Since the very moment that Scott Hall walked into the ring on Monday Nitro, the mood immediately changed. However, WCW booking was still WCW booking from time to time. That means a hodgepodge of various heat spots courtesy of the heat master, Kevin Sullivan. It also means backstage politics that reflected what happened in the ring.
Overall, over 50 wrestlers were part of the group at one point or another throughout the years. A lot of matches went down featuring the group, with some seeming completely out of left field.
8/8 Curt Hennig Vs. Ric Flair – World War 3 1997
After famously betraying The Four Horsemen at Fall Brawl, Curt Hennig had to pay the piper, so to speak. He tried to cave Ric Flair’s head in with the door of the steel cage. They collided in a No Disqualification Match for Curt’s US Title at World War 3. Naitch tried to get his pound of flesh for revenge, which he got to some extent, but Hennig still walked out with the United States title.
7/8 nWo Invitational Battle Royal – Road Wild 1998
As Goldberg’s stock kept rising, the nWo kept trying to put him down. They had an Invitational Battle Royal featuring members of nWo Hollywood, the Wolfpac, and the new WCW World Champion, Goldberg. The nine-man battle royal was more of a feeding frenzy for Goldberg as he made short work of the field, lastly eliminating The Giant.
It was also the first time that Hall and Nash collided since Hall turned on the Wolfpac. After Goldberg eliminated Hall, Nash eliminated himself to go after The Bad Guy.
6/8 Team nWo Vs. Team Piper Vs. Team WCW – Uncensored 1997
At various points during his run in WCW, Roddy Piper was presented more as a renegade not part of either WCW or the nWo. But he certainly had zero interest in working with Hollywood and his cronies. He partnered up more with the Horsemen from time to time. At Uncensored 1997, he teamed up with Mongo and Jeff Jarrett as a third menmber in a Triangle Elimination match. The other two teams were WCW and the nWo. That meant splitting the difference, allowing for Hogan and the nWo to win the right to challenge for any title they wanted.
5/8 Mexican Death Match – Souled Out 1997
Souled Out was a unique experiment in WCW. The nWo had won the right to put on their own PPV, and this first Souled Out was that event. All of the matches featured nWo members and were officiated by nWo referee, Nick Patrick. Big Bubba Rogers, then a member of the group took on Hugh Morris in a Mexican Death Match, despite neither man or the event originating from Mexico. Patrick of course showed sides, allowing Bubba to take full advantage of the rules. He actually nailed Morris with a motorcycle to the win the match.
4/8 Kevin Nash Vs. Rick Steiner For Tag Titles – Spring Stampede 1997
The Steiners and The Outsiders had fought several battles, exchanging control over the WCW tag team titles. But this one was the strangest, namely because it was just a singles match for the belts! During this time, Scott Hall’s backstage drama would occasionally permeate the in ring action.
He no-showed the event, leading to an arrest angle with Scott Steiner to get him out of the match. Nash was able to defeat the Dog Face Gremlin to retain the titles.
3/8 Ric Flair Vs. Hulk Hogan – Uncensored 1999
Who ever thought Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair weren’t hardcore wrestlers? They were probably right, but sometimes the two legends pretended to be. They collided in a Steel Cage ensconced in barbed wire to close out the 1999 Uncensored show. The match itself was actually for the control of WCW, which after all sorts tomfoolery from David Flair, Arn Anderson and even Lil Naitch fast counting Hogan, The Nature Boy able to gain control against the nWo.
2/8 The Giant Vs. Disco Inferno – Thunder 06/18/1998
No, you’re reading that match correctly. Perennial comedy worker and step above journeyman, Disco Inferno took on The Giant on an episode of Thunder. It certainly wasn’t a mat classic, but the match was noticeable for a pretty funny moment.
For some reason, The Giant strutted to the ring smoking a cigarette, which looked funny enough in his tights. But Disco tried to dissuade the guy from his habit by telling him that cigarettes can stunt your growth. One huge clothesline later and The Giant was then enjoying a post-match smoke.
1/8 Harlem Street Fight For The nWo Black And White – Uncensored 1999
At one point in WCW’s history, the nWo were the strongest thing going in the company, but oh how the mighty had fallen. When the group splintered into all sorts of smaller groups, the Black And White was left devoid of any serious threats. The that meant leadership had fallen into a beef between Stevie Ray and Vincent of all people. The two decided who would lead the group in a Harlem Street Fight at Uncensored 1999, which thankfully Stevie Ray won. No one would want to hear Vincent on the Convention Circuit talk about how he led the nWo.
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