One of the most timeless and unforgettable chapters in the storied history of sports entertainment comes not from the WWE (or WWF, as it was then)
but rather the greatest threat to that brand's dominance, and, indeed, very existence, the WCW. The nWo (New World Order) emerged as a legitimate
alternative to Vince McMahon's unstoppable freight train, bringing in talent and taking over the ratings in a rapid
ascent to the top that would see it become not only a fan favorite but a legend almost from its inception. It was a storybook rise to astronomical
heights that
seemed unstoppable, but as with any overnight sensation, more in the way of hard work, big ideas, and diligent perseverance would be needed to
maintain
it and
grow it than was required to build it. The nWo's star would fade, but it remains a hallmark of wrestling, the face of the Monday night
wars, and an unforgettable run that rivals any other in sports entertainment history.
The nWo Three.
nWo: The Revolution opens with a brief history of the WCW -- including Ted Turner's acquisition of the NWA and the new WCW brand's
failure to elevate and
compete with the WWF -- before diving into the story of the nWo, brainchild of announcer-turned-promoter Eric Bischoff and the heels-to-heroes rise
of the core trio of members,
beginning with the megabucks signings of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and the July 1999 introduction of Hulk Hogan at "Bash at the Beach," one of
the great surprises in professional wrestling history. The film examine's the nWo's rise in popularity, fan reaction that ran the gamut from disbelief
and anger at Hogan's heel turn to outright acceptance of what quickly became the dominant face of professional wrestling and the kick WCW needed
to compete with the WWF. Also highlighted: the growing
roster of nWo signees such as X-Pac and Paul Wight ("Big Show") and the WCW's rating dominance. As the nWo grew in popularity at a
frenzied pace, so too did the notion of splitting it off from WCW. nWo: The Revolution also brings to light Sting's one-man resistance against
the nWo, the
Dennis Rodman/Karl Malone/Jay Leno celebrity inclusion phase, the Wolfpac break-off faction, and the brand's ultimate demise.
The WWE's nWo retrospective runs only a few minutes over an hour, but that brief runtime is more than enough to shape the basic tale of the nWo
from
its
origins to its meteoric ascent and from its peak to its collapse. Certainly it's not quite as in-depth as fans might wish it to be, but there's more than
enough
information here to paint a rather vivid picture, a picture made from both antique video footage and newly crafted interviews with wrestling
personalities such as Cody Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, Vince McMahon, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Dusty Rhodes, Ted
DiBiase,
and Hulk Hogan. The program promotes a balanced retrospective that praises the nWo's success and questions those moves that would lead to its
demise. It's a rather linear program that doesn't deviate from the chronology, shaping the story as it happened with honest insight and pertinent
clips
from the applicable 90s WCW programs. This isn't quite the tell-all hardcore wrestling fans may have had in mind, but it paints a rather thorough
and
dramatically engaging tale of one of wrestling's brightest eras and most interesting stories that forever altered the wrestling landscape and nearly
turned it on its head forever.
nWo: The Revolution features a rather underwhelming but certainly serviceable high definition transfer. Most of the program is constructed
from older 1990s-vintange standard definition material. As is the norm for WWE titles, the SD footage looks rather good considering, though certainly
the muddier colors, lower detail, and technical flaws associated with standard definition video are present. The new high definition interview footage
takes on a warmish color tint. Speakers appear against an artificial backdrop, resulting in edge instability and shakiness around participants. Noise
enters
into the equation on a regular basis. The bulk of the material is made from that classic footage, however, so there's actually very little HD content here
to judge. It has the feel of being put together quickly, and the result is an image that's not particularly good but not horrendously bad, either.
nWo: The Revolution's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack also fails to impress in any area. This is a fairly dialogue-inteisive program at its core, and
the spoken word does come through without hitch at every turn, whether in those newly minted interviews or within the many older video clips from
the 1990s. Musical clarity satisfies for the most part, playing with commendable front-side spacing and solid back speaker support. Nothing plays with
the sort of seamless transparency that the finest lossless tracks enjoy, but for a Documentary crafted around footage about a decade-and-a-half in age
and with only
scattered static interviews being the only new content in the package, the overall blandness that is this soundtrack is certainly understandable.
nWo: The Revolution contains a large assortment of extras, mostly in the form of classic matches and critical moments from the nWo era.
Disc One:
Nitro Moment (HD, 2:56): Scott Hall's Nitro Debut. Nitro -- May 27, 1996.
