This is a review of the Back in Black:NWO New World Order DVD as opposed to the video.
The NWO, for those who don’t know, were a heel group of wrestlers who caused havoc in WCW from 1996-1998 (their prime years) and WWF/WWE from February 2002. This is a DVD detailing their genesis and some of their greatest moments.
Is the DVD good? Yes and no. Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first.
Firstly, this is NOT an exhaustive account of the NWO. We are given a bit of history about the founding members of the NWO (Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash)and footage follows of their genesis at WCW Bash at the Beach which took place in July ‘96. We then see them causing havoc from July ‘96 until August 1996-then disappointingly, we fast forward to the WWF circa late 2001 where we see the return of Ric Flair and the subsequent return of the NWO at No Way Out 2002 in February. What follows is the feud between The Rock and the NWO. The DVD ends with happenings from WrestleMania X8 where Steve Austin faced Scott Hall and Hollywood Hogan faced The Rock.
I feel this DVD could have done with being much much longer. Several of the NWO’s most pivotal moments are missed out such as the feud between Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan, the Sting/Hogan match from Starrcade ‘97, the splitting up of the NWO and the NWO Wolfpac VS NWO Black and White feud. It would have been interesting to see footage from said periods. They were all integral parts of the NWO era.
However, the good things about this DVD are the highlights of the NWO’s career. We see Scott Hall and Kevin Nash’s return to WCW in 1996. Also, who can forget the Hulk Hogan heel turn from Bash at the Beach ‘96? Some pivotal moments are caught on tape and it’s good to see them again. It brought the memories of 1996-98 flooding back.
Now to the DVD extras. There is an NWO advert from 1996 and a short NWO music skit. The other extras are matches. We see the Bash at the Beach ‘96 main event which is essential NWO viewing. There’s War Games from Fall Brawl ‘96 where the NWO fought four top WCW stars and it is a heated match. There’s also Kevin Nash VS Bill Goldberg from Starrcade ‘98-this is a fantastic match. The final match was from the WWF where The Rock & Steve Austin faced Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash & Scott Hall. The match was short but sweet. The only complaint I have is that the DVD could have included additional matches. Ones that come to mind include Macho Man VS Hulk Hogan from Halloween Havoc ‘96, Roddy Piper VS Hulk Hogan from Starrcade ‘96, Sting VS Hollywood Hogan from Starrcade ‘97 and a match from the NWO Wolfpac VS NWO Black and White feud.
All in all, a good DVD. It could have been longer and included more matches but overall, it was a good event and essential viewing if you were a fan of the NWO from 1996-98.
