In a recent interview on No-Contest Wrestling with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson, the two-time Hall of Famer revealed that the NWO took heavy inspiration from Ice Cube and Westside Connection during their rise in the Monday Night Wars.

“We stole that sh*t from Westside Connection,” X-Pac admitted. “Bow down when we come to your town—all that sh*t. The attitude, everything, we jacked it.”

During the late ‘90s, both the NWO and Westside Connection embodied an unapologetic, rebellious energy that resonated with fans.

Whether it was Kevin Nash rocking FUBU, Scott Hall throwing up the “Too Sweet,” or the group’s overall streetwise bravado, their presentation mirrored the defiant confidence that Westside Connection brought to hip-hop.

Jackson Jr., whose father Ice Cube founded Westside Connection, immediately recognized the parallels. The moment led to a deeper discussion about how wrestling and hip-hop have been connected for decades—well before the days of WWE collaborating with Bad Bunny or Snoop Dogg.

“You could tell there was a heavy hip-hop influence,” TJ Jefferson added. “The bandanas, the Jordans, the ‘thug life’ attitude—y’all were basically rap stars in wrestling gear.”

X-Pac even recalled a house show at The Forum in Inglewood, CA, where he took that influence to the next level.

“I came out to ‘Gangsta, the Killa, and the Dope Dealer’ at a show in Inglewood,” he said. “When I got backstage, they chewed me out because of the lyrics, but I didn’t care. We were in L.A. It was perfect.”

The NWO’s impact on wrestling is undeniable, but this revelation cements their place in hip-hop history as well.

Without Ice Cube, WCW’s biggest faction might not have had the same edge—a surprising connection that makes both the rap and wrestling worlds even more intertwined.

Eric Bischoff has made a bold claim about the impact of the nWo on wrestling history.

The former WCW President was recently interviewed by Robert Breedlove on his What Is Money podcast. Bischoff went through his whole journey in pro wrestling during the show.

While detailing WCW’s rise to prominence under him, Eric mentioned that he knew the company could not compete with WWE in their own game. So Bischoff chose to focus on things they could do differently. This included going live and leaning towards a more reality-based programming which resulted in the introduction of nWo.

The former SmackDown Executive Director discussed how this gave WCW the upper hand for a long time. This continued until Vince McMahon decided to adapt to the circumstances and deliver his infamous promo, ushering in the Attitude Era:

“In ’97 Vince McMahon came out and said ‘Okay we’re no longer going to insult our intelligence. We’re going to bring more reality-based storylines to our audience’ and basically copy the formula that I used to beat him for 83 weeks in a row.

They did a phenomenal job. They actually did it bigger and better than I did. They had more latitude. They were able to do things that I couldn’t do because of the network programming executives I had to answer to. They turned that business around.”

• Eric Bischoff Fires Back At Tony Khan Celebrating His Podcast Ending

Bigger And Better

Eric Bischoff then made a bold claim about the influence of nWo in pro wrestling. He reasoned that had nWo and the WCW programming not forced McMahon’s hand, WWE would have ceased to exist:

“Had there been no…and this is the part that’ll be controversial, but it’s true. Had there been no nWo I don’t think WWE would exist today.

Because when Vince McMahon changed his model. When he replicated what we were doing but did it bigger and better his business exploded. Within two years he took his company public based on the success of that transformation and recently sold a year ago for 9 billion dollars.”

Of course, we can never really know what would have been the result had Vince McMahon decided to double down on their version of pro wrestling instead of adapting to the change. The only thing that is certain is that his promo was the official start of an era that changed the business forever and its effect will continue to be felt in wrestling for a long time to come.

Matt Cardona has been making his name ever since his release from WWE, and now the ‘Indy God’ had his name mentioned during the Emmy Awards. 

The 75th annual Emmy Awards took place this week from the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The awards covered programming from June 2022 to May 2023, with nominations announced in July of 2023.

Paul Walter Hauser took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his role as Larry Hall in Apple TV+’s Black Bird. 

Hauser’s acceptance speech included several name-drops and references from the world of pro wrestling, including Matt Cardona and ‘get the tables!’

Paul Walter Hauser brings pro wrestling to the Emmy’s

If Hauser’s name sounds familiar, it’s because had a match for Pro Wrestling REVOLVER last November. 

During his acceptance speech, Hauser name-dropped Matt Cardona, saying he’s going to beat the ‘Indy God’ at the upcoming Ready or Not event on March 16. 

Kota Ibushi and Matt Cardona shoutouts during the Emmys by Paul Walter Hauser. Incredible.pic.twitter.com/JYhFMdfLqB

— Drainmaker ?? ? (@DrainBamager) January 16, 2024

It wasn’t just Matt Cardona that Hauser referenced during his rap-based acceptance speech. The actor also gave a shoutout to Kota Ibushi and referred to the ‘Wolfpac’, a nod to the NWO off-shoot faction.

