Kevin Nash and Scott Hall's arrival to WCW changed the world of wrestling. They formed the nWo (with Hollywood Hogan) and became a force, not even Vince McMahon could slow down. The nWo helped swing the Monday Night Wars in favor of WCW for over 80 weeks.
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By 2000, the nWo was a shell of its former self. It had countless members (many of them useless) and WCW as a whole was not good. Vince McMahon ended up buying WCW and At No Way Out 2002, Hall, Nash, and Hogan arrived to the WWE as the nWo, reunited. Their story was short-lived, but this list will examine 10 things some fans may have forgotten about the nWo's time in the WWE.
10 Featured The Only Hogan Vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Match
Although every fan can make a case for their "favorite" wrestler of all time, there is no arguing that the two wrestlers most responsible for the success of the WWE are Hulk Hogan and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Despite their game-changing wrestling legacies, the pair only crossed paths in the ring one time.
It happened on an episode of Raw during the nWo's return to the WWE. In a match, that was unfortunately not great, Monday Night War MVPs clashed when the nWo (Nash, Hall, and Hogan) battled Austin and The Rock in a handicap tag match. The two never clashed one on one.
9 Goldust Was Never Allowed In
Dustin Rhodes (aka Goldust) wrestled at WCW before the arrival of the nWo. In the WWE, he became a huge star in the Attitude Era thanks to his Goldust gimmick.
When the nWo arrived to the WWE, Goldust and Booker T were competing as a unit. Booker joined the nWo, but Goldust was not invited to join the group. When Booker was kicked out the two began feuding with the nWo.
8 Hogan Quickly Left The Group In The WWE
Hogan was arguably the biggest draw for the nWo in the WWE. His arrival led to an "icon vs icon" match against The Rock that was monumental. Even as a heel, the WWE audiences were beginning to fall in love with him again. He shook The Rock's hand after their match and turned face.
After their match at WrestleMania 18, Hogan reverted to "Hulk Hogan" and left the nWo. He only spent a month with the faction in the WWE.
7 Booker T Joined The nWo For The First Time
Booker T was one of the biggest WCW wrestlers who never joined the nWo. His in-ring skills and presence helped him become a huge star without the help of the faction.
He did end up joining the group during their WWE run. Moves like this were exactly why the nWo failed in the WWE. He was recruited by Ric Flair (who also never joined the group at WCW). He ended up being in the faction for less than a month.
6 WWE Hardcore Championship Was The Only Title Held By An nWo Member In The WWE
The Big Show (The Giant in WCW) had a very memorable run with the nWo. It made sense for the WWE to add him back to the faction since he was a big name on the roster by the time Hall, Nash, and Hogan returned.
The nWo never caught on enough to go after any major titles, but Big Show did win the WWE Hardcore Title during the nWo revival. It added little value to the faction.
5 Shawn Michaels Was The Only Member Who Never Wrestled At WCW
After an 18-month absence from the WWE, Shawn Michaels returned after his buddy Kevin Nash announced him as the newest member of the nWo. Not even HBK could add heat to the nWo reboot.
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Although his time with the stable was short-lived and unmemorable, Michaels did achieve an interesting superlative. He was the only wrestler to join the faction at WWE that never once wrestled for WCW. All the others, Hogan, Nash, Hall, Booker T, Big Show, and X-Pac had all competed in the company before joining.
4 They Only Wrestled On One Episode Of SmackDown
In 2002, SmackDown was still in its infancy. It was finally becoming more than an extension of Raw and began to feature big names. The nWo did cut a few promos on the program, especially in the buildup to WrestleMania 18, but they only wrestled one official match as a unit.
During the March 28th episode of the show, Hulk Hogan, Kane & The Rock defeated The nWo (Kevin Nash, Scott Hall & X-Pac). This was also Hulk Hogan's first-ever match on SmackDown.
3 The Hardy Boyz Defeated The nWo
Although they are not in the WWE Hall of Fame (yet), Matt and Jeff Hardy have a resume on par with any tag team unit in the history of the WWE. Along with wins over the Dudleyz, Edge & Christian, and D-Generation X, they also defeated the nWo.
During a 2002 episode of Raw, the pair scored a huge victory over The nWo (The Big Show & X-Pac). The pair won via roll-up thanks to interference from Goldust.
2 Scot Hall Wrestled His Last WWE Match As A Member Of The nWo
As "Razor Ramon," Scott Hall had a storied WWE career. By the time he left for WCW in 1996, he was already a future Hall of Famer. His return to the WWE was fun, but he was more of a legend than an in-ring show stealer in 2002.
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He lasted through most of the nWo story before asking for his release from the WWE. The last match he ever competed in at the WWE was a tag match that featured The nWo (Scott Hall, The Big Show, & X-Pac) against Bradshaw, Ric Flair & Steve Austin. His departure was likely the last pillar to fall for the nWo.
1 Big Show Is The Only WWE nWo Member Not In The WWE Hall Of Fame (Yet)
Despite featuring a ton of talented superstar wrestlers, the WWE's nWo was ultimately a flop. Not only is it shocking because the nWo is one of the best sables of all time, but also because every member who joined is in the WWE Hall of Fame TWICE, except the Big Show. He's never even been inducted even once.
This stat likely won't be true forever, and it seems like only a matter of time before the two-time WWE Champion joins the ranks of the other members of the WWE's nWo. As of now Hogan, Nash, Hall, Booker T, and X-Pac have all been inducted without Show.
