10 Best Wrestling Stables Of All Time
2. The New World Order
When Eric Bischoff was in Tokyo attending New Japan Pro Wrestling's Battle Formation show, he was inspired by the UWF invasion angle that the company was running. The invasion (which to this day is the most lucrative storyline in Japanese wrestling history) saw the stars of the Union of Wrestling Forces International promotion challenge NJPW's top stars in a series of dream matches, with UWF's Nobuhiko Takada even capturing the IWGP Heavyweight Title.
Bischoff decided he wanted to construct a storyline where an outside force was trying to take control of WCW, and to make it as compelling as possible, that outside force would be coming from WWE. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash debuted in the company claiming that they were taking over, and before the long, the so-called Outsiders gave way to a full-fledged New World Order invasion. The group's propaganda videos, hand signals, and gang tactics set it apart from every other stable that came before it, making it seem like a terrifying glimpse into a dystopian future. The simplistic black and white of the group's logo and outfits soon became iconic.
The New World Order led WCW to dominate (and very nearly destroy) WWE, but like most offerings from the company, it couldn't maintain its initial momentum. In-fighting eventually led to a split in the stable, with the new, babyface faction calling themselves The Wolfpac. Eventually, the group recombined, faded away, came back, and faded away again.
A proper ending to the nWo storyline would have gone a long way toward helping WCW maintain momentum, but even without it, the nWo's impact cannot be denied. The oft-imitated group not only shifted the paradigm of the wrestling stable, but upended the sport itself.