Event: Wrestlemania XVIII Location: Toronto, Canada Venue: SkyDome Date: 2002 When Vince first brought the nWo onto WWE television, he promised that they would inject a lethal dose of poison into the organization. And for awhile, they seemed to do just that in a particularly memorable Raw segment, Hogan, Hall, and Nash beat the Rock with a hammer, spraypainted his back, and then hit his ambulance with a massive truck. So at Wrestlemania XVIII, there were two hyped up nWo matches Scott Hall versus Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan versus The Rock. As viewers, we expected that the nWo would win either one match or both of them it would legitimize them as an enduring, legitimate threat for the year to come. Instead, the nWo lost both matches cleanly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xIALJG8RUE The rumor backstage was that Austin refused to lose to Hall, but the combined losses essentially buried the nWo. Hogan turned babyface, and the rest of the nWo underwent injuries, losses, and roster changes in the following weeks. Less than a year later, Vince pulled the plug and put the once mighty stable out of its misery.
Kevin is an AP English Language teacher and freelance writer from Queens, NY. His focus is on American pop culture and American issues. He wrote a weekly column for Complex called "Throwback Thursdays," which spotlighted video games and trends from previous console generations. Kevin has also been published in VIBE, Salon, PopMatters, Joystiq, and Racialicious. Follow him on Twitter to learn more.
