Jason Burgos
A new report reveals there were serious discussions about a revival of the nWo faction during the COVID era of WWE.
To many long-time WWE fans, the New World Order was the greatest faction in the storied history of professional wrestling. The late-90s group formed by Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan was like the Four Horsemen, and made being bad into something cool. However, the group was far edgier and more in tune with the times than even the Horsemen.
Yet, what made them even different was that the group was so dominant and featured over a dozen members at its peak. The faction was lightning in a bottle for a time. However, maintaining that level of relevancy long-term isn’t easy, and in a few years, WCW overexposed the faction, and it eventually lost its cool factor.
Then, in 2002, Vince McMahon tried to revive the group with its three original members. Yet, it did not have the same magic. Eventually, the group was abruptly ended a few months after it returned, and wasn’t even worth being a footnote in WWE history.
Well, it seems that despite that previous failure in WWE, there was a time at the beginning of this decade that a return was actually considered. According to former WWE writer Chris Dunn, he pitched the idea of an NWO revival during the COVID pandemic.
However, based on who was being considered for the group, it’s probably a good thing that it didn’t happen.
Sheamus and Cesaro were set to be in a new version of the nWo?
“It was discussed at one point, bringing back the NWO, a new version,” Dunn said on the Public Enemies podcast. “The pitch was Sheamus, Cesaro, Nakamura, and Lars Sullivan. It was really close to happening. I forgot which legendary NWO member was supposed to fly to Orlando to introduce this new NWO.
“It wasn’t X-Pac. Essentially, they landed, and they didn’t pass the COVID test. They were going to debut, and it was going to be figured out as we went. This is when it was at the PC.”
No disrespect to Sheamus, Cesaro, Nakamura, and Sullivan, but that grouping was sure to lack the sizzle that Hall, Nash, and Hogan had back in 1996. A key part of what made the nWo catch fire immediately was the cool factor of the Outsiders and Hogan turning heel for the first time in a decade.
Furthermore, since three of the members are foreign, for fans, it likely would have felt too much like the failed faction, The League of Nations. It would have blown the company’s last chance at trying to revive the group in a meaningful way, so it is a very good thing that the alleged nWo legend couldn’t pass a COVID test.