WWE Hall of Famer ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page was among the lengthy list of people that Hauser wished to thank. Hauser ended his speech with a “get the tables”, a nod to the legendary tag team the Dudley Boyz. 

Paul Walter Hauser won his Emmy award in a category that also included Murray Bartlett (Welcome to Chippendales, Nick De Noia), Richard Jenkins (Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Lionel Dahmer), Joseph Lee (Beef, George Nakai), Ray Liotta (Black Burd, James ‘Big Jim’ Keener), Young Mazino (Beef, Paul Cho), and Jesse Plemons (Love and Death, Allan Gore).

Last time Paul Walter Hauser was in an @PWRevolver ring… He K!LLED a man!

Master of the 6 Inch Punch. https://t.co/aqgyyZnPkS pic.twitter.com/MGQ5PL3qow

— Wrestling REVOLVER (@PWRevolver) January 12, 2024

Eric Bischoff has become the latest individual to heap praise on the Bloodline, considering the popular faction to be better than the New World Order.

The NWO changed the wrestling landscape forever upon the group’s inception in 1996, ushering in the concept of the ‘cool heel.’

Much like Hogan in 1996, Roman Reigns’ heel turn in 2020 breathed new life into a character that fans had already turned on due to their strong babyface booking.

Better

While Bischoff played a large backstage role in the formation of the NWO (and would later be an on-screen member) he has now acknowledged the Tribal Chief.

Speaking on his 83 Weeks Podcast, Bischoff compared the two factions that have dominated their respective eras.

“The truth is The Bloodline story, in terms of a storyline in and the ingredients and the elements and the discipline and the structure and the nature of it, is a far better story than the NWO. Will it have the same impact on the industry as the NWO did? Probably not. But, that has a lot to do with timing.”

“The Bloodline story, in terms of a storyline… is a far better story than the NWO.”

“There are so many things that made the NWO work, including Hulk Hogan turning heel, by the way. There were so many things that were just a moment in time that helped propel that storyline at that, that time that you can’t replicate that today.”

While WWE tried to recapture the magic of the NWO upon the return of Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in 2002, the group was gone within months.

The Bloodline has been suffering some issues themselves as of late, with the exit of Sami Zayn and the seeming departure of Jey Uso.

H/T – Wrestling Inc

Kevin Nash reveals what WWE legend he wanted to jump ship to WCW, and join the now deceased company’s top faction, the New World Order (nWo).

The Hall of Famer was a guest on his old boss Eric Bischoff’s 83 Weeks podcast to discuss all things WCW, which is where the former world champion revealed how he had talks with the Undertaker about changing sides during the height of the Monday Night Wars.

Nash states that his pitch to Taker was that he had no bargaining power in WWE as long as he remained under the Deadman gimmick.

“The Undertaker was the one that I was trying to get. That was the one and I’m not saying – I just told him ‘You gotta switch up your gimmick man.’ I said ‘You’ve got no bargaining power whatsoever as long as you stay in that Undertaker gimmick.”

After a temporary hiatus Undertaker would return to WWE as the iconic American Badass character, a completely different tase from the Phenom. Nash says he doesn’t credit himself for Taker’s gimmick change, but does acknowledge that the character was more likely to succeed outside of WWE.

“I’m not saying that made him turn into the American Badass, I’m just saying that American Badass you can take pretty much wherever you wanna go. They had to pay those guys money, if they wanted to keep them they had to pay them.”

On the same episode Bischoff revealed his fantasy booking plans for Undertaker had he joined WCW, which would have seen him oppose the nWo rather than join it. You can read about that here.

Nash also discussed this topic on the latest edition of his Kliq This podcast. The big man was asked about Shawn Michaels potentially being the third-man, an idea that Nash couldn’t even really wrap his head around due to Shawn being the world champion in WWE at the time.

“Shawn just got the world title in the WWE so he’s not coming f***ing anywhere. Two years in after he had dropped it I made a push to get him in but by then they were giving guaranteed money. I thought Taker was a great one. I tried to get Mark to come over.”

He then explained how Bischoff wanted it to look like WWE was invading WCW, so Hulk Hogan being the third-man was the perfect option.

“The thing with Hulk was that Eric’s idea was that he wanted it to look like the WWE was invading Turner. We’re going back and forth with the skits and all this other sh*t…there was nobody that was more branded as WWF (WWE) than the yellow and red Hulk Hogan. “

You can check out Nash’s full quotes below.

(Please credit Sescoops if any quotes are used)

WCW Fall Brawl 1997 saw a traditional WarGames match pitting the Four Horsemen against representatives of the New World Order. The pairing made sense with the Horsemen traditional masters of the gimmick against the faction that was in many ways their successors as main event heels and WarGames fixtures (they’d feature in WarGames scenarios from 1996 until the company stopped running these specialty matches).

The main point fans remember from this match, though, was that newly minted Horseman Curt Hennig turned on his allies to join the nWo, costing them the match and arguably putting the last nail in the coffin of The Horsemen as a legitimate threat. What if Hennig hadn’t turned heel at all, but rather remained a Horseman?

