The Return of the nWo?

Fifteen years ago, Kevin Nash rocked sports-entertainment by assembling the infamous New World Order. More than a decade later, WWE may be on the brink of a new incarnation of the black and white. The influential group’s beginnings were rooted in confusion and conspiracy involving Kevin Nash, similar to the current state of WWE.

In 1996, The Outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall — known in WWE as Diesel and Razor Ramon, respectively — began appearing on WCW Monday Nitro. Their infamous words, “you want a war?” immediately struck a nerve and paranoia about a coming WWE invasion ran rampant inside the WCW locker room. At Bash at the Beach, Hulk Hogan shocked the world when he joined The Outsiders to form the New World Order, one of the most impactful groups in history. (Full history of The nWo)

The paranoia of a new regime coming into WCW in 1996 draws bold parallels to the current state of WWE under Triple H. While the Chief Operating Officer claims to have the best interests of the organization at heart, both his reputation as The Cerebral Assassin and the return of Kevin Nash have no doubt led CM Punk and the WWE Universe to draw conclusions similar to those brought up in WCW’s locker room in 1996. While the question over who summoned Nash to take down The Second City Savior at Money in the Bank remains unanswered, the possibility of a reborn New World Order is among suspicions.

All of the confusion and conspiracy stems from the mystery of who sent Nash the text message at Money in the Bank. The atmosphere of deception and the inconsistent being told by Nash, Triple H and John Laurinaitis have led to widespread speculation among the WWE Universe and WWE Superstars. When the nWo first formed, that same sense of deceit from WCW competitors such as Hulk Hogan and reaching as high as WCW President Eric Bischoff is what allowed The New World Order to begin its rise to power.

All signs point to Nash’s collusion with WWE’s new COO. It’s no secret that they are close friends; both individuals have made that abundantly clear, acknowledging their friendship that stems back to the tight knit locker room group known as “The Kliq” with Shawn Michaels, Sean Waltman (X-Pac) and Scott Hall. Interestingly enough, when The Outsiders left WWE in 1996, separating The Kliq, Hall and Nash would eventually form The New World Order in WCW, while Shawn Michaels and Triple H, remaining in WWE, formed D-Generation X. Waltman was a member of both groups during their heydays in each respective brand. During the nWo’s WWE resurgence in 2002, when Nash took command of the group, Michaels joined and the two heavily recruited Triple H. An injury to Big Sexy led to that incarnation of the New World Order disbanding, but perhaps The Game and Nash are now bringing The Kliq full circle.

This could merely be the beginning of something greater. When the original nWo formed in WCW, it started with three competitors but soon expanded its ranks and grew exponentially in numbers. If the nWo was to reform today, there are a number of WWE Superstars who would fit in perfectly with the group’s method of operation.

Click here to see who could fill the ranks of a modern-day nWo.