They were unpredictable, they were dangerous, and they were cool. The New World Order is by far one of the greatest national wrestling stables ever. They’re explosive entrance into the WCW in 1996 shocked fans all over the wrestling universe. We all bear witness to the moment good guy, Hulk Hogan turned his back on his beloved Hulkamaniacs and sided with wrestling’s bad boys, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

The nWo pinned brother against brother, tore apart tag teams and drove a knife through family bonds. The nWo sparked a period of both fear and excitement. Fans all over the world were left sitting on the edge wondering who was going to turn sides next. Every single week, something new and exciting happened because of the nWo. The wrestling invasion of nWo had fans raving week after week. It single-handedly helped the WCW raise their ratings against WWF in the Monday Night Wars. NWo is largely credited for adding back a mature level to professional wrestling promotions and some say it forced WWF to grow up.

No other wrestling stable has ever come the close to stirring the pot and raising turmoil like the nWo. All good things must come to an end, though, and rifts between original nWo members caused the stable to dramatically split into other incarnations. For a few great years we saw 40 different wrestling greats join the dark side and fight with nWo. It’s been 20 years since nWo was born, what happened to the wrestlers who changed the face of WCW forever?

39 Syxx (X-Pac)

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Sean Waltman, known by his ring names the 1-2-3 Kid and X-Pac, was tied to many of the original members of the nWo years before the group began. Waltman made his WCW appearance in 1996. As a member of the audience, Waltman released some dark nWo propaganda and revealed himself to be the newest member of the villainous group.

Waltman was referred to as Syxx because it was the sum of 1-2-3 Kid and he was the sixth member of nWo. A neck injury in October 1997, forced Syxx out of the ring. During his recovery, Eric Bischoff fired him over his addictions. Waltman returned to the WWF and continues wrestling till this day for independent promotions. In 2013, he joined the WWE’s Legends Program.

38 Vincent (Virgil)

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Michael Jones is best known for his role as Virgil, the bumbling security guard/butler for Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. From 1986 to 1991, Virgil spent most of his time carrying DiBiase’s luggage, fetching things for him and even kissing his feet.

Jones was released from the WWF in 1994 and joined WCW in 1996 as the nWo’s newest member and Head of Security under the name Vincent to make fun of WWF owner Vince McMahon. Jones’ role with nWo was similar to his role as Virgil. He took the beatings and valeted the main members of the group. Jones continued wrestling after nWo, but retired in 2000. He went on to make a few gimmick appearances, but eventually became known as “Lonely Virgil”. In 2015, he started his own GoFundMe account to become the new Million Dollar Man, but it’s only raised $1,200.

37 Scott Hall

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In 1996, Scott Hall, a founding member of the original nWo, announced he would commence an aggressive takeover of WCW. After being joined by Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan a short time later, the nWo was born. Hall was in rehab when the nWo began breaking apart from the inside. When he returned, nWo was split and he sided with Hogan’s nWo Hollywood. Hall joined nWo Wolfpac a few months later and became a founding member of nWo Elite in 1999.

Over the next several years, Hall bounced from promotion to promotion. In 2011, Hall’s life hit rock bottom from addiction and health problems. Diamond Dallas Page helped him get back on track, and now, 58-year-old Hall is a WWE Hall of Famer and in the best shape of his life. To this day, he still makes spontaneous appearances on WWE as Razor Ramon.

36 The Disciple (Brutus Beefcake)

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Ed Leslie’s wrestling career began in 1977 right alongside Hulk Hogan. The pair were billed as brothers, Ed and Terry Boulder and then Dizzy and Hulk Hogan. In 1984, Leslie took on a heel role as Brutus Beefcake for the WWF. Beefcake was a vain, former male stripper who flaunted over-the-top outfits. In 1987, Leslie started his barber gimmick and carried around large scissors to cut hair from his defeated opponents.

A parasailing accident briefly took Leslie out of wrestling, but in 1994, he joined WCW as The Booty Man. He tried to join nWo, but, instead, was viciously attacked by Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Hogan. Leslie returned to the WCW two years later as The Disciple, Hogan’s bodyguard. He turned on Hogan after being brainwashed by Hogan’s nemesis The Warrior. Leslie still maintains a presence in the wrestling universe with spontaneous guest appearances and by hanging onto Hogan’s coattails.

