Scott Hall, the actor best known for playing “Razor Ramon” in the WWF, made his now-famous “You Want a War” speech on May 27, 1996, during a live broadcast of WCW Monday Nitro. The New World Order, also known as the nWo, a heel faction, was subsequently established as a result of this.

Thanks in large part to its founding members, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hollywood Hogan, the nWo was the most “over” act in professional wrestling in the mid- to late ’90s. However, the group’s effectiveness diminished over time as a result of adding too many people and going through too many iterations.

It was fittingly sentimental to travel back in time to rank the most significant nWo members since Scott Hall’s passing in March 2022. You’ll probably be shocked by how many people the faction once included that you had completely forgotten about.

15 – Lex Luger

When Lex Luger joined the nWo, he was already a fairly well-known figure. He frequently performed with Sting, a favorite of the audience, and was renowned for his impressive bodybuilder’s physique. He was a major face in WCW and even had distinctive blonde hair, so his defection to the group was comparable to Hogan’s.

Since Luger joined the nWo’s Wolfpac faction, his heel turn was not entirely complete. Even though he gave the group more muscle, he was never quite at home. He didn’t quite pull off the edgy turn as well as Hollywood and didn’t really look right next to Scott Hall or Konnan.

14 – Vincent

Under the name Virgil, Vincent had a lengthy career supporting Ted Dibiase in the WWF. Although he didn’t have many notable matches, he made a lot of appearances. The character Vincent was named after Vince McMahon, the proprietor of WCW’s rival company, who joined WCW as a member of the nWo.

For the most part, Vincent treated Dibiase the same way he treated the nWo. He was a groupie who showed up as an extra friend to give the group a more intimidating appearance. He did take part in some less important matches, but more frequently he served as a valet for the big names. Although he wasn’t the nWo’s leading man, he always seemed to be present.

13 – Curt Hennig

Before joining WCW, Curt Hennig had a successful career as a wrestler in the WWF. He was a skilled wrestler who competed against the nWo before joining the fabled “Four Horsemen” stable. The union made sense because Hennig was primarily a face and because the Horsemen were well-liked, but when they faced the nWo, everything changed.

Midway through the match, Hennig betrayed the Horsemen by slamming Ric Flair’s head in the door and handcuffing them to the cage. Hennig had successfully earned his place in the nWo. But with too many people on the roster at that point, he was never able to find a real place in the group. Hennig eventually ended up on the nWo’s B-team before being expelled.

12 – Buff Bagwell

Marcus Bagwell achieved success in the WCW by playing on several championship tag teams. Later, he collaborated with Scotty Riggs to create “The American Males.” Bagwell betrayed Riggs and joined the nWo under the guise of the “Buff,” which included flexing and staring into the camera.

Together with fellow nWo member Scott Norton, Bagwell formed the tag team “Vicious and Delicious.” Later, Buff collaborated with Scott Steiner in an assault on Rick Steiner’s brother during which Bagwell’s neck was broken. Months after suffering an injury, Bagwell came back to help Steiner once more before the two eventually joined the Wolfpac.

11 – Dennis Rodman

Like other celebrities over the years, basketball player Dennis Rodman was brought into WCW to increase ratings. But Rodman was unique because he had just won three straight NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and was the ideal partner for the wildly successful nWo. Rodman started out as a tag-team partner with Hollywood Hogan and wrestled as himself.

Rodman participated in a small number of matches, but they were all highly publicized. He frequently shared the stage with Hogan and occasionally went up against Karl Malone, another prominent NBA player. Rodman increased the nWo’s cool factor and broadened its appeal to other influential sports fans.

10 – Sting

In WCW, Sting was a fan favorite. He had previously altered his persona, going from being vivacious to brooding and still maintaining his position as the organization’s face. He was a key figure in the WCW who consistently spoke out against the nWo. He initially refused when the nWo asked him to join the dark side, but one day he gave in.

Sting rose to prominence as a leader of the nWo’s Wolfpac faction. In order to compete with the original nWo, he changed his face paint to red and black, improved his persona, and joined forces with the small but effective group. One of the nWo’s most well-known figures, Sting gave the Wolfpac genuine legitimacy.

9 – Konnan

Although Konnan wasn’t the biggest star in WCW, his popularity had recently started to increase around the time the nWo debuted. He was good at energizing crowds and had a hip-hop act that younger audiences could enjoy while still being edgy. Konnan was a “bad boy,” but he was good at entertaining the crowd.

As an nWo member, Konnan blended in seamlessly. He was more active than some of the bigger names in the group and represented them in numerous smaller matches. Even though many of the members were older, Konnan added some coolness and made the group appear younger. When the nWo split and fought Hogan’s “Hollywood” faction, Konnan sided with the Wolfpac.