WarGames Itself Might Have Been Great

The 1997 edition of WarGames wasn’t bad—certainly not as poor as the more experimental editions in the years to come that were really only WarGames in name. Nonetheless, it didn’t stand out and most fans only remember it for Curt Hennig promptly turning on his team and setting up a nasty finish with him threatening to slam Ric Flair’s head in the cage door to get his teammates to surrender.

While Hennig was no longer in his prime, he was still an elite worker. His efforts, combined with Flair’s, and with Syxx on the opposing side could have made for one of the last great WarGames matches in WCW, whether or not the Horsemen won in the end.

Curt Hennig Might Have Been A WCW Main Eventer

Curt Hennig is often considered one of the great missed opportunities as it pertained to all-around talents whom WWE never pushed to full-fledged main event status. WCW could have made good, minting their own new top guy with a babyface Hennig, backed by The Horsemen, a credible challenger to Hulk Hogan’s WCW title, and perhaps even a world champion.

Hennig was the kind of performer who might have singlehandedly elevated the WCW main event picture, including headlining opposite fellow stars who could go in the ring like Randy Savage or Scott Hall, besides still working feuds with Bret Hart or Diamond Dallas Page with more stakes attached.

The nWo Vs. The Four Horsemen Might Have Been A Great Faction Feud

Looking back, on paper, fans might think of the New World Order vs. The Four Horsemen as a great rivalry between iconic stables. The reality is that the Hollywood Hogan and company mostly dominated the feud, outsmarting The Horsemen when it mattered and prevailing in most major match scenarios.

Part of the problem was that The Horsemen were hamstrung with outstanding talents like Dean Malenko, who nonetheless weren’t over with fans at the main event level, leaving Ric Flair as their only star with the credibility to hang with the top five or so stars of the nWo.

Curt Hennig could have bridged that gap, pushed as a top-level babyface who re-legitimized the group, rather than getting lost in the shuffle as just another guy in the nWo. Like the very best faction feuds, this one might have run across multiple team scenarios and different one-on-one matches between the two lineups.

In the end, we’ll never know quite what would have been if Curt Hennig had stuck with The Four Horsemen rather than joining the nWo. Just the same, Hennig did feel like a squandered talent there for his forgettable work with the nWo after the original turn and getting wedged into The West Texas Rednecks faction, which he made the most of but was a bit beneath his talents. Working alongside Ric Flair as the top Horsemen—and perhaps even still feuding with him in time—could have been special.

It appears WWE had plans for the nWo during this year’s WrestleMania festivities.

WWE planned for a promotional spot involving nWo members to promote WWE 2K22 (per Fightful). Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman grace the cover of the nWo 4-Life Edition of the video game.

These plans were in place before the passing of Scott Hall. Hall died on March 14 due to complications from hip replacement surgery. He was 63 years old.

At this time, there’s no word on whether or not WWE will go through with plans for the New World Order following Hall’s death.

With today being the 25th Anniversary of the Bash at the Beach 96 PPV, WWE is celebrating “NWO Week.” Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and other members of the faction recently spoke to Sports Illustrated regarding the importance of the famous angle in WCW.

Hollywood Hogan On Turning Heel

“Hollywood” Hogan was interviewed for the piece. He spoke about who is influences were as a heel.

“I knew I could work as a heel because I’d watched so much of Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson and ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham and The Great Malenko,” Hogan says. “They’d chop, kick and beat the crap out of you, but then they’d backpedal, cross their heart, and drop to their knees the moment the babyface would make his comeback. For me, the problem was the timing. I didn’t know if that was the right timing to do it.”

“I thought I could be a really intense heel. But turning, after all we’d been through to reach that point, it really concerned me.”

Kevin Nash On The Match At Bash At The Beach 96 Not Being That Good

Few people talk about the actual main event match from Bash at the Beach 96. Kevin Nash noted in the interview that the match itself wasn’t very good. This was partly due to just how long it had been since either Hall or Nash had wrestled.

“That was the first match [since signing in WCW],” Nash recalled. “We hadn’t worked in a while.”

“It wasn’t that great of a match,” Nash said. “Hulk coming down was just him coming down, but it was all about what happened after that.”

“We knew we definitely had some heat in that building,” Nash continued. “But we didn’t know if it would transcend any further than that night.”

Scott Hall On The NWO Still “Making Headlines”

Scott Hall also commented on how the NWO still makes headlines today 25 years after it was born.

“We obviously did something right,” Hall says. “Twenty-five years later, we still make headlines.”

“It was a different time,” Hall also said. “The internet was not as prominent as today. People thought it was real. Other WCW wrestlers thought it was real. We sold the story that Vince sent me and Kev to join Hulk and cancel WCW.”

Eric Bischoff On The NWO Angle “Feeling Real”

Eric Bischoff spoke to Sports Illustrated for the piece. He said the angle felt real because that is how they treated it.

