WWE faction was "dead on arrival," Eric Bischoff says

Eric Bischoff played a vital role in WCW's television ratings success over WWE from 1996 to 1998. In a recent podcast episode, the legendary executive addressed Vince McMahon's booking of the New World Order (nWo).

Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall returned to WWE as the nWo in 2002 following the faction's overwhelming success in WCW. The Mr. McMahon persona orchestrated the trio's much-anticipated WWE comeback. However, the reunion was short-lived due to Nash's injuries and Hall's issues outside of the ring.

Bischoff was the mastermind behind the nWo idea when the stable formed in WCW in 1996. On his 83 Weeks podcast, the Hall of Famer questioned how McMahon brought the three men back to WWE. He also compared the underwhelming angle to The Rock's brief association with John Cena in early 2025.

"It wasn't set up properly," Bischoff said. "It's a little bit like the Cena-Rock situation that we were talking about. It just started off wrong. That had to be set up properly with the nWo. For the story and the character of the nWo, if you think about it as just a brand, that brand represented anarchy, right? Turn s**t upside down, find something to break and break it, and the way it was introduced, it was dead on arrival, to be honest with you."

The nWo is widely viewed as one of the greatest factions in wrestling history. From 1996 to 2002, a total of 79 people represented the popular group.

Eric Bischoff on WWE fans' reaction to the nWo angle

In 2002, The Rock defeated Hulk Hogan in a memorable Icon vs. Icon match at WrestleMania 18. Following the bout, The Hulkster's association with Hall and Nash ended when they attacked him for showing respect to his opponent.

Eric Bischoff believes Vince McMahon's WWE version of the nWo only lasted a few months because the storyline puzzled fans.

"The audience just wasn't prepared. They didn't know how to react. They were confused. That's the worst thing you can do to an audience, is confuse them. What I really meant is the audience just wasn't ready for that story because it wasn't introduced properly."

In the same episode, Bischoff revealed his pick to be John Cena's final WWE opponent before retiring.

Please credit 83 Weeks and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use Eric Bischoff's quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart