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It’s not overstating to say the nWo changed the wrestling industry. Before Hulk Hogan turned Hollywood and joined Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in a garbage filled ring, WCW was a wasteland. The Dungeon of Doom was 3 Stooging their way into leg drops and ratings were…there. WCW needed something new, something exciting. They sure got it with the New World Order.

The supposed invasion changed not only WCW, it changed the wrestling business as a whole. Gone were the catoony gimmicks of years past (WWF wouldn’t get this memo until a year later, must have got lost in the mail), the new direction was realism, live action, and real people, not gimmicks. As the nWo gained popularity, it inevitably grew…and grew…and grew to the point that the former 3 man team started looking like an army in an Eastern block country (Lithuania? Is that still a thing?). 3 became 5, 5 became 10, 10 became 30, a NASCAR driver, and Hulk Hogan’s dog.

Eric Bischoff has said many times the ultimate goal of the nWo was to create a viable second brand with its own show and talent roster. And going with that idea, the rapidly swelling numbers made complete sense. But after the failure of nWo Souled Out (January 1997) and nWo Nitro, a pilot episode where the live stage transformation took 20+ minutes, most of which aired, it should have been clear that the proto-brand extension wasn’t going to happen.

But by the time they noticed, the nWo was already 2 limos deep. Eric Bischoff was trying to launch and simultaneously expand the nWo brand, which didn’t happen as he hoped. At this point, it would have been a good time to start making cuts. But it was WCW…so they started ramping up recruitment with more and more people wearing the black and white “bootleg” shirts. Before you knew it, 20+ guys were getting out of multiple limos as the entire nWo arrived to the building for the night’s proceedings. There were the usuals like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Syxx, and the like. But then there were the…less than quality members like Vincent, who has never added anything positive to his surroundings which includes his birth. We all could name more than a few nWo members who were not only unnecessary, they were outright gratuitous. And that’s what I’m going to do here. Here is my list of the most unnecessary nWo members.

Note: This list has a very specific focus concerning the 30+ members of the original nWo faction and does not include nWo Wolfpac, nWo 2000, nWo Japan, or the disastrous WWE version which I’m pretty sure gave me cancer. I’m also not including celebrity members like Kyle Petty or Dennis Rodman because, no matter what you think of them, they were in the group for a very specific reason, not to further their (non-existent) wrestling careers.

Dishonorable Mentions

Horace

Horace Hogan was in the nWo because he was Hulk Hogan’s nephew. There, I said it. And that’s about the amount of impact that he made in the group. Moving on.

Louie Spicolli

Louie Spicolli was a definitely unique member of the nWo, being an on screen lackey of Scott Hall for a month before his unfortunate death. Not to take away from Spicolli’s talent as a performer, but his role in the nWo was minimal for obvious reasons.

Stevie Ray

Stevie Ray joined the nWo because…pass. I seriously have no idea why. Although known as one of the last few fighting over leadership of the nWo b-team as late as May 1999, when it was down to Vincent, Brian Adams, and other castoffs, his only actual role in the group was to take the pin in War Games 1998. Prove me wrong.

Now, onto the “top” 10: the worst of the worst

10. Scott Norton

Scott Norton had a lot of promise in WCW. He debuted at the end of the first Nitro and was put over for being a beast, which he was. His first match in WCW was the next week against Macho Man Randy Savage. After a short push and a lackluster run as Fire and Ice with Ice Train (Get it? Because Ice and…yeah, I know), Norton randomly joined the nWo for the age-old reason of “why the hell not?”. As imposing as Norton could be, in the nWo, he just became “Big guy #3” next to The Giant and Kevin Nash, the only two guys in the company actually more imposing than Norton.

9. Dusty Rhodes

Why did Dusty Rhodes join the nWo? I’m seriously asking, because to this day I can’t find one earthly reason. The NWA legend joined the group by turning on Larry Zbyszko because reasons. While it was kinda surprising (and not in the good way), all it did was add an overweight aging legend to the nWo, which was bloated like a corpse floating in a river for a few weeks.

8. Big Bubba

I have tremendous respect for Ray Traylor. I really do. His ability to be a solid performer and stay relevant for over a decade across two promotions is impressive. But in the New World Order, he was just another body, a problem the group ran into often. He just wasn’t necessary for the group to the point that when he disappeared from the ranks, few realized he was gone until he came back to TV as Mr. McMahon’s personal security. He had a much bigger role in The Corporation than he ever did in the nWo.

