John Cena sporting nWo colors

5 WWE Superstars who could've been in John Cena's version of the nWo

The New World Order is arguably one of the greatest factions of all time in the world of Professional Wrestling and was a key element in WCW leading the charts over WWE in the Monday Night Wars during the 1990s.

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In 1996, when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash invaded Monday Nitro, the seeds for the birth of the nWo were initially planted. Later that year at WCW: Bash at the Beach, fan-favorite Hulk Hogan was revealed as the mystery third man, as he finally turned heel and formed The New World Order with Hall and Nash.

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Hogan's heel turn and the birth of the nWo was a revolutionary move in the Pro Wrestling world and the faction clearly influenced the business by expanding across promotions such as WCW, WWF/WWE, and even NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling).

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With the WCW version of nWo being long gone, WWE did move forward with their own version of the group which included the likes of Kevin Nash, Big Show, X-Pac, and surprisingly also had D-Generation X legend, Shawn Michaels in their ranks, as well.

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However, it was pretty obvious that WWE's version of the nWo would never live-up to the hype that was initially established by WCW in the Attitude Era. Since then, WWE has had quite a few memorable factions including The Sheild, The Wyatt Family, The Nexus, Evolution, and the Straight Edge Society. Despite achieving a huge amount of success, none of these stables managed to live up to the legacy that was created by the New World Order.

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However, one of the biggest unanswered questions of all time was what if WWE had decided to recreate a newer version of the New World Order revolving around John Cena? After all, Cena was arguably WWE's biggest babyface of all time following Hulk Hogan and at one point in time, the WWE Universe desperately wanted to have him go rogue.

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Those questions were somewhat answered at WrestleMania 36 when Bray Wyatt introduced the WWE Universe to the nWo version of John Cena, while the former himself portrayed the role of Eric Bischoff.

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With WWE recently asking their fans on social media, which superstars we would've liked to see in Cena's version of the nWo? I've decided to come up with a list of my very own, focusing on 5 superstars who could've been a part of John Cena's version of the New World Order.

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#5 Robert Roode

Robert Roode
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Since making his 'Glorious' debut in WWE, many fans have healthily compared the former NXT Champion to a modern version of Rick Rude.

Roode is naturally charismatic and has always been a solid heel performer. Having Robert Roode in John Cena's version of the nWo as the modern day version of Rick Rude would definitely be the perfect decision.

#4 Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler would be a solid addition to the modern nWo
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Throughout the years, Dolph Ziggler has always been a consistent performer in WWE. When it comes to in-ring matches, Ziggler delivers and when it comes to cutting a promo, he also delivers.

Ziggler is also quite familiar with switching up his on-screen character and will usually nail the role he would be offered by creative on WWE TV.

However, some might agree with me on this one that WWE never really showcased Ziggler up to his full potential, other than the one time when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, something even 'The Showoff' apparently doesn't remember anymore.

Nevertheless, former nWo member and veteran, Eric Bischoff himself once claimed that he would always prefer Ziggler in a modern version of the New World Order given how underrated 'The Showoff' always has been. And moreover, with Roode and Ziggler being familiar with each other as a tag team, the duo could've easily been the primary tag team of the nWo and even compete as singles wrestlers, as well.

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#3 Austin Theory

Austin Theory
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Austin Theory is still in his early days as a WWE superstar, however, within a few short months of his WWE debut, the former Evolve Champion has already competed in his first-ever WrestleMania this year.

Not only did Theory make his debut at 'The Grandest Stage of Them All' but he also teamed up with Angel Garza Jr. to challenge The Street Profits for the RAW Tag Team Championships.

That pretty much should give you an idea of how much WWE likes Theory. Still, in his early days, the former Evolve sensation is bound to eventually break out as a top star within a few years down the line. However, being under John Cena's wing in the New World Order would give the former Austin Theory a big platform to shine.

Theory could eventually be the breakout performer of the group and turn on Cena by igniting an exciting rivalry with the latter. After all, Theory did claim in an interview a few years ago that if Cena's willing to pass the torch, he is all set to take it from the former WWE Champion. With the initial version of nWo being full of veterans, as well as, young guns, I think Theory would perfectly fit in the faction.

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#2 Samoa Joe

Joe as the muscles of nWo would be amazing!
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Back in the day, the New World Order was full of superstars and marquee names such as Hulk Hogan, Jeff Jarrett, Bret Hart, and even Randy Savage. However, if you'd think about it, the group did lack a big man who could work as the powerhouse of the faction. Well, up until the point the nWo decided to recruit The Big Show FKA The Giant.

With The Big Show also aligning himself with the New World Order, the faction had the services of an intimidating figure and as for John Cena's version of the group, I feel Samoa Joe would be the perfect recruitment to provide the muscles for Cena and co.

Joe has had his fair share of history with Cena, with the two men sharing the ring with each other almost 18 years ago at Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Therefore, having a superstar of Joe's caliber along with Cena in the New World Order would certainly add the star power to the faction.

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Honorable Mention: The Big Show and X-Pac

Big Show with X-Pac (far right)
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The Big Show is still an active wrestler on the WWE roster and we recently also saw 'The World's Largest Athlete' challenge for the WWE Championship on Monday Night RAW. Being a former member of the nWo and one of the greatest rivals of John Cena, a veteran like The Big Show would surely fit into the latter's version on the nWo, as well.

X-Pac, on the other hand, is also a fan-favorite and is one of the most charismatic superstars to ever join the nWo. I'm sure fans wouldn't mind him and Show as part of Cena's New World Order, even if it's under a managerial role.

#1 Bray Wyatt

A Too Sweet moment between John Cena and Bray Wyatt
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At WrestleMania 36, Bray Wyatt and John Cena took us through a journey, courtesy of the first-ever Firefly Funhouse Match. Not only did we reminisce vital elements of both Cena and Wyatt's respective careers but we also got a glimpse of what could've been if Cena had gone full nWo mode.

With Wyatt portraying the character of Eric Bischoff, the former Universal Champion introduced Cena as a modern-day version of 'Hollywood' Hogan and in all honesty, Wyatt's portrayal of Bischoff sure did click with me.

Considered as one of the finest speakers in WWE today, Wyatt could easily replicate Bischoff's role in a modern-day version of the nWo and seeing him in a stable alongside 16-time WWE World Champion, John Cena would be a sight to behold for the WWE Universe.

Hogan's version of the nWo featured notable members such as the likes of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. And Cena similarly, also deserves a few big names in his own version of the group. Wyatt, at this stage of his career, has already established himself as one of the biggest WWE stars and would be the perfect fit in a modern-day version of the New World Order.

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Edited by
Akhilesh Tirumala
 
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