When The nWo arrived on the pro wrestling scene in 1996, they were a complete game-changer. The group was unlike any other that had previously been seen in pro wrestling. They boasted two former World Champions and at the time, the record holder for most WWE Intercontinental Championship reigns. Additionally, The nWo just oozed coolness.
As far as talking ability, the group had three of the absolute best talkers in the business at the time. Anytime a microphone was in the hands of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, or Hollywood Hogan, something epic was about to be said. During their run, The nWo as a whole had some iconic and memorable quotes.
10 Kevin Nash: "I Think That Gravity Worked Against You There, Big Guy"
Having a big intimidating presence is key for any successful faction in pro wrestling. For The nWo, that guy was Kevin Nash. When the group eventually recruited The Giant, they officially had two big men to handle business. However, in time, The Giant would grow tired of taking orders and decide to leave the group.
A feud with fellow big man, Kevin Nash would ensue. At Souled Out 1998, Nash and The Giant would face off one-on-one. The gruesome highlight of the match was a botched Jack Knife Powerbomb by Nash that almost seriously injured The Giant. In true heel fashion, Nash used the incident to coin a classic phrase. "I think that gravity worked against you there, big guy."
9 "Whether You Like It Or You Don't, Learn To Love It, Cause It's The Best Thing Going Today"
With a history as long and as rich as pro wrestling's, it's pretty difficult to find an idea that hasn't been tried before. Catchphrases sometimes fall under the same category. When The nWo arrived in WCW, there was an incumbent stable already there, The Four Horsemen. Unfortunately for The Horsemen, The nWo would take over their territory without much resistance.
Furthermore, The nWo would start laying claim to a phrase that was often used by Ric Flair and The Horsemen. Various members of the villainous nWo could often be heard saying "Whether you like it or you don't, learn to love it, cause it's the best thing going today."
8 Hollywood Hogan: "The Biggest Icon In Professional Wrestling"
By the late 80s, Hulk Hogan had become the biggest mainstream attraction in the history of pro wrestling. By the 90s, he truly was pro wrestling's biggest icon. During his time in WWE though, while Hogan was still playing the babyface role, he would never acknowledge the fact. However, by the time he turned heel in WCW, all bets were off.
As his "Hollywood" alter ego, the metaphorical shackles were off Hogan. As a result, he and Eric Bischoff would repeatedly refer to Hogan as "The Biggest Icon In Professional Wrestling." It was quite the proclamation but Hogan was one of the few performers in the business who could get away with it.
7 Scott Hall: "You Started It, We Gonna Finish It"
The nWo storyline kicked off in WCW with a simple one-man invasion. For weeks, Scott Hall terrorized WCW Monday Nitro, interrupting matches and calling out competitors. Eventually, Hall directed his attacks at WCW's announce team, specifically, Eric Bischoff. On the 6/3/1996 episode of Nitro, Hall found his way to the announce desk and started verbally attacking Bischoff.
Before Sting arrived at the scene to confront Hall, the former Razor Ramon spoke some memorable words to Bischoff, "You started it, we gonna finish it." Naturally, Bischoff wondered who "we" was exactly. One week later, Hall would return but this time he wouldn't be alone.
6 Kevin Nash: "Money, Power, Fame, & Now, Our Own Corporation"
When The nWo first formed, nobody could've predicted just how iconic the group would become. One of the first hurdles the group encountered though was how to cut updated promos that stood out from the crowd. This was particularly difficult for Hogan who had grown used to the antiquated, over-the-top way of cutting promos from the previous era.
Eventually, though, the group found a fresh and creative way to cut promos. Their pre-taped promos would be presented as public service announcements and be aired in black and white. This gave them a gritty feel. During the group's very first public service announcement, Nash would drop a pretty memorable line about the group, "Money, power, fame, and now, our own corporation."
5 Kevin Nash: This Is Where The Big Boys Play, Huh? Look At The Adjective. We Don't 'Play.'"
Scott Hall's initial invasion of WCW in the summer of 1996 was nothing short of a dream scenario for pro wrestling fans. For years, hardcore fans fantasized about a cross-promotional war between WWE and WCW. When Hall was joined by Kevin Nash shortly after, it only added fuel to the fire.
Nash's appearance reinforced the theory that WWE was invading WCW. It was a brilliant tactic. During Nash's first night in the company, he dropped a line on Eric Bischoff that has become infamous, mainly for its grammatical error. "This is where the big boys play, huh? Look at the adjective. We don't 'play.'"
4 "Too Sweet"
Sometimes in pro wrestling, the littlest things can become the biggest phenomenon. There's perhaps a no bigger example of that than the catchphrase "Too Sweet" and its corresponding hand gesture. During the 90s, the phrase and gesture became closely associated with Shawn Michaels and The Kliq. When Kliq members, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash jumped to WCW, it didn't symbolize a break up of The Kliq, rather an expansion.
While in WCW, Hall and Nash popularized "Too Sweet" more than ever before. Soon, the phrase became synonymous with The nWo. Since then, the phrase and hand gesture were also adopted by the wildly popular Bullet Club and their sub-faction, The Elite.
3 Hulk Hogan: "You Can Call This The New World Order Of Wrestling, Brother"
At Bash At The Beach 1996, perhaps the most unthinkable and shocking storyline in wrestling history played out before millions of fans. "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan turned his back on WCW and all his little Hulkamaniacs to join forces with The Outsiders. Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash would form The New World Order and the wrestling business would never look back.
Just moments after Leg Dropping "Macho Man" Randy Savage, multiple times, Hogan was approached by "Mean" Gene Okerlund for some comments. During that interview, Hogan dropped the iconic words that would give the group its name. "You can call this The New World Order of wrestling, Brother" Just like that, the business was changed forever.
2 Scott Hall: "You People. You Know Who I Am, But You Don't Know Why I'm Here"
During the early 90s, Razor Ramon became one of the most popular characters in WWE. Fans were very drawn to "The Bad Guy" and the machismo he oozed. In 1996 however, the man behind the iconic character, Scott Hall, received an offer from WCW that was simply too good to pass up. Hall wasn't the first or last top WWE star to jump ship to WCW, but he was arguably the most important.
On the 5/27/1996 episode of WCW Monday Nitro, Scott Hall jumped the barricade, climbed in the ring, and spoke possibly the most important words of his career. "You people. You know who I am, but you don't know why I'm here." The world would soon find out exactly what Hall was there for.
1 "nWo 4 Life"
The nWo often deviated from traditional wrestling narratives. One particular way that they differed from traditional wrestling heels was the fact that they were undeniably cool. Sure, some of the older guys would occasionally fall back into their 80s schtick but overall, the group had an aura of coolness. The main contributors to that coolness were Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.
In fact, Nash can be credited for coming up with perhaps the most iconic nWo catchphrase ever. Nash claims to have been inspired by a Mack 10 lyric. Regardless, once Nash introduced it, the phrase "Once you're nWo, you're nWo 4 Life" was used by the entire group. Hollywood Hogan in particular was fond of the line. Much like "Too Sweet," "4 Life" had a hand gesture to go along with it too.