35 Scott Steiner

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Scott Rechsteiner wrestled under the name Scott Steiner with his older brother Rick in WCW. After wrestling for a couple of years with the WWF, the Steiner Brothers returned to WCW in 1996. When nWo formed, the Steiner Brothers openly feuded with The Outsiders and Vicious and Delicious. From 1997 to 1998, Steiner changed his physical appearance by gaining a ton of muscle and growing a goatee. He started fighting with Buff Bagwell over who had the better body and began turning his back on his brother.

In 1998, Steiner joined nWo by completely attacking his brother and proclaiming himself to be “Big Poppa Pump.” He teamed with Buff Bagwell and stayed until nWo completely disbanded. Scott Steiner continued wrestling after nWo for the independent circuit, the WWE, the WWC, TNA and Impact wrestling. Steiner was a terrifying man during his prime and he is no less terrifying today.

34 Kevin Nash

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Kevin Nash became one of the biggest stars of WCW when he left the WWF and created the nWo with Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan. Nash, as his ring name Diesel, left WWF after the WCW offered him a huge contract. He met up with Hall and later Hogan to create the nWo. Overtime, Nash started butting heads with Hogan over control.

During the big split in 1998, Nash created nWo Wolfpac. Members of the group were forced to decide, Nash or Hogan. NWo Wolfpac made their first appearance in May 1998 wearing black shirts with a red nWo logo. After the success of all the nWo incarnations faded away, Nash continued to wrestle with WWE and several other independent promotions. He is also an active actor, appearing in several big movies and television shows and has committed himself to donating his brain to science after he passes.

33 Ted DiBiase

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“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase began his wrestling career in 1975. After officially joining the WWF in 1987, DiBiase worked his way to becoming one of the greatest villains in professional wrestling history. He loved to flaunt his money and demonstrate his immense power by degrading others. Nearly 10 years later, DiBiase started working as a commentator and manager for the WWF. In 1996, DiBiase left the WWF to join WCW and become the fourth member of the nWo.

DiBiase held the role of the groups financier and spokesperson and became referred to “Trillionaire Ted.” Less than a month later, he left the group when WCW President Eric Bischoff put himself in DiBiase’s place. DiBiase continued managing other wrestlers and became a creative consultant and road agent for WWE’s SmackDown! brand. DiBiase still makes the occasional WWE appearances, but dedicates most of his time toward being a Christian minister.

32 Hulk Hogan

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The moment Hulk Hogan joined Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to create the nWo was one of the most shocking storylines in wrestling history. For the first time in 15 years, Hogan became a villainous character. He renamed himself Hollywood Hulk Hogan and defaced the WCW World Heavyweight Championship with “nWo” in black spray paint after defeating The Giant. When the nWo split in 1998, Hogan became leader of nWo Hollywood.

Hollywood Hogan was the center of many controversies until his final WCW departure in 2000. He returned to the WWF venturing back into the original Hulk Hogan we love. Hogan continued wrestling for over a decade more until he was fired by the WWE after being exposed for saying scandalous and racial comments. Hogan has a solid acting career and has been involved in many lawsuits, including one where a private tape was released without permission.

31 The Giant

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Paul Wight II, also known as Big Show, began his wrestling career in WCW as The Giant. In 1995, Wight signed on with WCW, as the son of Andre the Giant. The Giant joined the nWo, citing Ted DiBiase’s money as his main motivation for joining the villainous group. However, after asking Hogan for a World Heavyweight Championship match, the Giant was kicked out of nWo. After the group split, the Giant joined nWo Hollywood to fight Kevin Nash. After the main members of nWo reunited, the Giant became a founding member of nWo Black & White.

Wight rejoined the WWF in 1991 once again as Big Show and became Vince McMahon’s enforcer. He continues to wrestle with the WWE till this day and has held several championship titles. He was written out of WWE for hip surgery but is expected to return for the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018.

30 nWo Sting

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Jeff Farmer started wrestling in 1991 but gained popularity as, his now best-known wrestling persona, nWo Sting in 1996. Farmer was brought in to nWo to mess with Sting. He debuted in September after attacking the real Sting’s longtime ally Lex Luger and initiating one of the most dramatic rifts in WCW.

