nWo vs. DX: 10 Times They Indirectly Competed

They came from opposite sides of the Monday Night Wars: one a renegade takeover, the other a swaggering revolution. Wrestling fans craved their epic collision, yet New World Order (nWo) and D-Generation X (DX) never clashed at their prime. Instead, these ten moments show how nWo and DX competed indirectly on live broadcasts and behind the scenes, revealing secrets, betrayals, and near-misses that reshaped the industry forever.

1. 1996 Invasion: The nWo WCW Coup That Redefined Wrestling

In May 1996, the wrestling world experienced a seismic shift as Scott Hall unexpectedly appeared on WCW’s Monday Nitro. His declaration that he was bringing a war to WCW blurred the lines between scripted entertainment and reality.

This invasion storyline gained further momentum when former WWF Champion (as Diesel) Kevin Nash joined the Hall.

Then, at WCW’s Bash at the Beach 1996, the unthinkable happened. Hulk Hogan turned heel, aligning with Hall and Nash to form the New World Order.

Discussing the Hulk Hogan heel turn on the documentary nWo: The Revolution, Kevin Nash went into detail about the immediate response.

“When [Hulk] Hogan dropped the leg on Randy [Savage], the crowd didn’t even boo at first—they were just stunned. That was the biggest babyface in wrestling history turning his back on everything. And to be part of it? Man, we knew in that moment we’d changed wrestling forever. You don’t see many moments where the business genuinely shifts.”

With their renegade attitude and real-world edge, the nWo became a cultural phenomenon and set WCW on fire.

Not to be outdone, WWE fired back in 1997 with its own brand of rebellion. On the August 11, 1997 edition of Raw Is War, Shawn Michaels and Triple H officially formed D-Generation X, an unapologetically crude, charismatic, and anti-authority faction that redefined what it meant to push the envelope.

In his book Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story, Shawn Michaels outlines what those first few months were like when DX was initially formed.

"DX wasn’t something corporate cooked up. It was all Hunter and me just being ourselves. We were sarcastic, rebellious, and we pushed every boundary we could on TV. Vince [McMahon] gave us some rope, and we ran with it. Sometimes too far, but the crowd loved it. What started as two guys having fun turned into a movement that redefined what it meant to be a heel in the ’90s."

While the nWo felt dangerous and anarchic, DX brought swagger, sarcasm, and a wink to the chaos. It was a different taste of rebellion. While they weren’t direct rivals in the ring, each group was watching, reacting, and raising the stakes in the nWo vs. DX war.

2. The Kliq Blueprint: Fueling nWo & DX’s Rise in ’96-’97

At the heart of the nWo vs. DX rivalry lay The Kliq, an infamous backstage group of wrestlers who wielded considerable influence in WWE. Comprising Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Triple H, and Sean Waltman, The Kliq shaped the wrestling industry during the mid-1990s.

On his podcast 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff supported the idea that the roots of both factions were tied to the Kliq.

“You can trace a direct line from The Kliq to the Monday Night Wars. Hall and Nash brought the cool factor to WCW, and it was organic. It came from who they really were. Meanwhile, Shawn and Hunter used that same foundation to build DX in WWE. The Kliq wasn’t just a group. It was a philosophy of putting authenticity over gimmicks, and the fans ate it up.”

Hall and Nash’s departure for WCW in 1996 marked the beginning of the nWo, while Triple H and Shawn Michaels used their Kliq chemistry to establish DX in WWE.

3. Rick Rude’s Dual Debut: WWE Raw to WCW Nitro Same Night in ’97

One of the most memorable moments of the Monday Night Wars occurred on November 17, 1997, when Rick Rude made history by appearing on both WWE’s Raw Is War and WCW’s Nitro on the same night.

Earlier that day, Rick Rude was still processing the aftermath of the infamous Montreal Screwjob. As a response, in a stunning and unprecedented move, Rude made a surprise live appearance on WCW Monday Nitro as the newest member of the nWo.