8 – Macho Man Randy Savage

When he joined WCW, Macho Man was a well-known figure from the WWF. He was popular with the audience and prosperous as both a face and a heel. Savage was one of the more well-known figures to resist the nWo invasion when it began. He and others engaged the nWo in combat, but they frequently lost the battle.

After going missing for a while, Macho Man came back to join the nWo. He fought with Diamond Dallas Page, a face who was opposed to the group, for more than a year. Prior to leaving the nWo to join Hogan’s rival Wolfpac, Savage won the title belt there. He was one of the group’s more well-known members and undoubtedly attracted older fans’ attention.

7 – Scott Steiner

Along with his brother Rick, Scott Steiner was a member of the well-known and prosperous tag team The Steiner Brothers. They frequently played the “good guys” and won multiple championships. Steiner underwent a transformation and used the new appearance and behavior to help him join the nWo.

Steiner betrayed his brother to join the nWo after breaking out on his own. He went by the moniker “Big Poppa Pump,” was noticeably more muscular than he had previously been, and had bleached blonde hair. As an enforcer for the nWo, Steiner gained notoriety by taking the side of the villain. After Hogan left, he eventually took over as the group’s leader.

6 – “Trillionaire” Ted Dibiase

Ted DiBiase was a former wrestler and manager for the WWF. Although he wasn’t past his prime, injuries prevented him from donning the tights once more. He joined the nWo early, becoming WCW’s fourth member, and declared he would be the group’s financial backer and spokesperson.

He had previously played the “Million Dollar Man,” but in the nWo he was jokingly called “Trillionaire Ted.” He managed the initial core group for a few months. When Eric Bischoff joined the nWo, he assumed a similar role, which left Dibiase without a goal and led to his departure.

5 – Syxx

In the WWF, Syxx competed as 1-2-3 Kid. He left to join his friends “The Outsiders” in the nWo during the conflict between the WWF and WCW. He was known as Syxx because, in a sense, he was the sixth member to join the group and had the ideal edgy appearance to fit the group’s persona.

Syxx frequently appeared alongside Hall and Nash in tag-team matches and in a few smaller matches as the nWo representative. Syxx was thrilling as one of the nWo’s few high-flying wrestlers, but President Eric Bischoff abruptly fired him from WCW. Bischoff and “The Outsiders” developed a tense relationship after his dismissal.

4 – Eric Bischoff

Before becoming a bad guy, Eric Bischoff was basically WCW’s Vince McMahon. In the WWF, Vince was popular. Bischoff was a financial backer, commentator, and ultimately the president of WCW. Even though he played the part of the boss you love to hate, he supported WCW in its fight against the nWo invasion.

Bischoff made the decision to join the nWo shortly after it got going, though. He tended to stay out of the ring and instead served as their spokesperson and manager. He frequently made appearances alongside Hollywood Hogan and was present for some high-profile celebrity matches. Bischoff was a vital member of the original nWo and contributed something businesslike to the crew.

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3 – Hollywood Hogan

For many years, Hulk Hogan served as the face of wrestling and was a huge star. As “The Outsiders” teamed up with Hogan, a hero to millions, and turned him into a villain, the nWo was born. They suddenly rose to the top of the wrestling hierarchy and started a long-lasting cultural phenomenon.

Hogan had never before turned heel, so the moment was startling at first and went on to become one of the most enduring in wrestling history. Hogan and the nWo helped make being bad cool eventually. Hogan eventually became the nWo’s leader and was unquestionably its most well-known member. He remained a heel after the original group split and eventually joined the well-liked Wolfpac. He was a constant in the original group.

2 – Kevin Nash

A well-known figure in WCW, Kevin Nash made a highly visible transition from the WWF to it. When Nash joined WCW, he and Scott Hall were planning to form “The Outsiders” and battle everyone there. He was one of the three founding members of the nWo and was always the bad guy.

The big man in the nWo was Kevin Nash, later known as “Big Sexy”. He was intimidating because he was taller than everyone else, standing at 6’10”. In order to fight the original nWo, Nash eventually split from it and founded the nWo Wolfpac. Nash was not only one of the nWo’s original members, but after his departure, the group disbanded.

1 – Scott Hall

Prior to joining WCW and the nWo, Scott Hall went by the name “Razor Ramon.” He entered WCW as a rebellious outsider who declared war on it right away. On Nitro, he made his debut as the original New World Order alongside Kevin Nash, his tag partner, and the new “Hollywood” Hogan.

The new group stunned the wrestling community and sparked a movement that increased the popularity and visibility of villains. Hall established the group’s aesthetic by going without shaving, sporting long hair, and frequently donning a banana on his head. Although he wasn’t the member with the most physical prowess, he undoubtedly had the most attitude. He was a classic heel.