No one believed Sting when he claimed there was an imposter. However, during the War Games match, nWo Sting was the last man for team nWo and the real Sting showed up for Team WCW proving there was a fake. Farmer’s Sting persona sparked Sting’s evolution into the much darker character and Farmer became more of a joke to the WCW. Farmer moved on and joined nWo Japan and gained more popularity there than in the U.S. Farmer retired from the ring in 2005 and now works as a researcher at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine.

29 Miss Elizabeth

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Arguably one of the very first female icons of WCW, Elizabeth Hulette married “Macho Man” Randy Savage in 1984 and made her first appearance as Miss Elizabeth a year later when Savage announced her as his new manager. Many of Savage’s feuds were centred around other men wanting Elizabeth, including George “The Animal” Steele and Hulk Hogan. After Savage traded Miss Elizabeth for Sensational Sherri, she and Savage divorced in 1992 and she started managing Hogan and Brutus Beefcake.

In 1996, Elizabeth joined nWo appearing with Hogan. As a member of nWo, Elizabeth was involved in questionable schemes, including one where she accused Goldberg of stalking her. She later managed Lex Luger and continued a relationship with Luger after leaving WCW in 2000. In 2003, Luger was arrested for an altercation with Elizabeth. Less than a month later, The Lovely Elizabeth was found unresponsive in their hometown.

28 Eric Bischoff

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Former Executive Producer and President of WCW, Eric Bischoff saw nWo born right before eyes. The organization threatened him and WCW with a “hostile takeover.” After seeing the group’s popularity grow and ratings rise, Bischoff joined the group as an egotistical manager. WCW’s popularity began to drop after the WWF launched their Attitude lineup. WCW started rebranding their older wrestlers, like Hulk Hogan and celebrities, like Dennis Rodman. But, toward the end of 1999, WCW started losing millions of dollars and cut Bischoff.

In 2002, he began working for WWE as the general manager of Raw and fell right back into his arrogant character. He was released in 2006 and started writing a tell-all book. Bischoff briefly worked as the executive producer for TNA. Now, Bischoff has launched his “Indies Rule The World” Network (IRW Network) and is the new co-owner and Director of Operations for Cleveland Knights Championship Wrestling.

27 Buff Bagwell

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WCW Superstar Marcus Bagwell, best known by his ring name Buff Bagwell, joined the nWo in November 1996 after turning his back on his tag team partner Scotty Riggs. He positioned himself to join another tag team with Scott Norton called “Vicious and Delicious.” Bagwell started constantly flexing and loving on himself. In 1998, things changed for Bagwell. He was forced into a wheelchair after being involved in a wrestling move gone bad by Rick Steiner. Bagwell’s neck jammed, and he had severe vertebrae damage.

Bagwell eventually healed up and joined the WWF, in 2001, once they purchased WCW. He was quickly fired though after management received complaints about his attitude and violent outbursts. He continued wrestling in TNA and the independent circuit. Bagwell started making money as a successful male escort and wasn’t embarrassed to share it with the world. He plans on retiring from wrestling in May 2018.

26 Michael Wallstreet

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Mike Rotunda found wrestling through The Destroyer’s inspiration and influence. Rotunda debuted in the WWF in 1984 with his brother-in-law Barry Windham as The U.S. Express until Windham left a year later. In 1991, Rotunda became his most popular wrestling persona in the WWF, Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. He was a tax collector who harassed wrestlers and fans. After things slowed down for Rotunda on WWF, he signed with WCW, in 1995, as V.K. Wallstreet, eventually becoming Michael Wallstreet. A year later, he joined nWo at the offer of Ted DiBiase. He remained a lesser force in the group until he was kicked out for having a running contract with WCW. Rotunda retired from wrestling in 2004 to run a security business with his wife. He now works as a producer/road agent for WWE and his sons are now professional wrestlers Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas.

25 Big Bubba Rogers

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Ray Washington Traylor Jr. is best known as Big Boss man from his time in the WWF. In 1988, Traylor signed with the WWF and held feuds with both Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. After his first WWF contract ran out, he worked shortly in Japan wrestling as Big Bubba. In 1993, he returned and started wrestling for WCW.

