The Hidden Good in nWo Souled Out 1997

In the second half of 1996, on the heels of the hottest storyline in wrestling in years, the New World Order, World Championship Wrestling did what many people thought was unthinkable—surpass the World Wrestling Federation as the premiere wrestling company in North America. The renegades, led by former WWF stars Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall, ran roughshod over anyone and everyone that stood in their way. So with the idea of the nWo being the hottest act in wrestling, why not build and entire PPV around it?

Enter nWo Souled Out, which took place on January 25, 1997 from the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. Pretty odd choice for a PPV if you’re hoping to generate some revenue. And a pretty odd choice of day to do it too (this took place on a Saturday night, but not just any Saturday; the day before the Super Bowl). Perhaps a combination of feeling experimental and hubris, WCW executive vice president Eric Bischoff soldiered on with the concept.

For all the faults with this PPV, it was unique. The nWo combatants would get their music, but WCW guys would not. The set had a dark, grungy feeling to it. Nick Patrick refereed EVERY match on the show (here’s hoping he got overtime that night). And the opening video is pretty tight. In other words, it felt like an nWo PPV.

And that, perhaps, was the problem. Fans didn’t call their local cable companies in droves to drop $30 on the PPV. Critically, it was a disaster. Though they sold out the building, there were only about 5,100 people there. A 0.47 buyrate for the show, and the nWo PPV experiment all but ended, as the next year’s show became co-branded with WCW.

But among the garbage, which ironically is how the nWo entered, is a few good matches worth your time. If the link is bold, definitely go watch it. Otherwise, tread at your own risk.

• Like I said, the opening moments and the set reveal are pretty tight. Sure WWF always had superior production, but for WCW, this was probably some of their best stuff.
• Did ya like the nWo B-team music? You’re gonna get it a lot.
• Something else you’ll also get a lot: the nWo voice cracking on WCW’s talent.
• Chris Jericho versus Masahiro Chono is a pretty solid, but unspectacular open.
• Something you will definitely not like: the Miss nWo contest segments. I’ll spare you with the review of that filler garbage.
• You can safely pass the Hugh Morrus vs. Bubba Rogers “Mexican Death Match”.
• And the Jeff Jarrett-Michael Walstreet match.
• There’s a musical performance following this match. Feel free to skip.
• The former American Males fighting each other: nope. Not worth your time either. You can skip Scotty Riggs versus Buff Bagwell, though if you can get through the many, many restholds, you’ll see the debut of the Blockbuster.
• Diamond Dallas Page versus Scott Norton is worth it for seeing Norton getting okeydoked by Page. This was probably the beginning of the rise of DDP, legend.
• The Outsiders versus The Steiners feud for the tag titles continue here. The match is nothing special, but the ending is totally worth it. Of course, the decision gets overturned two nights later on Nitro because reasons.
• Eddie Guerrero versus Syxx for the United States Championship in a ladder match is far and away the best match on the show. The ending is unlike almost any ladder match ever. Oh, by the way, Eric. It’s not a foreign object. It’s part of the match. And it’s American. You’re welcome.
• After one last really long Miss nWo segment, we have the world title match between Hollywood Hogan and future nWo member The Giant. It was awful. Probably the worst match of the night, and that’s saying something. Why three or four members of the Dallas Cowboys were there, I’ll never know. At least the crowd reacts correctly to the ending: “We Want Sting!” chants and trash thrown in the ring.

This was a case of a good idea with a bad execution. Eric Bischoff had every intention of making the nWo not just a stable, but its own separate entity, like RAW and Smackdown were during the brand extension days. Any pretense of that ended on this night in middle America. Perhaps it was best that the idea of nWo, the company, ended about as anonymously--and as spectacularly--as it did.