Why They Were Wrestling's Greatest Parody Faction

The original plan of the Blue World Order in ECW was not to create a long-term act, but they did something special. Almost all parody ideas have a short shelf life since their relevance exists as much as the thing they are inspired by. The performers must also step up to make it interesting and captivating or fans will turn on it.

Stevie Richards, The Blue Meanie, and Nova were tasked with playing a parody of the New World Order in WCW. The trio impersonated Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hulk Hogan in hilarious fashion. ECW fans loved being in on the joke, and it led to all three wrestlers thriving in the roles. The Blue World Order found success as the greatest parody gimmick in wrestling based on the short- and long-term results from Paul Heyman's booking.

BWO Was Paul Heyman's Fun Idea

The rise of ECW saw Paul Heyman never afraid of mentioning the bigger promotions of WWE and WCW. Wrestling was so regional for years that various companies would avoid referencing the others. ECW was trying to become the alternative to the two major promotions during the Monday Night Wars. Heyman took it to another level when not just referencing WCW’s biggest act, but he made a parody to make fun of them.

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WCW witnessed the New World Order taking over the wrestling industry by business metrics while taking over the WCW product on-screen. Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall leading a hostile takeover became the biggest angle, even acknowledged by fans who prioritized WWE and ECW over WCW. Heyman took a bold swing at the comedic act, even though parodies had a history of falling apart.

WWE showed the worst-case scenario when the fake Razor Ramon and Diesel characters led to massive failure. The Blue Meanie, Stevie Richards, and Nova respectively delivered comedic impersonations of Hall, Nash, and Hogan to get over. All three were looking for something new after Raven’s Nest ended, and it gave them a huge hit moving forward.

The BWO Got Over Big Time

The risk for failure was there for the Blue World Order, but the expectations were not as high as they’d hit with their success. Most fans would have assumed the BWO would be a fun little comedy act for a month or two to never be discussed again. WWE trying their hand at impersonations saw Gillberg being the best success, which also had a short shelf life.

The BWO got over to the point where fans just wanted to see them on their own. Everyone enjoyed the digs at WCW, but the act was objectively entertaining as a whole. Richards stepped up as the biggest name in the group to have his greatest singles push. ECW put him in a huge ladder match on their first PPV Barely Legal 1997 against The Sandman and Terry Funk with an instant title shot on the line.

The Blue Meanie was always best using the comedic side of character work and his Hall impersonation delivered big time. ECW put a wild card of Nova as Hogan since he wasn’t as well-known as the other two, but he did a great job with his impression of the biggest nWo member.

The BWO Created A Legacy

ECW fans loved the Blue World Order enough to make them one of the most beloved entities in the promotion’s history. There is a reason the BWO was part of all the major ECW reunion shows to get a huge pop. WWE even signed Blue Meanie to reunite with Stevie Richards and Nova bringing the BWO act to WWE in 2005. Unfortunately, it flopped, but the relevance being strong enough to book them four years after the final New World Order reunion proved they created a legacy in wrestling.

All three talents have phased out of the wrestling business in terms of being full-time performers. However, they still make occasional indie appearances and sell the BWO shirts since fans love them. Paul Heyman gave three unique performers the chance to run with something that seemed to have a short shelf life. The organic fan connection made it special with huge pops every single week in ECW.

Richards, Meanie, and Nova have all named this chapter of their careers among their happiest times in wrestling. Heyman knew what his audience wanted, and it showed beyond just the main eventers like Taz, Rob Van Dam, and Raven. The Blue World Order got over enough to still hold a soft spot in the hearts of the longtime wrestling fans today.