In a 1999 archive interview with RF Video, Rick Rude addressed why he jumped ship to WCW as he did.

"I was frustrated with how the Montreal Screwjob went down. I didn’t like what Vince did to Bret, and I didn’t want to be part of the show anymore. When Bischoff called, I told him I’d come to Nitro, but I had one condition: I wanted to go out there and tell the truth. That’s what I did. I walked out on live TV, told people what Vince had done, and the rest is history."

Rick Rude’s shocking debut was made possible because his full-time contract with Vince McMahon’s WWE had expired some time earlier, and he had been working under a flexible, per-appearance agreement.

This allowed him to legally appear on WCW programming without breaching any contractual obligations.

During his scathing promo on Nitro, Rude didn’t hold back. He took direct aim at WWE and his former stablemates in D-Generation X, accusing them of being unprofessional, chaotic, and representing what he described as a "sinking ship."

His words echoed the bitterness many wrestlers felt at the time, and his defection sent a clear message about the escalating tension between the two rival promotions.

In a surreal twist that perfectly illustrated the chaos of the Monday Night Wars, WWE Monday Night Raw – pre-taped a week earlier – aired that same night and featured Rick Rude in his then-ongoing role as the manager of DX.

Fans flipping between channels witnessed the impossible: Rude appearing on both shows in the same night, in different promotions, aligned with opposing factions.

Jim Cornette, on a November 2017 episode of his Jim Cornette Experience podcast, suggested Rude’s dual appearance wasn’t a positive.

"That was one of those moments where the business exposed itself, but in a way that thrilled fans. Rude showing up on Nitro, criticizing DX and Vince McMahon while also appearing on Raw taped a week earlier. It was surreal. It blew the minds of fans who still thought it was all tightly controlled. Rude was one of the few guys who could pull that off with credibility, and he made both companies look bad and brilliant at the same time."

4. X-Pac’s Return: From nWo Syxx to DX Promo That Landed Him in Hot Water (March 1998)

Sean Waltman, formerly Syxx in the nWo, made a triumphant return to WWE on the March 30, 1998, episode of Raw. Rebranded under the name X-Pac, Waltman cut a scathing promo targeting Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Eric Bischoff, accusing them of letting personal agendas ruin WCW.

On WWE 24: D-Generation X, aired in 2019, Sean Waltman admitted that he arrived that night prepared to deliver on his promo.

"When I came back to WWE, I was angry. I’d just been let go from WCW, and I felt like I had something to prove. Not just to them, but to myself. Walking out on Raw that night, I could feel the electricity. The fans remembered me, but I wasn’t the 1-2-3 Kid anymore. I was X-Pac, and I was coming in hot. When I cut that promo and dropped names like Hogan and Bischoff live on TV, I wasn’t reading a script. That was all real emotion, real fire. And it felt amazing to be surrounded by guys like Triple H and the Outlaws who had my back."

This move was a significant blow to the nWo, as Waltman had been one of their early key members.

In his 2023 Insight with Chris Van Vliet interview, Waltman further revealed the line that nearly derailed him.

Kevin Nash urged him to jab that Nash and Scott Hall were "held hostage by WCW," and he was deposed over that very phrase.

"They actually sued me for saying Nash and Hall were ‘held hostage by WCW.’ I got deposed and the lawyer asked, ‘Why did you say that?’ I told him, ‘I ran it by Kevin Nash the night before,’" Waltman laughed, describing how WCW sued him for the off-the-wall jab.

X-Pac’s arrival in D-Generation X marked a new chapter for the faction, which had been left in disarray following WrestleMania XIV. With Shawn Michaels sidelined by a serious back injury and effectively retiring, the group needed fresh energy and direction. X-Pac brought exactly that, along with legitimacy and a direct link to WCW’s top talent, having just left the rival promotion.