“It felt real because it was treated real,” Eric Bischoff said. “Kevin and Scott coming allowed us to apply that kind of reality to the WCW product. Once Hulk made his decision, I knew it would be shocking and I knew he would be good at it. I just didn’t know if he’d follow through on the decision.”

Bischoff continued to say that he had hoped to get maybe 8 months out of the storyline at first.

“I had hoped, initially, we’d get a successful six-to-eight-month story out of the NWO,” Bischoff added. “I had no idea it would become as big as it became, and still is.”

“Giant” “Big Show” Paul Wight On The NWO

Paul Wight was in and out of the NWO throughout its entire existence, even during its run in WWE. He talked about the importance the angle had on the business.

“The NWO changed the business,” said Paul Wight. “They made it possible for heels to be cool.”

“The reaction of the crowd that night of the pay per view told us something different was happening,” Wight continued. “The anti-hero became the hero, and that was a direct parallel to what was happening in society. And so much of that night was unpredictable.”

The full interview with the NWO can be read here.

After the Invasion angle flopped in 2001, WWE turned to the New World Order in an attempt to turn things around. Vignettes for the NWO featured Vince McMahon stating he was bringing the group in to “destroy his creation.” The faction would debut at No Way Out that February.

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff spoke about the WWE incarnation of the NWO on the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff believes the angle got off to a bad start with Vince McMahon’s involvement. “I wouldn’t have had Vince McMahon turn around and reveal himself in the chair as the evil genius that was going to bring back the nWo to destroy his own company.”

He continued, “That was such a non-starter from a creative perspective. I don’t care how big of a fan of WWE you were at the time, you couldn’t possibly buy that, it was just so nonsensical.”

Bischoff on the NWO in WWE

The NWO angle changed direction when fans cheered Hollywood Hogan at WrestleMania X-8. Scott Hall would later leave the company. Shawn Michaels and Booker T would each have short stints with the faction as well.

“If you start out a story with one foot on a banana peel and the other in a bucket of cement, where are you going? That’s how the story started, there’s no way it was going to get better from there,” Bischoff continued.

The NWO was set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year. The induction ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic, however. Bischoff spoke about plans to induct the faction on a previous episode of his podcast.

“The nWo is the storyline, the angle, the moment that storyline was conceived and as it became executed, was probably one of the most important periods in professional wrestling, in this industry, in the last 30 years,” Bischoff said.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

WWE continues to announce more things for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown and the latest reveal includes the nWo.

On Thursday, WWE announced on their website that Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman will be appearing on “A Moment of Bliss” with Alexa Bliss. 

It should be noted that Hulk Hogan, who made an appearance on the show a few weeks ago to do a segment with then-WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt, wasn’t advertised for the episode.

WWE touted the segment by noting, “What will the legendary and controversial group have to say ahead of their induction into the Hall next month during WrestleMania weekend? Find out this Friday night at 8/7 C on FOX!”

The company has already announced that Nash, Waltman, Hall, and Hogan will be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame class.

Batista, Nikki & Brie Bella, and JBL have been confirmed for this year’s Hall of Fame class. It should be noted that The announcement of the Bellas being inducted was made when they appeared on A Moment of Bliss two weeks ago.

It’s likely the three legendary stars will be talking about their induction during this segment. 

This year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony is taking place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Thursday, April 2. It will be part of WrestleMania 36 weekend. 

• Scott Hall Says Eric Bischoff Should Be Included In NWO Hall of Fame Induction

Soon to be two-time WWE Hall of Famers Scott Hall and Kevin Nash recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast. The former ‘Outsiders’ tag team were discussing the nWo faction on the show amid the group’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in April.

Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Syxx, Hulk Hogan and ?

Hall and Nash are being inducted alongside Sean ‘Syxx’ Waltman and Hulk Hogan, two of the bigger members of the eventually inflated group (Hogan of course being the main star and initial leader). During the show Graves asked the pair who they would consider should be appearing with them on stage at the ceremony. Scott Hall mentioned Eric Bischoff, who has been a name brought up by fans and critics alike recently. Kevin Nash however had a more intriguing suggestion:

“Kevin Sullivan. Though this was Eric’s idea, Sullivan was the one that made sure… there’s always been this equation; that if you’re heels, in order for you to be successful…it’s like a hot air balloon. The more you ‘heat’ that balloon the higher it goes.”

Driving Force Behind The ‘Heat’

Nash elaborated further, confirming that Sullivan was one of the driving forces behind the nWo group keeping their ‘heat’ every week. “Sullivan just really battled day in day out to make sure that they didn’t take heat off us. Nobody got to the nWo. And so he [Sullivan] always books heat, his booking of that heat is what made the nWo.”

