The Attitude Era is one of the most exciting times in wrestling history, and it was personified by the rivalry between D-Generation X and the New World Order.
Since Hulk Hogan signed for WCW in 1993, to the company folding in 2001, the battle between WWE and WCW was one of the most heated of all time.
Wrestlers jumped from company to company, as each company tried their best to get ahead in the ratings war.
Big stars like Sting, Steve Austin, Goldberg and The Rock were just some of the wrestlers to draw in fans during that era, but it was two groups who dominated the airwaves at the time.
The New World Order (or NWO) was originally a three-man group, headed by Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The group were a trio of ex-WWE stars who wanted to take down WCW from the inside.
It was one of the most successful groups of all time, and went a way into almost putting the WWE out of business. Their t-shirts are still some of the highest selling on WWE.com, two decades after the fall of WCW.
Meanwhile, D-Generation X (or DX) was an anti-establishment group, headed by Triple H and Shawn Michaels. They were a childish, yet entertaining group, with their “suck it” signature move getting kids in trouble all over the United States.
While they were two of the top factions of all time, a DX vs NWO feud never came to be in the WWE.
However, it could have very nearly taken place, had the stars aligned for one show in 2006.
NWO vs DX
There were rumours of a New World Order vs D-Generation X feud taking place in the WWE in 2006.
During this time, Shawn Michaels and Triple H had reunited, in a feud against Vince and Shane McMahon, as well as the Spirit Squad.
They were successful in their endeavour, even winning the World Tag Team Championships. It was a different look for DX, but they were still top stars in the company.
However, ratings initially lagged with John Cena on top, and there were reportedly worries within about ways to get more eyes on the product.
Internally, DX vs NWO for Survivor Series was discussed. However, this would not include Hulk Hogan, and only be a tag team match between Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.
Hall and Nash had not wrestled in the WWE in 2003, when drug issues (Hall) and injuries (Nash) put an end to what started off as a promising run.
According to PWTorch (September 2006);
There is a strong rumor (and we put huge emphasis on that) within WWE right now about possibly bringing in Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to feud with D-Generation X after the current McMahon-DX feud runs its course.
There are said to be a number of critics within WWE about that idea as many people don’t want any part of either Nash or Hall for various reasons. Some do realize that a “DX vs. nWo” feud could do quite well, so anything is possible at this point.
While some WWE sources deny it as a possibility, they have also admitted at the same time that the idea has been proposed and “put on the table” so to speak.
However, Kevin Nash Denied The Plans
Sadly, all reports about the potential DX vs NWO feud were quashed by Kevin Nash.
In a 2007 shoot interview, he denied any rumours of a DX vs NWO match happening in 2006, and revealed that it had not been pitched to him.
However, this does not mean that the idea was not suggested backstage, but was ultimately scrapped by Vince McMahon before it came to contacting the talents.
A DX vs NWO Moment Happened At WrestleMania 31
A DX vs NWO moment did happen at WrestleMania 31, during the Sting vs Triple H match.
Whilst DX attacked Sting to help The Game win the match, they were thwarted by the invading NWO.
Hogan, Hall and Nash brawled with Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac on the outside, as Triple H nailed Sting with a sledgehammer to win the bout.
This didn’t really make any sense.
Sting was the NWO’s biggest rival, so it made little sense why they would help. The NWO also hated WCW and wanted to take it over, so surely they would be on the WWE’s side in this brawl.
And finally, Sting made it clear that this match was not a WCW vs WWE thing, so why did it even happen?
It did make for a cool NWO vs DX moment though, so that was good.
A feud between Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash probably would have been terrible anyway, with Hall and Nash about a decade past the last time they actually tried to put on a good match in the ring.