In the words of Big Stevie Cool -- Weve got three words for ya: Were taking over! And the Blue World Order did. In a very strange way, the bWo -- as they were affectionately referred to -- became a big part of ECW. Stevie Richards was even featured in the Philadelphia-based companys first pay-per-view main event. Beyond Richards, the group also consisted of Nova and the Blue Meanie -- as Hollywood Nova and Da Blue Guy, respectively. The bWo had various other short-lived members throughout its history, including a bWo Japan offshoot containing Taka Michinoku, Dick Togo, and Terry Boy -- who would later form Kaientai in WWE. The Blue World Order was incredibly wacky and tongue-in-cheek, but surprisingly straight-forward in an odd way. They were an out-and-out parody of WCWs New World Order, but beyond the parody, the bWo and its members forged their own path and gained popularity on their own merits. Shortly after the high of main-eventing ECWs Barely Legal 97, Big Stevie Cool suffered a neck injury and announced his retirement. Shockingly, Richards then showed up on WCW television alongside Raven. Despite Nova and Meanie continuing to tag together in ECW, the bWo faded. They had a short, but entertaining run in ECW. However, that was not to be the final end for the bWo. After WWEs original ECW One Night Stand event in 2005, due to a legitimate scuffle between John Bradshaw Layfield and the Blue Meanie -- which left Meanie bloodied -- the Blue World Order was resurrected and brought to WWE television. After a short feud between Meanie and JBL, and a six-man tag match between the group and the Mexicools, the bWo was gone. Richards and Nova returned to their previous gimmicks in WWE, while Meanie was let go. The group still lives to this day, making sporadic appearances on the indies and even in TNA during its Hardcore Justice 2010 pay-per-view. Despite being a parody and a downright wacky concept, the bWo have left their mark in wrestling history.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
