10 Wrestling Pay-Per-Views That Tried Something... Different

6. WCW Souled Out 1997

NWO Souled Out
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At Bash At The Beach 1996, the wrestling world was shaken to its core when Hulk Hogan dropped the leg on morality and formed the New World Order. The nWo gave the wrestling business a much-needed shot in the arm and took WCW to new heights, pushing the WWF to get more creative with its counter-programming.

To test the popularity of the group, WCW ran Souled Out in January 1997; a show themed around and hosted by the nWo. In kayfabe, the nWo had total control over this show; every match was "nWo vs WCW"; nWo members Eric Bischoff and Ted DiBiase were on commentary; the nWo's personal referee, Nick Patrick, officiated every single match on the card. It was a total takeover that was also, sadly, a total flop.

The PPV absolutely bombed. The matches had very little heat to them, the constant nWo presence felt overwhelming, and the main event ended in a DQ which is never a good sign. Whilst there would be nWo vs WCW matches again, this was the only Pay-Per-View to solely feature that kind of bout. "Too Sweet" this was not.

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Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.