Why was Savage still in the NWO when he feuded with Hogan?

[agent817]

When I watched a video sometime ago (I think it was from Markyd123), I noticed that when Savage was feuding with Hogan, he would side with The Giant (before he rejoined the NWO) and Sting. The question on my mind was why he was still a part of the group. Wouldn't it have made more sense if he had either left or gotten kicked out?

[LiamMcDuggle]

I don't even know why Savage was in the nWo. As someone who was watching in the 90's all I remember is him and Sting wearing all black and protesting, and then Savage just started showing up in the nWo.

If you look at how big the Piper/Hogan PPV's drew in the 90's, I have to imagine Savage as a pure babyface would have drawn a lot of money if he was able to feud with Hogan and FINALLY get that win over him

Instead we just saw Hogan beat Savage twice on Nitro a night after Savage won the World Title.


As per your question, Hogan/Savage feuded twice while both in the nWo. In 1998 (which is the time I think you're referencing), a bunch of nWo members were dissenting and it led to the group fracturing and becoming the nWo Wolfpac (who were faces). Nash and Hennig were also having issues with Hogan and the rest of the group, so it gave them motivation storyline wise to leave

In 1999, I think it was just messy booking. The nWo Elite kinda existed in the background, but Hogan ditched them to go back to the red & yellow.

As you get closer to the year 2000, WCW booking just becomes more nonsensical.

[Mozenrath]

They wanted conflict between him and Hogan, but that didn't mean they wanted to turn him face yet, at least, not entirely.

[Stu]

Because WCW

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Because the nWo go over everyone. So it Savage knew in a Hogan feud he had to lose he still got to beat everyone else and be all over the shows.

[David-Arquette was in WCW 2000]

Just thinking now what a great feud that could have been between a shitty heel Hogan and and a face Savage, late 96 into 97. Savage chasing Hogan who manages to wriggle out of a couple PPV losses due to nWo help, then Savage finally beating Hogan for the belt. Have Hulk win it back maybe summer of 1997 ready for Sting to win it it decisively at Starrcade.

Oh what could have been. Bischoff shits on AEW's booking and management a lot - and rightfully so for the most part - but man, Eric himself had no real vision beyond cutting costs,'Cruiserweights' and 'nWo wins!!'

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Savage like Luger and Sting should have never had that affiliation.

Randy just looked like an idiot when he joined up. Dudes literally emasculated you publically and treated you and your ex wife like trash. None of that build made any sense. Just made Randy look like a bitch and while I guess that helps turn him Heel, being a simp to the nWo, it killed his character. The Macho Man would have never done that. He wouldn't let someone get one up on him.

Should have been Randy fighting alongside Sting and uniting with Flair and Luger to beat the nWo. Have Savage go after Bischoff and Hall, not Larry Zbyzsko.

Randy being a manger to Dennis Rodman and Hulk Hogan while being in a 6 Man leading the B Team at Starrcade 1997 made him look second rate.

[chazraps]

Wait, are we talking that April 1998 period leading up to Spring Stampede? Hogan saying Savage "Wasn't part of the plan" while Nash was wearing Savage's "Madness" shirts during his matches?

Or is this a later Savage-Hogan feud?

[chronocross]

May 8, 2024 9:40:29 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Wait, are we talking that April 1998 period leading up to Spring Stampede? Hogan saying Savage "Wasn't part of the plan" while Nash was wearing Savage's "Madness" shirts during his matches?

Or is this a later Savage-Hogan feud?

Yeah if its spring of 98, then it was more about who would control the nWo but that doesn't explain why would team with 2 WCW guys in Sting and The Giant.

Of course Giant would end up turning back to the nWo for no reason whatsoever in May 98 as well.

[Tiger Millionaire]

There also was this stigma, even among the wrestlers, hell, maybe more so than the fans, the nWo was cool and WCW was lame, so Savage, who had a burning hat about his age anyway, didn't want to be moved into the lame pile.

[willywonka666]

I always thought with Savage it was a matter of "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em"

[agent817]

I am now wondering if I should watch some episodes of Nitro that show when Savage joined the NWO. A lot of people have said he never should have been in the faction, but I am curious as to how it came about. I know we have had plenty of questionable additions to the NWO, such as Dusty Rhodes, as well as Lex Luger and Sting, as mentioned before, but even I wondered about Savage joining.

[Dave the Dave]

The story of Savage joining kind of worked. Bischoff wouldn’t let him wrestle, so he joined so he could work.

It stopped making sense when he almost instantly stoppped being conflicted and just leaned into being a cool heel with the boys.

He should’ve had a similar arc as the Giant. As soon as he’s a threat they kicked him out.

[tirtefaa]

There wasn't anything wrong with Savage joining the nWo, but it was poorly timed and he mostly acted as a liaison to get the title back on Hogan after Starcade.

The real weirdness was how the Wolfpack broke off, with the initial tension being between Nash and Savage, with Hogan acting as peacemaker. Fast forward a few weeks and they've both split from Hogan, while Giant rejoins Hogan for some unknown reason. Oh and Luger and Sting join the Wolfpack because...why not? Maybe all of this would have worked better had they mapped it out better, but as it stands, it felt like they were flying by the seat of their pants around this time because...they were flying by the seat of their pants.

But hey...at least we had K-Dawg telling us every single week that things were about to get "bowdy bowdy and rowdy rowdy".

[Renslayer]

I've never been able to pinpoint exactly when and why randy joined them. After he and Liz got spraypainted, he should've been out for blood

[stephen90]

Savage joined the NWO to get back into wrestling and to be with Miss Elizabeth.

[nickcave]

They were trying to setup the Wolfpack/Hollywood split and Savage got injured right after the Wolfpack was established

[bogussting]

May 8, 2024 11:43:56 GMT -5 willywonka666 said:

I always thought with Savage it was a matter of "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em"

That combined with Bischoff not letting him wrestle again unless he joined the NWO.

[chronocross]

May 16, 2024 11:56:20 GMT -5 bogussting said:

May 8, 2024 11:43:56 GMT -5 willywonka666 said:

I always thought with Savage it was a matter of "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em"

That combined with Bischoff not letting him wrestle again unless he joined the NWO.

I remember a brief period in early 97 where Savage & Sting were sitting in the rafters together until Savage joined the NWO.

I think it ended up working as Savage put DDP over big time at Spring Stampede that year.

[jb80]

He is probably the most high profile miscast member of the nwo. I always thought he should of been part of a core wcw opposition along with flair, lex, and sting. Ironically I thought he was fine in the wolfpac since he was already nwo and always seemed to be beefing with Hogan.