What if the DX were facing nWo at Crown Jewel instead of the Brothers of Destruction?

As WWE plotted out its autumn of international stadium shows, it shrewdly built connections between them with storylines that might appeal to casual fans and that took advantage of having part-time legends of the business available to them. Most notably, the storyline between D-generation X and the Brothers of Destruction set up a nostalgic dream match for Crown Jewel that WWE knew would draw, regardless of whether the men involved—particularly The Undertaker and Kane—could live up to the hype in the ring at this stage of their careers.

What if WWE had gone a different direction and, instead of the Brothers of Destruction, booked the New World Order to oppose DX? The angle would have created an all the more unique angle for the two stables never having gone to war against each other before, aside from a one-off brawl during the Sting vs. Triple H match at WrestleMania 31. This article looks at five potential outcomes of that alternative booking.

#5 Sean Waltman is the X-factor

Sean Waltman walks the

nWo

-DX line like no one else.

Sean Waltman was a core member of The Kliq—the backstage group of friends that was so instrumental to the success of both the New World Order and D-Generation X. Moreover, he’s the lone wrestler to have truly worked with both factions, not just in passing, but as a full-fledged member, readily identifiable with either unit.

Given all of this history, Waltman would be a natural fit to play some role in a nWo vs. DX war. He could be plugged in as a guest referee to oversee the match, but all the more so, he could be an interloper to help tip the scales in favor of one faction or another. Waltman came down on the side of DX when the two groups brawled at WrestleMania 31, though that may have come down to a matter of convenience in balancing the numbers between the two sides. It would be interesting to see how he might be used in this context of a proper match.

#4 A lot of smoke and mirrors

The men of DX and the nWo may need some help covering for their combined age.

There are no two ways about it—the collective members of DX and the nWo are well past their physical primes. Of the presumptive five core participants in this match, only Triple H could claim, with a straight face, that he’s near his best, and a part of why we probably won’t actually see this match is that at least Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall probably couldn’t get medically cleared to work a full blown match at this point.

If WWE were to make it happen, we can rest assured that there would be a lot of smoke and mirrors to mask the limitations of the performers involved. Not unlike Triple H’s match with The Undertaker at Super Show-Down, outside interference, plunder, and brawling that goes well outside the ring would probably all be a part of covering up for how much slower and less crisp everyone involved in this match would be, relative to their primes when they were some of the best workers in the world.

#3 One last Hulk up

Hulk Hogan may truly hulk up for the last time.

It has become a bit of a joke to think of anything that happens in WWE being “the last time” we’ll see it. It’s one of the most often broken promises in wrestling, as stars are notoriously prone to retiring and coming back, or returning for one night only, only for it to turn in to an extended stay or one of several appearances in a part-time capacity.

Just the same, when it comes to Hulk Hogan, he’s well past the point when he probably ought to be in the ring. If WWE were to let him work one, true last match, we can only expect that we’d also get one last Hulk up period in which he’d be impervious to pain, and become a truly irresistible offensive force for at least a few moments. Whether that would lead to the traditional Hogan victory is more up for debate, but it’d be a fitting coda to his WWE legacy after getting welcomed back into the WWE fold and may play particularly well to an international audience more familiar with WWE’s traditional product.

#2 Shawn Michaels eats a jackknife powerbomb

A power bomb from Kevin Nash to Shawn Michaels may be a best case high impact

maneuver

out of this combination of wrestlers.

One of the quandaries of booking a nWo vs. DX match in 2018 is a question of who would take the bumps? Kevin Nash was injury prone even in his prime, and he’s a far cry from that physical state nowadays. Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall would probably, at best, just barely pass a WWE physical.

That leaves Shawn Michaels and Triple H to absorb the brunt of big bumps to the extent they would happen in such a match. Helmsley is still capable of working at full contact, but is also a heavyweight whom his opponents might have trouble throwing around with ease.

So then there’s HBK, who demonstrated a willingness and ability to absorb a big bump when he took a chokeslam through a table at Super Show-Down. He has taken his share of powerbombs from Kevin Nash over the years and remains athletic and light enough to be the ideal guy to take Big Sexy’s signature maneuver to pop the crowd.

#1 DX wins

DX would no doubt defeat the nWo at Crown Jewel.

Part of the intrigue of the Brothers of Destruction facing DX at Crown Jewel is it’s not a foregone conclusion who will win the match. Sure, Triple H is a top executive for WWE, and Shawn Michaels is a legend returning after eight years out of the ring. If there’s anyone who could beat this team, it would be two of WWE’s biggest legends and most loyal company men—particularly given how well protected The Undertaker has generally been.

Put DX up against the WCW-originated New World Order, not to mention a group of guys who would likely as not be working their last match, the ending is a lot less in doubt. Of course, neither of these matches is built on the tension who wins or loses so much as the unusual prospect of seeing this big a collection of stars from the past featured in 2018. That particular element would carry over between matches.