Cook’s Top 5: NWO Hall of Fame Snubs

The NWO is headed for the WWE Hall Of Fame, which means Steve Cook is here with your biggest snubs!

We all knew the New World Order would enter the WWE Hall of Fame one of these years.

Once factions became fair game for induction, the NWO had to be in the mix. With all due respect to the Four Horsemen, DX, Planet Jarrett & all the other tremendous wrestling groups over the years, none of them have had the impact on a wrestling company that the NWO had on World Championship Wrestling. The NWO took WCW to the top of the wrestling world. Sting didn’t do that. Ric Flair didn’t do that. The NWO did.

I always hoped that whenever the NWO got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, we would see every single member of the group over the years hit the stage. Of course, we wouldn’t get to see the likes of Big Bubba, Curt Hennig & Rick Rude, but certainly there would be time for Buff Bagwell, Scott Norton, Michael Wallstreet & other folks to stand in the background while the stars talked. Just like the old days.

Nope. WWE is being very specific about the NWO members they’re inducting. To be fair, it’s tough to argue against Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash & Sean Waltman being four of the most important NWO members. But leaving the rest out of the Hall of Fame seems like poopycock to me. The New World Order has a vast number of important members that need to be honored at these proceedings. And yes, I use the word “has” because when you’re NWO, you’re NWO 4-Life!

Here are the Top 5 NWO Hall of Fame Snubs.

5. Nick Patrick

Every heel organization looking to take over a pro wrestling company needs a referee they can trust during matches. Somebody that’s watching their backs & not taking orders from their bosses like feeble yes-men. That’s why the NWO got themselves a referee that wouldn’t take any crap from anybody. Patrick was a former second-generation wrestler, son of the infamous Masked Assassin. The sport was in his blood, and he knew how to handle himself.

Patrick gets bonus points for working an entire PPV event (NWO Souled Out 1997) with no help from other referees.

4. Vincent

When the NWO needed a Head of Security, money man Ted DiBiase knew exactly who to call. Sure, he & Virgil had a bit of a falling out after a lengthy wrestler/bodyguard relationship, but DiBiase still recognized Soul Train’s ability to do the job. So the deal was made, and Vincent joined some of his former WWF associates in the New World Order. He specialized in ringside appearances & took part in more attacks than matches, but you always need guys like that in your group.

Vincent was truly NWO 4 Life, winding up one of the longest-serving members of the group. He was still representing the Black & White from time to time on the indies in the 2000s. When you’re talking about NWO Legends, Vincent has to be in the conversation. Plus, the Hall of Fame speech that Virgil/Vincent/Soul Train Jones would lay on us would be one of the greatest Hall of Fame speeches in history. You can’t deprive us of this, WWE. You just can’t.

3. Konnan

K-Dogg brought a different dimension to the NWO. While guys like Hogan & Nash trying to act like the younger demographic didn’t really work, Konnan had a coolness about him that translated. He was a key part of making the Wolfpac the easy choice as fan favorites in the NWO split storyline, with his singalong catchphrases & hip-hop influenced personality that fans could get behind.

Behind the scenes, Konnan was the man that brought WCW an array of luchadores that he had worked with in AAA & other promotions. He gets slept on as one of the most influential guys of the 1990s, but it’s tough to say if American audiences get introduced to the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr. & Juventud Guerrera if not for Konnan.

2. Scott Steiner

Scott had already had a tremendous career before joining the NWO in early 1998. He & his brother Rick formed one of the greatest tag teams of the decade. He popularized the Frankensteiner/Hurricanrana. But it was turning heel & falling under the wing of the NWO that took Scott to the next level in his development. This was when he became Big Poppa Pump, a true main event personality. The mullet & multi-colored singlets that Scott were known for never saw the light of day again. Now, Steiner was all about his freaks & his peaks & he had the hook-up.

Steiner isn’t on the best of relations with WWE. Triple H has been able to mend a lot of fences over the years, but many of Steiner’s problems with WWE involved Triple H directly. So we’ll see. He’s certainly deserving of induction into the Hall of Fame, whether as a singles star, a tag team star with Rick, or as part of the NWO.

1. Eric Bischoff

Say whaaaaa?

How was Easy E not included to begin with? When you think of the original version of the NWO, Bischoff immediately comes to mind. He was perfect in the role of evil Executive Vice President that hung out with his friends & held everybody else down to the detriment of the company. Possibly because it wasn’t really a “role”…some will say he was totally working the sheets, but either way it made for really good television. You can say a lot of things about Eric, good & bad, but one thing everybody can agree on is that he was a key figure in making the NWO the evil organization it was.Oh, and of course he was kind of important in coming up with the idea too.

I don’t know how much he managed to piss people off in his most recent WWE run, but this seems like an obvious oversight. You can’t honor the NWO without mentioning Eric Bischoff.