His debut promo injected new life into the nWo vs. DX dynamic and signaled a major shift in tone, helping DX regain traction in their ongoing war for dominance during the Monday Night Wars.

Speaking on how hugely detrimental losing Sean Waltman to DX was, in an episode of his podcast 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff shared:

"Waltman was a huge shot in the arm for them. I’m sure there are plenty of people who will disagree with me, and they may be right. I may be wrong. I’ll never change my opinion when I tell you that I think Sean Waltman was as important to the turnaround for WWE than just about anything else, including Mike Tyson.

“Waltman, because he was part of the NWO and the NWO was such a dominant part of wrestling at that period, that when Waltman left the NWO, I think that was as an important piece of the puzzle for WWE than anything else."

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5. DX’s Norfolk Ambush: The Live ‘Invasion’ That Stunned WCW in April ’98

In one of DX’s most audacious acts, the group staged an "invasion" of WCW’s Monday Nitro on April 27, 1998.

Armed with a "tank" (a jeep with a cannon mounted on it), Triple H, X-Pac, and the New Age Outlaws drove to WCW’s venue in Norfolk, Virginia, demanding entry. They mocked WCW wrestlers and called out Eric Bischoff in a segment that aired live on WWE Raw Is War.

Road Dogg, in an interview with Corey Graves on WWE After the Bell, detailed the risk involved.

"That wasn’t a gimmick. There was legit risk involved. We weren’t sure if security would shut us down, or worse, if WCW talent would come out swinging. It was us, a camcorder, and a jeep with a megaphone. We wanted to show fans that DX wasn’t just characters on a script. We were soldiers in this Monday Night War. Honestly, it made us legends overnight."

The "invasion" became an iconic moment in WWE history. While WCW chose not to acknowledge the stunt on Nitro, it highlighted the contrast between DX’s daring creativity and the increasingly formulaic nature of WCW’s programming.

Fans saw this as a symbolic victory for WWE in the Monday Night Wars.

Recalling the invasion on his podcast, What Happened When, WCW’s lead commentator, Tony Schiavone, recalled, "I think we were in Norfolk, and the only thing I remember about it was someone said, ‘Some WWE guys outside here and they’re shooting something.’

“I went, ‘Are you kidding me? Are you serious? They are actually acknowledging us. They are actually sending some people out.’

“Now, I had also heard that they had gone to our offices. Yeah, now all that kind of blew me away, as it was out of the norm that Vince [McMahon]. He had normally ignored the competition. I thought, ‘Maybe we are doing something right here if they are outside.’ And I remember thinking, ‘I wonder if they’re gonna try to get inside and wonder if we’re gonna let them inside?’ I guess Eric [Bischoff] said recently that had he known, he would have let him in!"

6. 1998 Title Wars: nWo & DX’s Championship Takeover

While their rebellious antics made waves in the nWo vs. DX war, both groups backed up the hype by racking up championship victories.

In WCW, key nWo members such as Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall secured major titles, including the WCW World Heavyweight, Tag Team, and United States Championships.

On an episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff admitted that, despite the best of intentions, this style of story-building did not always reflect positively on the nWo.

"There was a point where the nWo had control of almost every title in WCW. Hogan had the World title, Hall and Nash had the tag titles, Syxx had the Cruiserweight belt. That was by design.

“We wanted to create the feeling that WCW was truly being taken over, not just by invaders, but by winners. The idea was to build heat and desperation. To force WCW’s guys into underdog roles.

“It worked for a while, but in hindsight, it was too much. Once the nWo held all the gold, there was no real sense of hope for the babyfaces, and that started to wear on the fans."

Over in WWE, DX was just as dominant. Triple H captured both the European and Intercontinental Championships, Shawn Michaels reigned as the then WWF Champion, and the New Age Outlaws solidified their spot in the faction by winning and defending the Tag Team titles.

These title reigns showcased the nWo and DX’s ability to back up their swagger with success, reinforcing each respective’s legendary status during the Monday Night Wars.

