Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently discussed the downfall of the NWO on his 83 Weeks Podcast and shared his thoughts on why he wouldn’t have tried to recreate the group in WCW 2.0 if he had purchased the promotion.
Bischoff stated, “The idea with the new WCW 2.0 was to have a completely fresh new brand, and I wouldn’t have gone. I may have gone down the road, but initially, no. There was no thought in my head about, ‘Hey, if we buy this thing, I’m gonna bring the NWO back.’ I would’ve fought against it.”
He also discussed how the NWO revolutionized merchandise sales for WCW. Before the NWO, WCW merchandise sales were abysmal, but the group’s popularity changed that. Bischoff clarified that the decision to split the NWO into factions like the Wolf Pack or LWO was driven by storytelling rather than merchandise considerations.
Bischoff acknowledged that one of the factors that led to the dissolution of the NWO was the introduction of Warrior to WCW. Bringing in Warrior diverted attention from the NWO storyline and caused creative issues. Bischoff admitted that it was a mistake and took the focus away from what they were doing at the time.
Recreating the success of the NWO proved to be a challenge. Bischoff explained that if they were to bring it back, they would have needed to let enough time pass for nostalgia to develop. He compared it to looking at a 2021 car and calling it a classic; it needs to be away for a while to evoke nostalgia. Bischoff also criticized the ill-conceived NWO invasion of WWE, stating that it was more desperation than anything else.
It’s interesting to hear Bischoff’s perspective on the downfall of the NWO and his thoughts on why he wouldn’t have recreated the group in WCW 2.0. Despite the tremendous success of the NWO, Bischoff believed in creating a fresh brand rather than relying on past glory.
For the full interview, you can listen to the 83 Weeks Podcast.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Wrestling Headlines for the transcription.