Big Bubba Rogers soon joined nWo, but his stay with the growing group was one of the shortest. Eric Bischoff fired him while he was recovering from an injury. When he returned he began feuding with nWo and vowed to destroy Bischoff. After his contract expired, he rejoined WWF as Big Boss Man now sporting a black SWAT uniform, serving as Vince McMahon’s bodyguard. In 2004, at 41-years-old Traylor passed of a heart attack. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.

24 Scott Norton

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The monstrous Scott Norton started his wrestling profession as an arm wrestler. He won over 30 championships in arm wrestling and fans started calling him “Flash.” In 1990, Norton had his first professional wrestling break with New Japan Pro Wrestling and signed on with WCW in 1993. While with WCW, Norton joined forces with The Ice Train to become the tag team duo “Fire and Ice.” Joining nWo in 1996 gave Norton’s wrestling career a purpose again after Fire and Ice split. It was there he teamed up with Buff Bagwell to form “Vicious and Delicious.”

Norton spent much of his time with nWo traveling to compete with nWo Japan. He departed from WCW in 1999 and spent the rest of his wrestling career in Japan and Independent circuits. He wrote a book called, “Scott Norton: Strong Style,” and spends much of his time staying in shape, hunting and fishing.

23 Masahiro Chono

This Japanese wrestler spent the majority of his wrestling career in New Japan Pro Wrestling but made several appearances in the U.S.’s WCW as part of the controversial group, nWo. He largely wrestled under own name, but also went by Kamikaze Chono and Mister Black Jack. Chono was originally a clean, cut fan-favorite in Japan, but after feeling betrayed he turned dark. Chono teamed up with Hiroyoshi Tenzen and Hiro Saito as “Team Wolf,” creating the foundation for nWo Japan.

As the leader of nWo Japan, Chono joined the American version in December 1996 and was also a member of Team 2000. Chono soon returned to Japan, finding even more success. He was the leader of Black New Japan and the Anti-Choshu Army. In 2010, Chono retired from NJPW and became a freelance wrestler. The now 54-year-old Chono continues wrestling to this day.

22 Randy Savage

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“Macho Man” Randy Savage is heavily regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. His flamboyant ring attire and heavy voice was easily recognizable. Much of Savage’s early storyline was centered around protecting his manager and real-life wife Miss Elizabeth, who he divorced in 1992.

In 1994, Savage joined WCW as an enemy to nWo and Hulk Hogan. However, in 1997, Eric Bischoff told Savage his WCW career was over and he could only return if he joined nWo. As a member of nWo, Savage’s feud with Hogan didn’t end. During the big split, Savage joined Nash to form nWo Wolfpac. Savage had a successful acting career during and after his time in wrestling. He married Barbara Payne in 2010, but he sadly passed a year later after suffering a sudden heart attack. Savage was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015 by Hulk Hogan.

21 Dennis Rodman

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Dennis Rodman is a former professional basketball player best known for his years in the NBA and his extremely eccentric lifestyle. During the 1996-1997 NBA season, while playing for the Chicago Bulls, Rodman got involved in a serious altercation with a cameraman where he ultimately kicked the man in the groin. Rodman was hit with an 11-game suspension without pay.

During this time, Rodman entered the professional wrestling world and appeared with Hollywood Hulk Hogan during a match as the newest member of nWo in March 1997. His presence on WCW was unique and involved feuds with fellow NBA star Karl Malone and Randy Savage. Rodman made a couple of other wrestling appearances after nWo, including a stint on Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling show. Life after wrestling for Rodman included strange marriages, cross-dressing, meeting Kim Jong-un, being a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, and several rehab visits.

20 The Great Muta

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Japanese wrestler, Keiji Mutoh is best known for his work as The Great Muta in NJPW during the ‘90s. Mutoh is one of the first Japanese wrestlers to have a huge fan base outside of Japan, and was involved in one of the most intense professional wrestling matches ever, which he fought against Hiroshi Hase. Mutoh was always back and forth on whether to really join nWo Japan or not. It became extra confusing when Mutoh wrestled as The Great Muta for nWo and as himself for NJPW.

After officially joining the group in 1997, Mutoh and Chono dominated the tag team scene in Japan until they started fighting over power of the group. After Chono took a break, Mutoh took on full control until Mutoh’s final defeat by Chono in 2000. Mutoh is the founder of the wrestling promotion Wrestle-1, and runs a sushi restaurant called Dinner 610.