Scott Hall would then eco Nash’s thoughts, saying “I want to concur Corey. Kevin Sullivan, who I’m a huge fan of, it was like what we call back in the day like a heel Booker. I’m gonna pile on with what Kev said. We were hot coming in the door because we came off Vince’s [McMahon] TV. We were Razor [Ramon] and Diesel, and what are they doing here!? This is before [the] internet, this was before anybody had a cell phone. People thought it was real, people thought Vince sent us there to destroy WCW.”

The nWo will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this April as part of WrestleMania 36.

You can catch the After The Bell podcast every Thursday through Endeavour Audio.

Former President of WCW and Executive Producer of SmackDown on FOX Eric Bischoff recently spoke to the WrestlingINC podcast. ‘Easy E’ had some interesting comments regarding his former employers (WWE) as well as the importance of the nWo stable.

“The NWO angle changed the wrestling industry…” – Eric Bischoff

“I’m not objective, but I also think it’s fair for any reasonable person to say… the NWO angle changed the wrestling industry more than anything that’s happened since the first WrestleMania,” stated Eric Bischoff. “To suggest otherwise I think is being foolish. Had there not been the nWo, there wouldn’t have been the [Monday Night] Wars and there would have not been an Attitude Era. Had not any of the above happened, I doubt WWE would have been able to become a public company.”

“It really comes down to the Monday Night Wars…”

Eric Bischoff elaborated further, saying “who knows where the wrestling business would be had there not been the NWO? Had it not been for the NWO, we wouldn’t be seeing the success that we’re seeing across the board today. It really comes down to the Monday Night Wars as they rose the genre to its peak in terms of mainstream awareness and buy-in. Had it not been for that period of time, we wouldn’t be watching what we’re watching today.”

“I was surprised…” – Eric Bischoff

The former WCW President then discussed if he had been contacted regarding the nWo induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Inductee Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman recently stated that he believed that both Bischoff and The Giant/Big Show should be included in the induction come WrestleMania weekend. “No. I was surprised they announced it this early as they usually announce it a little later in the year” said Bischoff. “But no, I haven’t spoken to anybody. I didn’t even know it until I read it online the next day,” revealed Bischoff.

On the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, former WCW President Eric Bischoff reveals the original storyline plans for the nWo and The Outsiders’ invasion of WCW.

Led by Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and later “Hollywood” Hogan, the nWo revolutionized the industry. At a time when WCW and Raw were battling each week for ratings supremacy, Hall and Nash were the jet fuel WCW needed to bring WWE to its knees. The nWo was the hottest thing in wrestling. The angle eventually evolved into a hostile takeover of WCW, but Bischoff reveals there was another storyline discussed that would have explained Hall and Nash’s reason for showing up on Nitro.

“The premise of nWo, the very premise of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash coming over, was to get revenge because they weren’t treated fairly when they were previously in WCW,” Bischoff says.

“Now that they became big stars, they’re coming back to exact their revenge on WCW and the people that didn’t treat them with the respect they deserve.”

• Support 83 Weeks on Patreon

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash both worked for WCW in the early 90’s as mid-card acts. Hall worked as the Diamond Studd, while Nash portrayed multiple characters, including Oz and Vinnie Vegas. They’d later attain greater fame and success in the World Wrestling Federation as Razor Ramon and Diesel.

When the Outsiders arrived in WCW, WWE sued them sued WCW in 1996 for defamation, slander, unfair competition, and trademark infringement, all in relation to the angle. The basis of WWE’s lawsuit was that Hall and Nash were portrayed on WCW television as still working for the company, and the appearance was given that WWF was working with WCW on the angle.

23 years later, Eric Bischoff reveals that was not the intention. Rather, Bischoff says that his original idea of disgruntled employees morphed into a brand split concept.

“We didn’t know that it would be as successful as it became,” Bischoff says.

“Once that became obvious in 1996, the ideas had already been ricocheting around in my head that we were eventually going to split the brands.”

You can hear Bischoff’s full comments in context on 83 Weeks embedded below or at Omny.fm.

Not known as an organization that backs down from controversy — or the chance to make some extra cash — the nWo could be bound for Saudi Arabia. That is, if nWo founding member Scott Hall gets his way.

Hall, who was a part of last weekend’s 2 Sweet nWo Reunion show in Orlando, Florida, shared his thoughts on the controversy that surrounded the WWE in the lead up to, during, and wake of their Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia.

He believes that the WWE did the right thing in adhering to their agreement and forging ahead with the Crown Jewel show, despite critical worldwide attention being shone on the country and its government.

“Well, Kevin [Nash] and I just did an nWo Reunion last weekend at Hulk’s Beach Shop in Orlando with the WWE’s blessing,” said Hall. “It’s the first time Hulk’s been welcomed back into the fold, and I’m happy he’s back. There’s a lot of backlash [regarding WWE Crown Jewel] but I saw JBL on a show last weekend talking about… by boycotting stuff, that doesn’t solve anything. He used Cuba as a reference. We boycotted Cuba forever, and what did that get us? Nothing. Nothing changed there. The people, their quality of life never improved. So I agree with that.”

