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WWE Hall Of Famer Explains Why He Didn’t Join The NWO

WCW NWO

A lot of wrestlers joined the New World Order (NWO) in the late 1990s, but one WWE Hall of Famer didn’t think it was the right spot for him.

The New World Order aka the NWO formed in WCW at Bash at the Bash in July 1996 when Hulk Hogan joined up with Scott Hall & Kevin Nash, both of whom signed with WCW after successful runs in WWE.

In the years that followed, the NWO became a featured act in WCW as they tried to “take over” the show constantly.

There were dozens of members in the group including top stars and even guys that were barely on the WCW roster. The NWO also split into two groups as well with the Wolfpac forming along with the Black & White.

Earlier this week, we ran a story about Kevin Nash talking on his Kliq This podcast saying he wanted Booker T in the group, but Booker turned it down.

“I wanted Booker. I wanted a black athlete. I wanted a black man and Book was a real dude. He always has been. I remember I asked him. I said, ‘Book, would you join the NWO?’

He looked at me and said, ‘Big fella man, Kev, I don’t want to work that fu**ing hard. You guys work every fu**ing house show.’ I said, ‘Alright.’”

On his Hall of Fame podcast, two-time Hall of Famer Booker T, who was a five-time WCW World Champion, talked about why he didn’t join the NWO.

“I don’t think I would have ever been a world champion [had I joined the NWO]. I wouldn’t have achieved that status if I was part of that group. I thought being a solo act was my route to get to the next level, going out and performing at the highest level and being more focused than anything.”

As he continued, Booker T explained how even though the NWO was a big success, it was also destructive to be part of a group like that.

“One of the things about that NWO crew … you could lose your focus real quick. Those guys were throwing some hella parties, man. They were partying big time.”

“Sometimes, once you get into that whirlwind, you can’t get out until it stops. For a lot of those guys, it was destructive. It really was, to be a part of that group.”

Booker T’s brother Stevie Ray was a part of WCW’s version of the NWO. Booker T also had a short run in the WWE version of the NWO in 2002 on Raw, but he was never part of the group during its peak WCW days.

H/T WrestlingInc