Top 5 NWO Moments

Thanks to @AjayParmarr on Twitter, who suggested I do a Top 5 moments of the New World Order.

Ah yes, the NWO, the faction that led the charge for WCW’s rise in the Internet, and beat the WWE in the Monday night ratings for 84 weeks in a row. The NWO was the WCW equivalent of one Stone Cold Steve Austin—a collective with an attitude, but you loved it.

5. The Boss Joins the Team

No. 5 on my Top Five moments of the NWO is when Eric Bischoff donned the black and white. It’s one thing when the most powerful wrestlers join a team.. it’s another when the boss does. This move worked perfectly and Bischoff, to his credit, played the part very well.

4. Goldberg Wins the Big One

No. 4 on my Top 5 NWO moments is the night Goldberg defeated Hulk Hogan for the WCW title at the Georgia Dome in front of over 40,000 people.

Love him or hate him, Goldberg’s undefeated streak was compelling, and it was huge when he pinned Hogan 1-2-3.

And of course after the match, Goldberg chanted FEED... ME... MORE... wait, that’s not right.

3. NWO vs. Sting

In the middle of my Top 5 NWO moments is the NWO’s rivalry with Sting. This, in my opinion, is one of the best rivalries in pro wrestling history.

Sting didn’t talk or step into the ring for a very long time (he even changed his look resembling The Crow), so when he finally faced Hogan at Starrcade 1997, it was a huge deal.

2. Scott Hall Crashes 'The Competition'

The runner-up in my Top Five NWO moments was the very first NWO moment: Scott Hall interrupts a match between Mike Enos and Steve Doll live on Nitro, grabs a mic and the wrestling world is confused.

Hall did a terrific job of blurring the lines and actually making you believe for a split second that he was sent by WWE to infiltrate the competition.

This, of course, was before the Internet explosion in terms of wrestling spoilers and rumors, and if you weren't reading dirt sheets, it was a pretty good scenario.

1. The Heel Turn Heard Around the World

Without a doubt the biggest moment in the history of the NWO was the night HulkaMania was put on the shelf and “Hollywood” was born.

After a decade of being the biggest good guy in pro wrestling, Hogan turned on the fans at the 1996 Bash at the Beach and the NWO was born.

It was such a big deal that mainstream news and sports telecasts picked up the story!

If you have a Top 5 suggestion follow and tweet me @arda_ocal