10 Times Wrestlers Bet On Themselves (... And WON!)
3. The Outsiders (1996)
The defection of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall from the WWF to WCW provoked a real change, a movement almost, in professional wrestling, propelling the sport towards its new gritty, cutting-edge era that caused the Monday Night Wars. Aligning with Hulk Hogan and almost fifty others to form the nWo, Nash and Hall became true needle-movers.
It's what happened prior to the fateful 1996 Bash at the Beach pay-per-view that sparked real intrigue.
Leaving the WWF after one last act of rebellion - the scandalous Curtain Call, for which 'Big Daddy Cool' and the 'Bad Guy' escaped punishment - the arrival of the former Diesel and Razor Ramon in WCW raised eyebrows. It was a stunning arrival that sparked one of the best wrestling storylines ever because, quite simply, audiences wanted to know what Nash and Hall's deal was. Professional wrestling wasn't particularly hot during the mid-nineties, however, the Outsiders' return to Atlanta was the nail in the coffin that swiftly amended this, sparking a grittier, cutting-edge era amidst the celebrated Monday Night Wars.
The domineering position the nWo would have over the wrestling world in subsequent decades is exponential; you need only look at the Nexus, Aces & Eights, and Bullet Club. Not all of them got the gist, but the nWo correlations were there nonetheless.