The nWo changed professional wrestling forever and helped WCW dominate the ratings war during one of the hottest periods in wrestling history. Even with all of its success, Eric Bischoff now says there is one major thing he wishes had been done differently.
During a recent episode of 83 Weeks, a fan asked Bischoff if there was anything he would change about the nWo if he could go back and do it all over again. Bischoff didn’t hesitate with his answer. He explained that his biggest regret wasn’t how the faction was presented or who was involved. Instead, he believes the storyline never received the ending it needed.
“Of course. Of course. Um I would have had a I would have had an ending. Not a better ending, just an ending. Cuz just an ending would have been a better ending, right? Of course. And we can talk about all the reasons why, and none of it matters. We’ve covered it before. But of course, if there was one thing I could, you know, go back and change history and and things like that, it would be to be able to come up and and be focused on coming up with a really, really good end of that story, so that we could begin another one.”
Bischoff’s comments echo a criticism many wrestling fans have had for years. While the nWo became one of the most successful factions in wrestling history, the angle continued evolving without a definitive conclusion before WCW eventually folded.
The conversation then shifted to when the nWo should have actually ended. Looking back with decades of hindsight, Bischoff believes the company should have pulled the trigger much sooner. When asked whether 1999 or 2000 would have been the right time, Bischoff immediately chose 1999 before suggesting an even earlier date.
“’99. Or even as early as ’98. If the idea is to end one story so that you’re launching into another, just like a series, completely different storyline, shifting of characters, new character here or there, but an entirely different arc. I mean, it’s it should go like this. The arc is going it’s going it’s going boom, this one stops and this one starts, right? You want to just a constant continuation of story. And I think ending it in ’98 would have been would have been better than ’99.”
According to Bischoff, ending the nWo in 1998 or 1999 would have allowed WCW to transition into a completely new major storyline instead of continuing to rely on the same concept year after year.
Nearly 30 years after the faction first shocked the wrestling world, Bischoff’s comments offer a rare look at one of the biggest “what if” scenarios in wrestling history. While the nWo remains one of the most influential acts ever created, Bischoff believes its legacy could have been even stronger if it had received a definitive ending before WCW moved on to its next chapter.
What do you think? Should WCW have ended the nWo in 1998 or 1999, or did the storyline still have more life left in it? Let us know in the comments and share your thoughts.
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