10 Disastrous Wrestling Debuts
7. New World Order 2.0
2.0 is inaccurate - there were so many iterations and splinter cells associated with the faction, which changed the face of pro wrestling, that it's difficult to keep count. 2.0 is just easier. That way, we can mercifully re-write Jeff Jarrett's silver nWo 2000* out of history.
Their invasion of the WWF was promoted with typically sublime vignettes, in which Vince McMahon produced some of his absolutely greatest acting work. Shedding exaggerated tears, his inflection was such stuff that dreams of ham were made of. "I'm going to inject the WWF with a lethal dose of poison!"
The re-debut of the nWo was, in itself, unassuming - but their initial coming together in 1996 was so electric that the events of No Way Out 2002 were rendered positively lame in comparison. Instead of just laying waste to the WWF's top stars to announce their arrival, wreaking havoc like they did on so many episodes of WCW Monday Nitro, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were cast as schoolboys who had recanted their past ills. It was a pointless and underwhelming approach. The swerve was entirely too obvious.
Far from untouchable Western outlaws, the nWo had become the Little Rascals.
*Anything suffixed with '2000' at either side of the millennium was, automatically, terrible.