The National Wrestling Alliance may not have the same recognition as it did back in the day, but its historical value is still widely remembered in the wrestling world. So much so that NWA continues to operate as they currently hold PPV events and weekly shows. With that said, the NWA may not have the same mainstream recognition during Monday Night Wars as WWE and WCW, but the wrestling organization did manage to form a deal with the WWE as it was getting hot in mid-1998.
NWA In The 1990s
In the late-1990s, professional wrestling was becoming a mainstream powerhouse in the United States, with both WWE and WCW going head-to-head on primetime cable television. With wrestlers like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock becoming one of the biggest celebrities in the 90s, the wrestling industry boomed as it became the norm in American society. And because the wrestling industry was heating up, both companies tried to outdo each other by going beyond the limit.
The NWA organization was nowhere near the popularity level of WWE and WCW in the 1990s. However, the NWA at least made its presence known in the 1990s decade. Even before their working relationship with the WWE, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship got defended at ECW events, as it's also worth noting that ECW was originally NWA: Eastern Championship Wrestling during its early years.
The NWA Led By Jim Cornette
Fast-forward to the late 1990s, during the WWE's launch of the Attitude Era, the WWE and NWA agreed that the company would be utilizing the brand of NWA. WWE's use of NWA later became a storyline that Jim Cornette would be leading a faction called The NWA.
During a January 1998 episode of Monday Night Raw, the NWA North American Championship was on the line for a match between Barry Windham and Jeff Jerrett. With the NWA promoters sitting at ringside during the time, as being invited by Jim Cornette, Jeff Jerrett captured the NWA North American Championship with the help of Jim Cornette interfering. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson of The Rock n' Roll Express later joined the WWE and associated with Jim Cornette's new faction, to which they were awarded the NWA World Tag Team Championship in the process.
Although The NWA faction was on Monday Night Raw, they didn't get prominently positioned as a crucial part of the show. Even before they disbanded later that year in 1998, The NWA was not pushed hard on the show. They may have succeeded to an extent by winning some NWA championships that WWE recognized, but in the long run, The NWA wasn't as successful as they may hope at first.
Bombastic Bob, also known as Hardcore Holly, and Bodacious Bart later joined The NWA as they took the historic "The Midnight Express" tag-team name. Considering they got to be managed by Jim Cornett, it made sense why both men took The Midnight Express name as it could make the group more appealing to much older wrestling fans. However, it eventually led to nothing much of importance for the group.
It is worth noting that The NWA recruited UFC professional fighter Dan Severn, someone many may not know was in WWE during the early stages of the Attitude Era. Even though he didn't do much, Dan Severn was arguably a perfect addition for The NWA, considering he's a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
What Went Wrong With The NWA Faction?
After WrestleMania 14, The NWA started dwindling. Dan Severn left the group to do his business, and Barry Windham left the entire company to join WCW. After some tensions between The Midnight and The Rock n' Roll Express, it was inevitable that the faction was going nowhere as the group failed to win any WWE-named championship belts.
The group officially disbanded in August 1998 as one of the most forgettable acts of the Attitude Era. Although a faction based on the NWA's legacy may be appealing to some, it's worth mentioning how out of place it was when WWE was thriving as an edgy-television program. The NWA organization is mainly known for its traditional old-school wrestling, which older fans would appreciate, and WWE's Attitude Era promoted adult-oriented programming that appealed to its late-90s fans.
Despite its partnership with WWE, the NWA didn't get the recognition they hoped it did. It shows that even the good things in professional wrestling can be outdated to many fans. However, the NWA organization continues to get massive respect in the wrestling world, regardless of its partnership with WWE in 1998.