As negotiations with Kevin Nash reached their final stages about ten days ago, Vince McMahon began to consider the idea of also bringing in Scott Hall. After considering Hall “too risky,” and perhaps adding more to the budget than he’d prefer, McMahon reversed course, opening up serious discussions. The reason: McMahon liked the idea of doing an NWO/Outsiders-invasion recreation.
Negotiations with Barry Bloom, the agent for Hall and Nash (and Triple H, Chris Jericho, Goldberg, and Sean Waltman, among others), moved quickly. All major terms have been verbally agreed to as of early this week and a finalized deal appears to be just days away. There are still issues of language in the contract that must be worked out, but sources close to the negotiations say nothing appears to be standing in the way of the deal getting done.
Late last year, Hulk Hogan contacted Vince McMahon on his cell phone to ask about the level of interest he had in hiring him. At the time, McMahon was cool on the idea. Within the last two weeks, though, as he and Nash talked about an NWO-style invasion angle, there was suddenly a place for Hogan again. Negotiations with Hogan are ongoing, and while a deal with him hasn’t progressed as far as it has with Hall and Nash, McMahon is telling people to begin planning their storylines with the assumption that Nash, Hall, and Hogan will be part of the WWF in coming months.
Meanwhile, the splitting of the WWF into two separate divisions has been put off again. McMahon told us a few months ago that he was committed to the split, but wasn’t sure when he’d do it. Since then, he planned on doing the “split” angle at Madison Square Garden on the first Raw of the year, Jan. 7, 2002. When that date became Triple H’s return date, McMahon postponed the slated date to right after the Royal Rumble.
“Alliance” wrestlers who haven’t been on TV since losing to the WWF were told that they would be needed for TV right after the Rumble PPV. In the last week, they were given indications their TV return may be further delayed.
With plans being reshuffled due to the likely addition of Nash, Hall, and Hogan to the WWF, the split has now been put off until at or right after WrestleMania. McMahon said in his interview with us that WrestleMania was the latest timeframe he was considering for the split to take place.
While the angle McMahon is considering will be NWO/Outsider like, sources say McMahon is hesitant to use the NWO name. While he may say he doesn’t want it to appear to be a “rerun,” in fact he may be sensitive to using a concept that he didn’t conceive himself. While he bought the rights to “New World Order” when he purchased WCW last year, it doesn’t change that it was a name and concept created by Eric Bischoff, Nash, Hall, and Hogan. It was a major contributor to WCW Nitro’s ratings domination over Raw for well over a year. McMahon may instead use the name DX or come up with a new name.
There is serious consideration being given to having Shawn Michaels be part of the NWO/DX angle as an active wrestler. He met with McMahon several weeks back, which was why he hosted WWF Excess that same weekend. Talks have gone well and the WWF believes mixing Michaels (an original DX member) with Nash, Hall, and perhaps Hogan could create a new synergy that hasn’t been seen before. There is no talk at this stage of former NWO and DX member Sean Waltman to be part of the angle, although he could be a late addition. He is healthy and ready to return to the scene any time.
Triple H, it appears, won’t need to align with Nash now that Nash will have partners in Hall, Michaels, and perhaps Hogan. Instead, it appears Triple H will be the babyface foe for the heel NWO/DX group.
McMahon has suggested that after the split, the NWO/DX group will be part of both shows, playing up the idea that they “don’t work for the WWF” and “do whatever they damn well please.” That way he can get “ratings benefits” for both Raw and Smackdown out of the new acquisitions. Such a set-up would create a scenario where if they wrestled on PPVs, but not house shows, it would be more acceptable to fans since “they don’t work for the WWF.” Nash, Hall, Michaels, and Hogan aren’t interested in full-time work. Appearing at eight TV events per month, plus one or two PPVs, and an occasional “big city” house show would limit their dates to a number the aging wrestlers could be happy with.
Sources say the terms for Hall and Nash are multi-year rather than just six months or one year. Rumors were flying around the WWF locker room that Hall and Nash were given downside guarantees of around $700,000 per year and that Hogan was asking for around twice that amount. Those rumors are uncorroborated and may be pure speculation or have been planted by people within the WWF against the deal who are attempting to create tension between Hall & Nash and Hogan before the deals are finalized.
Understandably, the WWF mid-card crew is dismayed at the news of the pending arrival of not just Nash, but now likely Hall and perhaps Hogan. It’s seen as a set-back of a year or two in their careers and their chance to make main event money.
All indications are that Triple H is not against this major move. He has a longstanding positive relationship with Nash and Hall, and Triple H was in favor of wrestling Hulk Hogan at last year’s WrestleMania. Triple H has said he would take great pride in getting a great match out of Hogan.
Steve Austin has kept in touch with Kevin Nash over the years with regular phone conversations, even during the peak of the Monday Night Wars. There are no indications, though, of whether he likes the idea of so many previous generation main eventers coming in and battling him for merchandise dollars and main event slots. They provide new opponents, and thus new opportunities for huge PPV main event payoffs.
Nash, Hall, Michaels, and Hogan have been in frequent communication with each other over the past two weeks and are said to be excited about the prospects of coming in and “taking over.” Their on-air angle will be that they are “attempting to take over,” but the hesitation on the part of many people in the WWF (wrestlers, writers, staffers) is that they’ll also try to take over behind the scenes. They are strong personalities with controversial pasts.
McMahon, though, is excited about the prospects of working with them again. He apparently believes he can control the situation and use it to catapult the WWF to new levels in 2002.