He concluded by expressing “staying away is not the answer,” before reflecting that “we’re not a bunch of politicians. We’re entertainers, we’re ‘rasslers’, we’re not involved in all that global…stuff. That’s the way I look at it. I’d be happy to go, Vince. If you want to bring the nWo over there the next time, let me know.”

We noted before how Hulk Hogan announced a nWo reunion tour back in late August and it became a topic of discussion after WWE started promoting it through their social media channels.

Now a latest development in the situation make it seem like WWE may have their own reasons to get involved with this tour and the company might be observing the reaction to it very closely.

Reddit user thegumpguy recently posted highlights from his recent meeting with Kevin Nash during a local comic con event, and he shared some interesting details about his conversation with the former WWE Star.

According to the fan, Nash did a Q&A session during his appearance, and he claimed that the upcoming reunion tour is to gauge interest for inducting the group into the Hall of Fame.

Apart from this Nash also talked about Jim Cornette being bitter and how Bayley and Sasha Banks would be a welcome addition to nWo.

With nWo featuring more than 50 members who were a part of the group at different times, it’s hard to say which one of them could be inducted if the story is really true.

Though it’s most likely that they’ll induct the original three members, namely Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, and Kevin Nash.

This obviously is not a confirmed report and we’ll have to wait for any trusted source to confirm it but the talk of nWo being inducted into the Hall Of Fame is still interesting.

The nWo ‘Too Sweet’ reunion tour will kick off from Orlando on October 27th.

Ticket packages and prices have been released for the upcoming NWO reunion show taking place at the end of the month. While the price of admission is not cheap, the level of access to the Superstars involved will be significant. Prices range from $200 to $1000 and include photo-ops, collectibles, and access to the Q&A session.

WWE recently promoted the event on their website as well.

All Day Access, 2Sweet, The nWo rides again, brother! https://t.co/BVByBOzthZ #wcw #wwe #nwo pic.twitter.com/PtZG8ZO8gJ

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) October 3, 2018

Kevin Nash Speaks On NWO Reunion

Ahead of the nWo reunion event later this month, Kevin Nash spoke to the Sporting News about his career, the state of the business today, and the future of wrestling.

Among the interview’s highlights were Nash’s comments on the upcoming Triple H vs. Undertaker match at WWE Super Show-Down.

When pressed about why a younger wrestler might not be getting the shot to work with The Undertaker, Nash made some rather pointed comments about the stars of today.

“No one cares about the young guys,” said Nash. “You going to put Finn [Balor] in there versus The Undertaker? [Seth] Rollins? Who are you going to put?”

Nash went on to offer his critique of today’s in-ring style, intimating that it will prevent longevity.

“Those guys aren’t going to have 30 years in the business. This style won’t allow these guys to last 30 years. Rollins already had a couple knee operations, but he’s a great worker. I just don’t see these guys even lasting 20 years because of their bodies and the concussion syndrome,” Nash said.

Nash also discussed what made the nWo cool, and how it had almost nothing to do with wrestling.

“Wrestling was dead. What was over at that point basically was West Coast Rap,” Nash said.

You can find more information on the upcoming nWo reunion here.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXsf1VYRsbY]

What do you think of Nash’s comments on today’s stars?

On October 27th the New World Order will reform at Mango’s Tropical Cafe in Orlando. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall will take part in a Q&A and reunion event. Hogan has been making the media rounds lately to promote the event.

When he was asked how the original 3 NWO members would fare against the Shield, Hogan didn’t mince words. Hogan declared, “We would murder the bums, brother!”

Watch: Hulk Hogan says nWo would “murder” The Shield

Hulk Hogan On NWO Reunion

“I use to wrestle with Roman Reigns’ Dad,” Hogan continued. “You’ve seen pictures of me holding Roman Reigns as a baby, c’mon. We taught them almost everything we know!”

Hogan would continue to say their reunion event will begin with a 3-hour Q&A session before moving into pictures and autographs.

Speculation of a possible NWO reunion began earlier this summer. Fans attempting to visit Hulk Hogan’s Beach Shop noted it was closed and Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hollywood Hogan were all seen inside wearing NWO gear.

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash “invaded” WCW in 1996 as “the Outsiders.” At first, the angle was meant to appear as though WWF talent were invading WCW. Hogan would join the Outsiders at Bash at the Beach that summer. He would win the WCW World Championship from the Giant shortly after and re-christen it the NWO World Title.

After originally teasing a reunion on August 16th in a video alongside Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan has officially announced via Twitter that the New World Order (nWo) will be reforming for what they have entitled the ‘Too Sweet’ Tour.

Rules and bones were meant to be broken, JACK!https://t.co/0lWWnAdt0r#nwo #hulkhogan #wwf #wcw #wwe #hollywood #2sweettour #toosweet pic.twitter.com/E0IofIScNX

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) August 28, 2018

In the video, Hogan hypes up the reunion and directs fans to his website HulkHogan.com in order to purchase tickets.