7. nWo Sting

On paper the nWo Sting saga was a good idea. The growing faction was in its infancy and used a doppelganger to make Lex Luger and company think Sting had joined the rebellious group. The whole charade was revealed at Fall Brawl 1996 when the real Sting showed up and cleared house. The problem is…they kept using the fake Sting. For years. They had a fake, the fake got revealed, angle over, right? But not in WCW. In WCW, they just kept him in the nWo, as the fake Sting, for years afterward. Most of this time, the group was actively trying to recruit the actual Sting, all while still having the K-Mart Sting on the roster. It doesn’t make any sense, which is exactly why they did it, I guess.

6. Ted Dibiase

How can one of the original nWo members be unnecessary? The answer is: he was made that way. To understand how “Trillionaire Ted” became a footnote, you have to look at the formation of the group. The New World Order was supposed to be an invading group attempting to takeover WCW. This came with paid for TV spots. Who paid for the television time? That’s right, Ted Dibiase, kinda playing off of (but not really, but kinda) his Million Dollar Man persona. The idea was that the nWo was an outside group being helmed by Hulk Hogan and funded by Ted Dibiase, which is why they were on WCW television in the first place. Sounds pretty logical, right? Like more logical than anything in WCW had the right to be? Well, then Eric Bischoff joined as the on-screen (and real life) President of WCW, who would use his position to make things go the group’s way. After Bischoff joined, the nWo was on TV because…they had the WCW President on their side. While it made for some interesting storylines, Bischoff’s inclusion changed Dibiase’s role from “Devious Benefactor” to “Guy who held Hogan’s belt sometimes”.

5. Mr. Wallstreet

Mr. Wallstreet joined the nWo when he was handed a contract by former tag team partner Ted Dibiase. Yup, that’s it. He then went on to be “random guy #23” in the group, resting comfortably between nWo Sting and Kyle Petty (don’t ask). He left the nWo after, and I’m not making this up, his nWo contract was “voided” by WCW Representative JJ Dillon. Because that’s something that could happen, apparently. (I wonder if there were any tax problems?) He went back to being an unknown WCW performer instead of an unknown nWo performer, so…progress?

4. Brian Adams

The former Crush left the WWF during the fallout of the Montreal Screwjob and joined WCW on a live Monday Nitro. They even had him turn on real life friend Bret Hart to join the group. Then…nothing. Adams almost immediately became just another body for Lex Luger/Diamond Dallas Page/Sting/The Giant (in between his own turns in the group) to beat up until the “heavy hitters” like Nash, Hall, and Savage showed up. He stuck around to the bitter end (like “that one guy who fought World War II until the 60’s” bitter), but outside of that, his time in the nWo was nothing special. It says something about your career when being part of Kronik had a better outcome.

3. Vincent

Quick, tell me a memorable Vincent WCW match. Hell, tell me ANY match you remember involving Vincent. Can’t do it, can ya? Of course not. Vincent joined the nWo as “Head of Security” for a group of professional wrestlers who, as a team of 4, could lay waste to an entire promotion on a weekly basis. But I digress. The point is, Vincent’s inclusion in the nWo was indeed pointless. He just took up space and represented the “New York” part of the New World Order equation. He was a former WWF guy, so (something, something, something) he’s in the nWo. Makes as much sense as him being a cowboy, but who would do that? Oh….

2. The Disciple

Ed “Brutus The Barber Beefcake/The Mariner/Brother Bruti/The Butcher/The Zodiac/The Booty Man” Leslie was the first man to “join” the New World Order only to be attacked by the group at Hog Wild in August 1996. Some time later, Leslie would grow a beard, put on some chaps, and join the nWo as The Disciple, the scruffy follower of Hollywood Hogan. Who went on to…be the scruffy follower of Hollywood Hogan (and the Ultimate Warrior). His role in the group? I’ve explained that. His impact? What’s less than zero? Try that.

1. Disco Inferno

The fact that Disco Inferno was ever part of the nWo makes me seriously question the intelligence of anyone who ever worked for WCW. From the main event to the mail room guy, they’re all suspect. Disco Inferno was part of the nWo. Disco Inferno. No matter how many times I type that, it still doesn’t make any sense. Want to know when a concept of a rebel faction staging a hostile takeover has truly jumped the shark? When Disco F’N Inferno is considered a member.

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So there you have it, the 10 Most Unnecessary nWo Members. I hope you enjoyed the list. And if you didn’t, blame Eric Bischoff. Yeah, that’ll do it. Blame him. Did I overlook someone? If you think so, feel free to let me know in the comments.