Nitro Moment (HD, 4:15): Kevin Nash's Nitro Debut. Nitro -- June 10, 1996.
Nitro Moment (HD, 8:39): Rowdy Roddy Piper Confronts Eric Bischoff. Nitro -- November 18, 1996.
Nitro Moment (HD, 12:33): Hollywood Hulk Hogan Confronts Rowdy Roddy Piper. Nitro -- December 30, 1996.
nWo Moment (HD, 9:30): The nWo's WWE Debut. No Way Out -- February 17, 2002.
WCW Match (HD, 29:46): The Outsiders vs. Randy Savage, Sting & Lex Luger. Bash at the Beach -- July 7, 1996.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match (HD, 26:00): The Giant vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Hog Wild -- August 10, 1996.
WCW World Tag Team Championship Match (HD, 21:33): The Outsiders vs. Harlem Heat. Halloween Havoc -- October 27, 1996.
nWo Match (HD, 5:51): Syxx vs. The Bounty Hunter. nWo Saturday Night -- November 9, 1996.
WCW World Tag Team Championship Match (HD, 19:41): The Outsiders vs. The Steiner Brothers. Souled Out -- January 25, 1997.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match (HD, 18:35): Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper. SuperBrawl VII -- February
23, 1997.
WCW Match (HD, 27:51): Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Dennis Rodman vs. Lex Luger & The Giant. Bash at the Beach -- July 13, 1997.
Disc Two:
Las Vegas Sudden Death Match (HD, 24:20): Diamond Dallas Page vs. Randy Savage. Halloween Havoc -- October 26, 1997.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match (HD, 12:52): Sting vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Nitro -- December 29, 1997.
No Disqualification Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (HD, 20:22): Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage. Nitro
-- April 20, 1998.
Match for Control of the WCW World Tag Team Championship (HD, 10:59): Sting vs. The Giant. The Great American Bash -- June 14,
1998.
WCW Match (HD, 23:35): Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Jay Leno & Diamond Dallas Page. Road Wild -- August 8, 1998.
War Games Match to Determine the #1 Contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (HD, 25:18): Team WCW vs. Team
Hollywood vs. Team Wolfpack. Fall Brawl -- September 13, 1998.
No Disqualification Match for WCW World Heavyweight Championship (HD, 18:50): Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash. Starrcade -- December 27,
1998.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match (HD, 10:42): Goldberg vs. Brett Hart. Nitro -- December 20, 1999.
RAW Match (HD, 13:32): Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash & Scott Hall vs. The Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin. RAW -- March 11,
2002.
Disc Two Blu-ray Exclusives Roundtable (HD, 1:14:01): From the disc: "nWo Legends of Wrestling Roundtable featuring Kevin Nash, Jim
Ross, JJ Dillon,
& Michael Hayes." The supplement is divided into the following subgroups: The Beginning, The nWo Concept, Hogan Turns His Back on WCW,
Putting Vince Out of
Business, Ratings War, Pointing Fingers, Goldberg, Cutting Edge & Controversial, and Downfall.
Disc Two Blu-ray Exclusive Moments: A collection of the famous black-and-white "announcements" vignettes "paid for by nWo."
Invitation Only (HD, 4:23): WCW Saturday Night -- July 27, 1996.
Nothing Personal (HD, 2:31): WCW Saturday Night -- August 3, 1996.
Modern Day Gladiators (HD, 2:31): Monday Nitro -- August 19, 1996.
Worldwide (HD, 2:31): WCW Saturday Night -- September 7, 1996.
Room Service (HD, 2:08): Monday Nitro -- September 30, 1996.
It's Not Easy Being King (HD, 3:32): Monday Nitro -- January 20, 1997.
The Real Hot Rod (HD, 0:54): Monday Nitro -- March 17, 1997.
The Madness (HD, 1:44): Monday Nitro -- April 28, 1997.
All Over but the Crying (HD, 1:20): WCW Pro Wrestling -- June 15, 1997.
nWo: The Revolution may not be the definitive insider's tell-all retrospective that hardcore fans might want to watch, but the program does well
in assembling the basic story of the nWo's rise to prominence, its dominance in the wrestling landscape, and its rather rapid demise that would spell the
beginning of the end of the WCW. WWE's Blu-ray is professionally assembled, as expected, and considering its wealth of bonus materials, the set offers
both the
dedicated and casual wrestling fan significant value. Picture and sound qualities are adequate. Recommended to all pro wrestling fans.