When speaking about putting together a “plan” for the tour, Hogan decisively states that “bones and rules are made to be broken, Jack.”

He then goes on to announce a VIP system will be in effect.

Only those lucky enough to be one of the first 100 tickets will “get a ticket with the boys in the band” for an exclusive Q+A session with the original members of the nWo.

Hogan proclaims that it is “the first time the nWo has sat down in 22 years and hashed it out.”

There is a slight catch, however, for those 4-Lifers out there, already getting their funds in order.

According to Hogan’s announcement, those 100 VIP tickets will only be available to the highest bidders, with Hogan explaining that “the first 100-VIPs gotta bid your rear ends off.”

The original nWo line up – consisting of Hogan, Nash, and Hall – originally formed on July 7th, 1996 at WCW’s summer event, Bash At The Beach, where it was revealed that Hulk Hogan was the third man of the new faction.

This formation kickstarted a new era for WCW, with the antics and attitude of the nWo helping them to lead in the ratings war against the WWE (WWF at the time) for over 84 consecutive weeks.

It looks like a possible NWO reunion actually could be coming in some capacity.

For the past few weeks Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan have been teasing bringing back the black and white to professional wrestling. Hogan confirmed on Twitter that the trio reunited to film some NWO material.

He posted the following teaser of himself, Nash and Hall in a black and white video spray painting a WCW World Title. Watch the video from “The Hulkster” here:

22 years and it still is and always will be 4 Life
Hollywood 2 sweeeeet HH@RealKevinNash @SCOTTHALLNWO #4life #toosweet #nwo pic.twitter.com/od6uGgGJDU

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) August 16, 2018

Perhaps this could go hand-and-hand with what Hogan was teasing earlier this month. While appearing at a National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Hogan teased a big announcement coming on his website:

“All the brothers out here with the nWo shirts on, something really special is going to be going down,” Hogan said.

“Just remember, the date, October 27. Go to HulkHogan.com, something very special is gonna happen October 27.”

When you visit Hogan’s website, the following message appears at the top with a countdown graphic to October 27th:

“Something big is coming and it’s going to be 2 sweet brother – Hollywood HH
Save the date, October 27th.”

Discussion: What do you think Hogan’s big announcement will be? Do you think it’s NWO related? Let us now your thoughts in the comments!

Undertaker Congratulates Kane On Mayoral Race Win

As we’ve reported, WWE Superstar Kane has won his mayoral campaign in Knox County. “The Big Red Machine” is now the mayor elect of Knox County in Knoxville, Tennessee. He defeated Democratic adversary Linda Haney.

This makes Kane the third person in WWE history to acquire a position in political office, behind Jessie Ventura and Linda McMahon. Kane’s former WWE Tag Team Championship partner, The Undertaker, took to Instagram and congratulated his WWE storyline brother:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl_o2HCgSPQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control

Another NWO Member Visits The WWE Performance Center

Scott Hall visited the WWE Performance Center this past week to help train the talent. PWInsider reports that Hall wasn’t the only member of the NWO who stopped by the Performance Center. Kevin Nash was also in attendance to share a thing or two with the young talent of WWE.

Scott Hall Teases NWO Reunion

Recently reinstated WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan took to Twitter today to celebrate Flashback Friday. Hogan Tweeted an old photo of himself with fellow NWO members Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

Scott Hall retweeted Hogan’s photo, and added in an interesting comment. Hall asked if the trio should reunite soon. Not only did he ask, but he actually dared “The Third Man”:

https://twitter.com/SCOTTHALLNWO/status/1022961448979456000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1022961448979456000&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F980579-scott-hall-teases-possible-nwo-reunion-with-hulk-hogan

Tommaso Ciampa Rips Candice LeRae’s Niece

NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is absolutely relentless – inside and out of the ring.

Ciampa’s rival and former tag team partner, Johnny Gargano, recently Tweeted out a photo of a sign his wife Candice LeRae’s niece made. The sign also contained the following poem:

“Roses are red, your eyes are blue. We have five fingers. One is for you.”

Ciampa ran across this on his timeline and let LeRae’s little niece have it:

https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/1022961771986833408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1022961771986833408&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F980575-tommaso-ciampa-lashes-out-at-candice-leraes-niece-claims-to-be-sole-reason-for-nxts-recent-success

Earlier in the day “Blackheart” also put himself over in a big way. He noted that NXT TakeOver: New Orleans and NXT TakeOver: Chicago were the two he two highest grossing and most viewed TakeOvers in NXT history.

He also pointed out that Wednesday’s episode of NXT, which featured Ciampa’s NXT Title win, was the most viewed episode in NXT history. What do they all have in common? Tommaso Ciampa:

https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/1022897695327846400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1022897695327846400&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F980575-tommaso-ciampa-lashes-out-at-candice-leraes-niece-claims-to-be-sole-reason-for-nxts-recent-success

WWE filed for several new trademarks recently. One particular trademark filed could prove interesting as well. WWE has filed to trademark “NWO” not just for merchandising but also for wrestling purposes.