7. 2002 nWo Reboot: WWE’s Attempt to Recapture WCW Magic

When Vince McMahon acquired WCW, the nWo vs. DX war had long been over. Both factions had been essentially driven out of the current storylines.

Even so, he wanted to revive the magic of the WCW’s most iconic era by bringing in three of its biggest stars in 2002 – Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash.

Looking to recreate the impact they once had, McMahon signed the trio to WWE contracts, paving the way for their return. They officially re-emerged as the nWo at the No Way Out pay-per-view in 2002, aiming to inject chaos and nostalgia into a new chapter of WWE history.

Even though fans had hoped for years for a clash between the nWo vs. DX, as mentioned, the black-and-white trio made their arrival in WWE at such a time that DX had long been disbanded.

Instead, the nWo quickly found themselves in high-profile feuds with WWE’s top stars, including Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.

On an episode of Talk Is Jericho, Kevin Nash went into detail on rebooting the nWo as a brand in WWE.

"When we brought the nWo to WWE, the magic just wasn’t the same. It was a different time, different locker room, and we were all older. We wanted to recreate that chaos from WCW, but it felt controlled, almost sterilized. Still, walking out with that music again gave me chills."

While these matchups generated buzz, the crowd’s overwhelming support for Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 in his match with The Rock shifted the narrative. The fan response was so strong that Hogan turned face shortly after, effectively distancing himself from the nWo and signaling the beginning of the end for the faction.

In the following months, the group lost momentum. Kevin Nash suffered multiple injuries that kept him sidelined, and Scott Hall requested his release from WWE, weakening the group’s original foundation.

WWE attempted to salvage the stable by introducing new members like X-Pac, Big Show, Booker T, and even Shawn Michaels in a surprise return that harkened back to the nWo vs. DX days. However, despite these efforts, the spark was gone. The reformed nWo never regained its edge, and eventually, the faction quietly faded from WWE programming, with any remaining references phased out entirely.

In his book, Under the Black Hat: My Life in the WWE and Beyond, Jim Ross explained how sad it was seeing the nWo slowly fall apart.

"It was disappointing. We brought the nWo in with a big push, and then one by one, the wheels came off. Hall had his issues, Nash got injured, and Hogan was getting babyface reactions, which wasn’t the plan. From a talent relations standpoint, it was tough watching something with that much potential just unravel so quickly."

8. Merch & Ratings: How nWo vs. DX Fueled the Monday Night Wars

Merchandise was another critical front in the heated rivalry between the nWo and DX, extending their influence far beyond the ring and into pop culture.

nWo’s black-and-white logo t-shirts were ubiquitous in the late ’90s, symbolizing rebellion and counterculture. Worn by fans of all ages, the shirts were more than just wrestling merch. The nWo turned merchandise into a movement, dramatically elevating WCW’s brand visibility.

In his book, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Hulk describes the symbolism of the nWo shirt.

"When I first put on the black and white nWo shirt, it was like I was becoming a whole new version of myself. That shirt wasn’t just part of a costume. It was the movement. You wore that and instantly became part of something rebellious, edgy, dangerous. Even now, decades later, I see fans wearing that shirt, and it still means something."

Meanwhile, DX’s glow sticks, "Suck It" catchphrase, and crotch chops resonated with younger audiences and rebellious teens. The crotch chop became a pop culture gesture, echoed in school hallways and sports celebrations, while DX t-shirts and glow-in-the-dark accessories flew off the shelves.

Bruce Prichard, on an episode of his Something to Wrestle With podcast, dug into the unbelievable popularity of DX merchandise.

"I remember the DX shirts selling like crazy every time we went on the road. Fans loved the humor and the rebellion that DX represented. It wasn’t just wrestling merchandise, it was a lifestyle. People wore those shirts to make a statement."

