WCW: 6 Innovations Eric Bischoff Did To Change Wrestling

2. The New World Order Storyline

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWv3tlgh6ek The formation of the New World Order in WCW in 1996 was the best storyline that WCW ever did. I don't think there's even a question about that. It's the storyline that really propelled WCW to that next level that put them in position to move ahead of WWE for a couple of years. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash came over in the spring of 1996. Then at the Bash at the Beach event in July 1996, a third man joined the group: Hulk Hogan. A heel Hulk Hogan wasn't something wrestling fans were used to seeing since he became the biggest face in wrestling in the early 1980s so when Hogan joined the group it really gave WCW a lot of momentum. Those NWO shirts were everywhere. I had one. If you were watching wrestling at that time you probably had one too. They were also a cool group with those videos that were "paid for by the NWO" and shot in black & white, which were the colors of the original NWO. The idea was this group was there to take over WCW. Once Bischoff joined the group, it gave them office power to go along with the in-ring talent and it wasn't until Sting beat Hogan in December 1997 at Starrcade until the NWO started to slow down. Even that angle, which was an easy one to tell, should have been booked better. Like a lot of things in WCW, they really didn't know how to end the story. The NWO turned into multiple factions with the NWO Black & White going up against the NWO Black & Red with what felt like half the roster being in one of the groups. The whole point of the group was that they were going to take over WCW, not incorporate so many stars from it. With all of that said, Bischoff didn't completely come up with the idea on his own. He thought of it after something similar was done by New Japan Pro Wrestling. Some fans may discredit him for "Stealing" an idea, but is anything in wrestling ever that original idea? I'd like to think Bischoff perfected the angle. Look at all the money they made from it. They obviously did it right.