RD a question about Bischoff and the NWO...

[jevman]

I just bought your book "The Death of WCW" and I reluctantly have to put it down since eventually I have to go to sleep. However i do have a question that I was curious about...

I was curious as to if you know if Bischoff ever mentioned where he came up with the idea/got the inspiration for the nWo?

Here’s the part where you laugh and I get pegged as a conspiracy theorist, but back in the day, even before I got back into wrestling, me and a friend got bored for a few days and started to use Prodigy Chat. On there we greeted a group called the "New Order" and we went from chat room to chat room, telling people to join us. Those who didn't join us were treated to us being total immature kids (which we were) and spamming the room and IMing those who opposed us and just causing general chaos. This lasted a few weeks, and like all men under the age of 75, we quickly became bored and went on to more serious crimes.

Probably about a year later my friend who watched wrestling came over and turned on my TV and was like, "you won't believe this". Sure enough, the similarities we're eerie. Even more so we soon learned Bischoff used Prodigy Chat. Obviously as any teenage boy would, we soon took complete credit and sulked at not making $50 million a piece.

Of course even if (big if I’m sure) this was the case I’m sure he would have never said such a thing, but I just have to ask.

And don't worry I won't be offended with a "your on crack" reply. ;D

[Sinestro]

I believe he got if from an angle or sumsuch over in Japan.

[THE Dinobot]

You're on crack, kid.

[Black Swagger]

INTERESTING.........

[obi]

i always thought he was a fan of new order

[stephendame]

NJPW ran an invasion angle in 1995. It was NJPW vs. UWFi. At the time, NJPW and WCW had a working agreement, and were exchanging talent. The two companies also produced the World Wrestling Peace Festival in L.A., and later the massive Pyong Yang Flair vs. Inoki show that drew over 150,000 in North Korea.

Anyway, UWFi was somewhat of a shoot group IIRC, and their stars showed up in NJPW claiming to be tougher. If you watch the tapes, it's move for move the same as the nWo invasion six months later: Right down to the lower case letters in the logo

The two companies had a series of Tokyo Dome shows in late 95 and early 96, centreing around UWFi's Takada vs. NJPW champ Muto. The bad guys even won the belt which was at that time: the most prestigious strap in wrestling.

Bisch knew Inoki and company were on to something, and he knew that a working relationship with Vinnie was out of the question, hence: the illusion of a working relationship and the biggest angle of all time was born.

Here courtesy of Pro Wrestling history, www.prowrestlinghistory.com, are the cards that inspired the nWo:

(check out those gate numbers... remember, this was a time when even the WWF was drawing 1,300 to house shows in their own backyard. It'd be hard not to steal an idea like this in that kind of climate)

Tokyo Dome 10/95
October 9, 1995 in Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Dome drawing 67,000 ($6,100,000)

Tokimitsu Ishizawa & Yuji Nagata (Team NJ) beat Kazushi Sakuraba & Hiromitsu Kanehara (Team UWFi) (10:47) when Ishizawa forced Sakuraba to submit.

Shinjiro Ohtani (NJ) beat Kenichi Yamamoto (UWFi) (7:18) via submission.

Yoshihiro Takiyama (UWFi) beat Takashi Iizuka (NJ) (7:39) via submission.

Naoki Sano (UWFi) pinned Jushin Liger (NJ) (10:14).

Riki Choshu (NJ) beat Yoji Anjoh (UWFi) (4:45) via submission.

Masahito Kakihara (UWFi) beat Kensuke Sasaki (NJ) (9:03) via submission.

Shinya Hashimoto (NJ) beat Tatsuo Nakano (UWFi) (7:20) via submission.

IWGP Champ Keiji Mutoh beat Nobuhiko Takada (UWFi) (16:16) via submission.

Tokyo Dome 4/96
"Battle Formation '96"
April 29, 1996 in Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Dome drawing 65,000 ($5,700,000)

Yuji Nagata & Tokimitsu Ishizawa beat Shinjiro Ohtani & Koji Kanemoto (11:20) when Nagata pinned Kanemoto.

Riki Choshu, Takashi Iizuka, Osamu Nishimura, & Satoshi Kojima beat Shiro Koshinaka, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Tatsutoshi Goto, & Akira Nogami (11:04) when Choshu pinned Nogami.

Great Sasuke pinned Jushin Liger (19:27) to win the IWGP Junior Hvywt Title.

Randy Savage pinned Hiroyoshi Tenzan (9:49).

Masa Chono beat Lex Luger (14:37) via submission.

The Road Warriors & Power Warrior beat Rick & Scott Steiner & Scott Norton (15:17) when Animal pinned Rick.

Great Muta pinned Ginsei Shinzaki (19:44).

Genichiro Tenryu pinned Tatsumi Fujinami (9:16).

Shinya Hashimoto beat Nobuhiko Takada (12:33) via submission to win the IWGP Title

[jevman]

dinobotbprime said:

You're on crack, kid.

No one knows that better than me.


Cool Stephen, ya, thats probably it then. Oh well, i like my story better tho! jk

[CaptainRon]

That's kind of like when I had AOL and Mike Tenay popped in (it was really him) about nine years ago. I berated him for the better part of an hour on how WCW keeps treating Ric Flair like crap and how Flair created his own legend while Hogan was created by the WWF marketing machine.

Tenay was actually cool about it though, especially considering how I was screaming at him, going "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"

[tamuthetongantiger]

captainron said:

That's kind of like when I had AOL and Mike Tenay popped in (it was really him) about nine years ago. I berated him for the better part of an hour on how WCW keeps treating Ric Flair like crap and how Flair created his own legend while Hogan was created by the WWF marketing machine.

Tenay was actually cool about it though, especially considering how I was screaming at him, going "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"

I'll bet you said...

YOU: And if you don't believe me, get away from those 15 year olds, and ask a 21 year old, cuz Ric Flair is... the sixty minute man! Whhoo!

You said, that, right?

If you didn't, lie to me and tell me that Tenay said, "I'm sorry, sir," in response.

Because, in the end, you want me to be happy, right?

WHOOO!