Quote:
Originally Posted by Vito Cruz
While Goldberg losing at Starrcade as he did didn't hault his momentum because he got screwed over, the nWo merger that followed made little sense. I remember the "new Wolfpac" (Hogan, Hall, Nash, Luger, Steiner) cutting a promo after the merger basically saying that they were unified all along and it was all part of a master plan.
So in kayfabe, the nWo felt it would be best to split into 2 different factions and feud with each other for months on end including Hall and Nash having a blood feud...for what? To lull WCW into a false sense of security? Hogan was the champion when the factions split, why the fuck not just stay as one massive group? lol
Obviously, now that I know about the business it was clear they were just trying to get the belt back on Hogan in the most underhanded way possible and, apparently, Hogan wanted to wear red and black because the Wolfpac merch was selling better than the classic nWo stuff. But even as a 10 year old at the time I could tell how non-sensical the storyline was. It was basically WCW saying that everything with the nWo between April 1998 and the merger meant absolutely nothing.
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The issue for me was that it seemed (and Bischoff and Hall in particular come across this way even today) that they just didn't want to let go of the NWO storyline for better or for worse. Sure it was probably one of the most controversial and captivating storylines in pro-wrestling history but it had run its course and no amount of reviving or rehashing the faction was going to do any good.
In hindsight I can understand Bischoff and Nash, Hall, Hogan etc's perspectives in wanting to continue something that was so good and well received but that was part of the problem with WCW: beyond the NWO they had nothing that was memorable or compelling. If anything Crow Sting and Goldberg only succeeded because of the fact they were duelling with the NWO. Without them dare I say it, nobody would have batted an eyelid.
The NWO dominated every major and minor storyline post 1996 till 2000 be it Sting, Goldberg, the stupid thing with three tier cage, Bret Hart, Jeff Jarrett even the LWO which was meant to be a latino parody of the NWO.
One trick pony.