The statement of activity listed for the NWO trademark is as follows:

“Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network, providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal, providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing and staging events with wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the fields of sports entertainment”

WWE Files to Trademark NWO and Several Other Terms

The free internet database of federally registered government records, Trademarkia, lists several recent trademarks the company has filed for.

In addition to filing the above-mentioned NWO trademarks, WWE has also filed to trademark the term “Skull King” and “Immortals”.

“Woken Warrior” is one of the terms WWE has filed for recently. The term has been used as part of Matt Hardy’s and Bray Wyatt’s current storyline.

The name Pete Dunne was only trademarked a few weeks ago as well.

The term “Talking Snack” was trademarked in March and that is definitely “Snack” and not “Smack” as well. WWE Brawl, AWA, and “The Irresistible Force” have all been trademarked by WWE recently. In March, WWE filed to trademark the phrase “the Most Patriotic Show on Television.”

“Project Rock” was also trademarked around the same time the company filed for trademarks on “WWE Mixed Match Challenge” and “Absolution”.

Do you think WWE will bring back an NWO Faction? Tell us what you think below:

In the late 90s, the old NWO faction would release “paid advertisements” on Nitro. Bullet Club is now doing the same in NJPW.

The faction has been the focal point of NJPW’s marketing strategy for their July 1st and 2nd shows in L.A, and have now released the following video:

Bullet Club at NJPW G1 L.A Special

Somewhat surprisingly, Cody will receive an IWGP heavyweight title shot on night 1 of the 2-night event. At Dominion, Cody defeated Michael Elgin in what turned out to be a pretty important match.

The rest of the announced lineup so far:

NJPW July 1st 2017 Lineup

1. the Briscoes, Will Ospreay, & Roppongi Vice (CHAOS) vs. Bad Luck Fale, the Young Bucks, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll (Bullet Club)
2. Jushin Liger, Volador Jr., Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Sanada, Evil, Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables)
3. IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
   Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
4. IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
   Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kushida, Jay White & David Finlay vs. Billy Gunn, Yoshi Tatsu, Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
6. IWGP U.S Championship (1st Round)
   Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs. Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables)
7. IWGP U.S Championship (1st Round)
   Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega
8. IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
   Kazuchika Okada (c)(CHAOS) vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

NJPW July 2nd 2017 Lineup

1. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships
   the Young Bucks (c) (CHAOS) vs. Roppongi Vice (CHAOS)
2. IWGP Intercontinental Championship
   Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Billy Gunn
3. U.S Championship Tournament Semi-Finals & Finals

Scott Hall tweeted this photo late last night:

https://twitter.com/SCOTTHALLNWO/status/717258622586060801

Hall is one of the former NWO members who endorsed the “NWO tribute band” aspects of the Bullet Club’s act in New Japan Pro Wrestling, with his son Cody even joining the group before long. As for Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, it was somewhat surprising that they didn’t make their debut on Raw last night, especially with WWE seemingly going all in with bolstering the main roster’s tag team division. On the other hand…maybe it shouldn’t have been. The belief is that they’ll be joined by Finn Balor to reform the Bullet Club as the Balor Club, but Balor is still:

1. A babyface.
2. NXT Champion.

So it remains to be seen when and how they’ll debut, but they’re clearly signed at this point. Gallows and Anderson held the IWGP [Heavyweight] Tag Team Championship on several occasions in NJPW and finished up with the promotion several weeks ago.

Although former WCW acts such as Sting and the nWo made recent WWE appearances at WrestleMania 31, another former WCW performer — Bill Goldberg — guarantees we’ll never see him in WWE again.

Goldberg revealed during a recent interview with FOX Sports that he would be making a return to the pro wrestling world for at least one more match, but promises it won’t be with WWE.

“I’m going to make an appearance in professional wrestling, but it won’t be for the WWE,” Goldberg said last weekend while attending the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. “If I put wrestling boots and wrestling trunks on one last time — and I’m going to — it’s going to be done by me, and me only.”

Goldberg also noted that he is “sick and tired of dealing with promoters,” and thanks to the connections he’s made over the years, he can come back to pro wrestling without having to deal with them.

“I will be in the ring again, but I can guarantee you it won’t be with the WWE again,” Goldberg said point blank during the interview.

The former WCW mega-star also spoke about how he’s not afraid to say things about Vince McMahon or the WWE, unlike many other wrestlers in the business.

“Anything I did with the WWE was not therapeutic, by any stretch of the imagination,” said Goldberg. “The reality is that nobody’s going to tell you that because they have an umbilical cord hooked to Vince McMahon. I, ladies and gentlemen, do not. So therefore, I can say what I want and not have any repercussions because I don’t rely on them for a job.”

To read the complete interview, visit FOXSports.com.

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