10 Wrestling Legends Whose WWE Returns Hurt Their Legacy
5. New World Order
The New World Order coming to WWE should’ve been awesome, but it never stood a chance. Aghast at the thought of sharing his company with Ric Flair, Vince McMahon enlisted the group to “kill his creation”, but they never got off the ground as heels. Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash were celebrated as returning heroes rather than dastardly villains, and they started disintegrating after their very first appearance.
A cornerstone of WCW’s success early in the Monday Night Wars, nWo had become a bloated mess by the end of their run. Endless member changes had seen the group lose everything that made them special, and they couldn’t recover it in WWE. Hulk Hogan soon turned face and left the group after losing to The Rock at WrestleMania X8, and Hall and Nash fell apart shortly after.
Hall was released from his WWE contract following the Plane Ride From Hell just a few months after returning, while Nash, surprise surprise, succumbed to injury. The group was supplemented with the additions of X-Pac, Big Show, Booker T, and Shawn Michaels, but they struggled to make a mark, and gradually drifted apart.
WWE’s nWo revival ended on a whimper, and the brand’s value hit an all-time low. Hogan, to his credit, enjoyed a credible late career run after returning, but Hall and Nash were left embarrassed and disgraced.