Fans of the "Monday Night Wars" in professional wrestling will vividly remember the rise in popularity of the New World Order. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall built a faction that dominated World Championship Wrestling throughout the late '90s, recruiting the likes of The Giant, Randy Savage and many others.
However, one superstar that never joined the group is Chris Jericho, the current All Elite Wrestling World Champion. According to Jericho, he rejected a membership offer for the nWo, choosing to stay as a solo act.
"It's also the first time I've ever been in a faction," Jericho told Wrestling Inc. while discussing his leadership role in the Inner Circle. "There's a reason for that, I don't play well with others. I never really wanted that. I remember back in '98, one of the suggestions was for me to be in nWo and I was like absolutely not. There's 15 guys in the nWo. They don't need me and I don't need them. For the Inner Circle, it enhances my character, our storylines, and gave five very talented individuals a much bigger platform and got them over to a much bigger degree as well."
Jericho largely stayed out of the major nWo storylines in WCW, carving out his own path in the Cruiserweight division. He also had a brief rivalry with Goldberg during the height of his undefeated streak. The nWo's four core members (Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman) will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the weekend of WrestleMania 36.
AEW: Dynamite airs on Wednesday nights on TNT at 8 PM ET.