We all have the fantasy booker in us. We sit down and watch our favorite shows and wonder why a certain guy isn’t getting a bigger push or why a certain guy keeps getting pushed. We all wish we could put certain people together and form a great tag team that could help revitalize the tag team divisions in wrestling. And all of us have tried to think of what our favorite super group would be and who would be in it. Recently, Kevin Nash went on Twitter to plead with fans to start bringing out their old NWO shirts and signs and let WWE know that we want the NWO back. At first, this may sound like the desperate pleas of a man with no place to go in the wrestling business. A man who is hoping to cash in one more time before calling it a career. But Nash didn’t say he wanted to be in control of the group. He wants C.M. Punk to be in charge of the group and take it into the future. This brings up some interesting queries. Do we want the NWO to return and who would fit into this group going into the next 5 years.

The NWO help change wrestling into what it is today. There were supergroups before and since but none have helped carry wrestling into what it is now more than the NWO. They made it cool to be the villain. The highly coveted 18-34 demographic loved them and bought all their merchandise. In many ways, the NWO brought a sense of reality to wrestling that had not been seen before. We were used to te corny gimmicks and the face always rising to conquer but the NWO wasn’t really beaten by WCW. The group crumbled because of their own infighting and jealousy. The NWO struck at the right time. The same reason Stone Cold Steve Austin climbed to unprecedented heights was the same reason the NWO succeeded. They all capitalized on a time when the American population was angry and wanted to see change in the world. We are in a similar climate now, so maybe it is time to get the brand back out there.

I think it is a forgone conclusion that with a return of the NWO that C.M. Punk should be the leader. The reason that the original NWO group was so successful and that the other incarnations failed was because of who they had fronting the group. For all his detractors out there, Hulk Hogan can still garner attention. For so many fans, he is the reason we all began to watch wrestling. When the later groups formed, they didn’t have that focal point drawing attention to that group. The guys like Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner just don’t have the charisma or the gravitas that a Hulk Hogan has. That’s why they could never recapture the spark that the original had. With C.M. Punk, you have the guy that can be the focal point again and has the ability to ge everyone to take notice of the group. Even though his run with Nexus was lackluster, Punk’s run with the Straight Edge Society showed he could be the frontman even with a group of slightly marginal talent backing him up. Just imagine if WWE actually gave him free reign to promo when he wanted to or interrupt when he wanted to much like the NWO did back in the mid to late 90′s.

So, if Punk is in charge, then who joins in the group. Do we go with the obvious choices or do we go ahead and think outside the box? Here are a few choices on my short list:

#1- Big Show– The last active competitor in the WWE who was actually in the NWO. He was the first person to join after the original 3. He would give NWO2K12 a legitimate big man who basically allows the group to overpower just about anyone in the company. Plus we all know he is better as a heel than as a face. Having him back up Punk’s comments is reminiscent of when Shawn Michaels had Diesel backing him up.

#2- The Miz- I know, I know, really…….really…….really. Yes, I am still a fan of the Miz. I think he’s good on the mic and not nearly as bland in the ring as some people claim him to be. Pairing him with Punk would allow Miz to take on more of Punk’s verbal skills. We have already seen him do it before after being paired with Jericho briefly. Miz is one of those guys who may never be the number 1 guy in the company again but can always be a solid number 2. (No poop jokes guys and gals).

#3 Cody Rhodes– Rhodes’s Dad, Dusty< was briefly a part of the NWO. Cody hasn’t mastered the verbal skills needed to become a main eventer yet but he definitely has the look and the in-ring skills to shine. Cody could take up the Scott Steiner mantra of being the overly cocky good looking guy in the group. It also sets up Cody to be the one guy in the group to eventually turn on the NWO and become a top face in the company.

#4 and 5 Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. Now this may be a bit outside the box, but last year we saw how incredible R-Truth can be playing the crazy heel character. He is a tremendous talent and has the ability to become the Randy Savage of the group. R-Truth as the loose cannon who does what he wants, much to the chagrin of the leaders, would make for great TV. Kofi is the one who many of you may be questioning. Kofi is one of those talents we have seen that we want to elevate to that main event level and has never gotten the shot. But what many of you may not know is that when Kofi was in FCW and other indies, he was a tremendous heel. He can play the angry foreigner well and also just light someone up verbally when given the chance. If Cody doesn’t become the guy to break away from the group and become a star, then Kofi could become that person.

#6 Daniel Bryan– Any group with Punk and Bryan would be destined for greatness. The matches these two could put on against the top face stars in the WWE would be incredible. Bryan could either be the enforcer of the group, using his submission skills to take out the top guys or he could go over the top and be the Scott Hall of the group asking the crowd if they came to see WWE? (Chants of No No No) or did the come to see the NWO (Chants of Yes Yes Yes.)

#7 Eve– Now for the better part of 2 years I bashed Eve for being very vanilla and plain. She seemed like the kind of random character the computer would give you as a default create-a-wrestler in a WWE video game. But since she turned on Zack Ryder, her character has grown by leaps and bounds. She has shown that evil, maniacal side that would fit the group perfectly and a battle between her and AJ Lee would allow a stagnant diva division to grow.

Now you may be wondering why I left off a few names. Ill point out just a couple names and tell you why. Alberto Del Rio as a heel has grown stagnant again. In a battle against the NWo, Del Rio turning face could really give his character another shot in the arm and a chance to resurrect a character many have grown tired of. The other obvious name is Dolph Ziggler. I think in this battle, Dolph becomes the DDP of the group. A sought after wrestler who stays neutral for a while before turning on the NWO and siding with the other stars of the WWE. This giving him the chance to showcase his athleticism and his verbal skills and allowing the fans to actually sheer for him for a change, something they havent done since he entered the WWE back in 2006. There are many other people that could fill out this roster depending on how big you want the NWO2K12 to be. We could have a Raw side and a Smackdown side being kept separate for the most part with occasional cross over appearances for big moments. I would love to hear your feedback and comments about who you would like to see in NWO 2K12 or even if the brand should return.

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Until Next Time, It’s Been Obvious
Captain Obvious Trey Dent