The nWo (New World Order)
Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and many others
For all the dismal booking and horrible storyline decisions that marred the latter years of the existence of WCW, there was a period of genuinely exciting and groundbreaking television that preceded it. From 1996 until 1999, the New World Order, or nWo as they were more commonly known, were the most popular thing going in WCW.
Following the increasing tendency of WCW audiences to get bored with Hulk Hogan during the mid-1990s, WCW chief Eric Bischoff made the landmark decision to turn one of his company's biggest stars heel, and align him with two new acquisitions from the WWF, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The dramatic circumstances of Hogan's heel turn at Bash At The Beach 1996 led to an unprecendented fan reaction, with bottles and debris hurled at the ring. This baptism of fire for the 'New World Order' led to a rapid rise in its success.
Hogan, Nash and Hall would quickly be joined by more and more members, as the nWo looked to 'take over' WCW, and as WCW's behind-the-scenes management saw opportunities to give more and more of their wrestlers the 'rub', by having them align themselves with Hogan's army of rebels. This continued to the point where the vast majority of the main event level or midcard heels on WCW Monday Nitro were nWo members.
The nWo's methods for executing their 'takeover' were things that had never been seen before on a wrestling show - acts of 'terrorism' such as spray-painting the nWo logo on the WCW Championship belt - and it has been said that they were the inspiration for later WWF and WWE stable, D-Generation X. While this has never been proven, the membership of 'Kliq' members Shawn Michaels and Triple H in D-Generation X did surely play a part.
The nWo was disbanded in 2000, following the company's 'rebooting', and was left alone until its reincarnation in WWE in 2002. This attempt at reviving the faction was nowhere near as successful as its original form, but much like many other stables, the impact of the original arrival of the group will never be truly replicated, and certainly never forgotten.
The Ministry Of Darkness
The Undertaker, Paul Bearer, Mideon, Viscera, Gangrel, Edge, Christian, Bradshaw and Faarooq
The Ministry of Darkness was a classic example of another stable created to allow a group of talented midcard wrestlers to be elevated up the card. It began with The Undertaker's dominance of Monday Night Raw in late 1998, as he tormented both his brother Kane and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin with a series of hellish and Satanic acts.
It continued with the addition of many more wrestlers to the ranks, including The Brood members Gangrel, Edge and Christian, a rare example of a 'stable within a stable'. The group were a very controversial outfit, performing rituals and 'human sacrifices' in scenes rarely seen on prime time television. They formed an integral part of the WWF's roster, in the most famous and popular period in professional wrestling history.
The group lasted until mid-1999, whereupon it was merged with Vince McMahon's Corporation to form the Corporate Ministry. Despite the group's relatively short-lived status, many storylines featuring the Ministry were among the most memorable angles seen during the 'Attitude Era', particularly The Undertaker's attempt to 'crucify' Austin in late 1998.
The legacy of the Ministry is clear - while it was not the most important phase in the career of any of its members, many went on to further success. The Undertaker has become one of the greatest wrestlers of all time; Viscera remained in WWF and WWE for another ten years in one form or another; Christian became a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion in TNA, and has now returned to WWE; Edge went on to wrestle The Undertaker for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV, and is now an eight-time World Champion, and Bradshaw went on to win the WWE Championship under the guise of JBL. Any stable that includes such a wealth of talent can only be considered a success.
For the previous part of our series, on D-Generation X and The Four Horsemen, click here.