Beyond merch sales, the rivalry between nWo and DX played a pivotal role in the Monday Night ratings war. From mid-1996 to early 1998, WCW’s Monday Nitro dominated in television ratings, largely due to the nWo’s popularity and the shock value of its storylines. The creation of the nWo marked a turning point that positioned WCW, albeit temporarily, as the dominant force in pro wrestling.

Of course, momentum shifted dramatically on April 13, 1998, when WWE’s Monday Night Raw finally overtook Nitro in the ratings. Over the spring and summer of 1998, DX’s wild antics, including their infamous "invasion" of a WCW event, helped fuel WWE’s resurgence. Their mix of humor, attitude, and envelope-pushing segments drew in viewers and helped define the Attitude Era, at least as it sits within the WWE’s perspective.

As DX and WWE surged ahead, WCW struggled to keep pace. Poor creative decisions, internal turmoil, and over-exposure of the nWo led to declining interest in the group.

Eventually, both groups would slowly fade out of public view as each faction’s respective stories organically lost momentum and members moved on to further develop their characters outside of being a part of a group.

9. WWE Hall of Fame Honors: DX ’19 and nWo ’20 Cement Their Legacy

Both D-Generation X and the nWo were eventually immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame, with DX receiving the honor in 2019 and followed by the nWo in 2020.

These inductions were a powerful acknowledgment of each faction’s transformative role in shaping professional wrestling. Their influence extended far beyond their eras, paving the way for modern stables like Evolution, Bullet Club, and The Shield, all of whom borrowed elements of rebellion, dominance, and brotherhood pioneered by DX and the nWo.

Interesting, X-Pac was a part of both WWE Hall of Fame inductions. This made him the first wrestler to be inducted twice solely as a member of factions, without ever receiving the honor as a singles competitor.

The WWE Hall of Fame inductions also solidify how both factions redefined storytelling and character development in wrestling. They blurred the lines between hero and villain, brought real-life tensions into kayfabe, and elevated group dynamics into must-see television.

10. nWo vs. DX: Faction Face-Off at WrestleMania 31 (March 2015)

At WrestleMania 31, fans were treated to a surreal moment as the nWo and DX finally crossed paths during Triple H’s match against Sting.

When Sting seemed poised to win, DX – in the form of Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, and X-Pac – charged down to the ring to back up their longtime ally, Triple H.

Just when it seemed like the numbers game would overwhelm Sting, the unthinkable happened. The nWo – Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall – made their entrance to level the playing field. After two decades, the ultimate nWo vs. DX moment had arrived.

The crowd inside Levi’s Stadium exploded, caught between nostalgia and disbelief as the two powerhouse factions squared off for the first time in WWE history.

On an episode of The Steve Austin Show podcast, the late Scott Hall shared what his experience was like at WrestleMania 31.

"Stepping into the ring at WrestleMania 31 with DX felt like coming full circle. We were all veterans, and even though years had passed, the energy was still intense. The fans were chanting, and you could feel the nostalgia mixed with excitement. It was a respectful battle between two legendary groups, and it reminded me why wrestling means so much to so many people."

Though the encounter was brief and ultimately theatrical in nature, it served as a symbolic moment in wrestling lore.

DX vs nWo: Wrestling’s Greatest What-If Explained

Though the nWo vs. DX tension never broke through to a full-blown, prime-time feud, their indirect rivalry defined the most electric period in professional wrestling history.

With the nWo’s gritty realism and takeover mentality in WCW, and DX’s boundary-pushing irreverence in WWE, both factions became the lifeblood of their respective brands. They truly redefined what it meant to be a faction in sports-entertainment.

Still, one question lingers in the minds of fans: what if they had clashed during their peak? What would have happened if the black-and-white collided with green-and-black anarchy in a full-scale nWo vs. DX war?

That dream match may never have materialized, but the legacy of that missed opportunity continues to spark imagination and debate, forever cementing both DX and the nWo as wrestling’s most legendary and influential factions.

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