3 Reasons why the nWo would not work in 2019

Today is the 23rd anniversary celebrating the official birth of the New World Order (nWo). The moment in which time literately stood still, as well looked on in shock as we saw Hulk Hogan turn his back on his legion of Hulkamaniacs, along with every wrestler, commentator and spectator that ever looked up to The Hulkster.

Hogan's heel turn marked the beginning of the nWo. Aligning himself with The Outsiders, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, began the era in which WCW would truly begin to dominate. With each passing week, more WCW stars would jump ship and join forces with the nWo.

We all know the history behind the rise and the fall of the nWo. That is not what we're going to talk about.

Today, I would like to discuss why the nWo would not succeed in 2019, versus how the group became a blockbuster hit in the mid-'90s for WCW. Without any further ado, let's get started.

#1The Bullet Club Effect

Classic group photo of The Bullet Club together, which was then led by AJ Styles and Kenny Omega (Image Courtesy: NJPW)

The Bullet Club is considered to be the modern-day version of the nWo. The group borrowed the "Too Sweet" signal, along with the classic "crotch chop" from D-Generation X. They had the gang like mentality, along with a strong fan following that continued to grow and surge between Japanese wrestling fans and the ones in the United States. The group is still around, but nowhere near at the level they once were.

Having said that, what made The Bullet Club work was the style and flair of the wrestlers within' the stable.

All of them were pretty much best friends or strong acquaintances at best. Therefore, it was fun for them to get along, create storylines and put on some amazing matches in NJPW and ROH, respectively.

The nWo, on the other hand, was full of egos. During the core years of the nWo, you had Hogan, Hall, Nash, Savage, etc who were all under big guaranteed contracts with WCW. This meant they could do whatever they wanted and still get paid big bucks for it without any real motivation to improve or get past a certain level.

The Bullet Club borrowed from the nWo and was inspired by them, but the spirit was completely organic and real.

The nWo was like meshing the top 80's, early 90's WWE stars into one group, led by Eric Bischoff who was young and questionably in over his head, in trying to make this one egotistical faction work.

Fast forward to 2019. Something like the nWo clearly would not work under those parameters we saw between 1996-2000 in WCW.

#2 The power of the T-shirt

The nWo t-shirt was powerful enough, and popular, to make any wrestler over regardless of their status in WCW

The next reason may seem a bit odd, but it makes perfect sense. One of the main drawing powers behind the nWo was in the design of the T-shirt. During the mid-1990s, this shirt was a simple yet clever design. Nothing flashy. Nothing fancy. A simple black and white logo that made you either the coolest kid at your school or the most hated, depending on whether you were a WCW or WWE fan at the time.

All it took in the world of WCW was for one nWo member to give a wrestler a t-shirt, have him put it on, and he was instantly over!

Whether or not you cheered or booed the nWo out of the building during the hottest WCW Monday Nitro episodes, you know once that guy had the nWo shirt on, they were apart of something really special.

Today, I'm having a hard time believing that any wrestling faction could ever be that over to recreate something that unique.

Granted, you could go back to my number one reason and debate on The Bullet Club, with the Bullet Club marketing their -shirts and those selling very well with wrestling fans. That is all well and good. However, I would argue that slapping a Bullet Club t-shirt on another wrestler would be as effective.

Check out the video below. Remember when Dusty Rhodes turned his back on WCW and Larry Zbyszko at WCW/nWo Souled Out 1998? Look at the power of the reaction Dusty received after revealing that he betrayed WCW and sold his soul to the New World Order.

One more example, even though the end result went against the nWo. The rise of Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) in 1996-1997. He was offered to join the nWo and even went so far as to put on the T-shirt.

DDP put the shirt on. The fans popped. When he nailed the Diamond Cutter on Scott Hall, the fans went wild! During those moments where DDP had the shirt on, to him pulling one over on The Outsiders, the fans went absolutely crazy!

#3 Social Media

The effect Social Media has on pro wrestling would greatly diminish the magic the nWo had in the '90s.

Let's face it, pro wrestling has evolved and changed a lot since the '90s. You can view this as both a good or a bad thing.

Social media has given us many opportunities to discuss pro wrestling with people all across the globe. However, a combination of the internet and social media has exposed all the dirty secrets behind the art form of professional wrestling.

One of those secrets was keeping all booking plans under lock and key. Nowadays, between wrestling journalists and those who leak secrets from behind the curtain, any wrestling storylines, angles or potential match results can be revealed at a moments notice.

The power of the nWo came during a period when the internet was just kicking in but was in that in-between period as well. Back then, the internet was nowhere near as powerful of a tool for pro wrestling as it is today.

Therefore, many secrets in the wrestling business were kept as such. When someone jumped ship to the nWo, you were shocked and taken aback by the end result. You had the organic reaction.

Now? You can read all the dirt sheets and know which wrestler is leaving any company. You can see if they're turning heel or babyface soon. Are they joining or leaving a wrestling faction or stable? These are some of the many factors that can now easily be revealed in today's age of modern pro wrestling.

The nWo's cool factor came from their gang mentality. They were villains, but cool villains that you wanted to be apart of. They beat up the good guys, but they did it in such a way that it was just too sweet (pun intended).

No social media to break kayfabe. Today, everyone knows the ins and outs of the business. Everyone has smartened up and learned all the magic tricks. Therefore, the magic the nWo had created in 1996 can never ever be done again in 2019 and beyond. Sad, but true.

In conclusion, the nWo have left their thumbprint on the wrestling industry. Arguably, they're one of the greatest wrestling factions of all-time! Love them or hate them, we will never forget the impact the New World Order had over WCW, as they forever changed the course of the wrestling business forever!