Triple H and Shawn Michaels did an interview with Sports Illustrated to discuss the 25 anniversary of the creation of the nWo that was started by Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall.
After seeing the success of the nWo in 1996, Triple H and Michaels started D-Generation X in 1997. Here are some of the highlights:
On the nWo:
Michaels: “Kevin and Scott were the beginning of it all, and bringing Hogan into it was the icing on top. Now I know people complain and say they went too far down the road with too many members, but it was still so cool. That’s a monumental time in the wrestling business, and those guys were a big part of it.”
Triple H: “Scott leaves, which is massive, but if Kevin doesn’t leave, nothing changes,” Levesque adds. “And then Kev leaves. We knew they were forming a group. Hulk turning heel and running with that group added a whole new refresh. It was the biggest thing in the business.”
Michaels on the creation of DX:
“Kevin and Scott leaving made me want to work with Hunter even more. And we had Chyna, and there was chemistry there. Then we started doing DX.”
Triple H on adding new members to DX:
“We wanted Billy [Gunn] and [Road] Dogg with us, but right from the start, we wanted to wait and hold. They’d either get over on their own, which would be bigger for us, or we’d get them over. Then they started getting over on their own. Shawn gets hurt, Kid comes back. In the end, it all panned out.”
Michaels on the success of the nWo:
“I didn’t get a chance to watch all the time, but I’m one of those people that was entertained by it when I did. The NWO turning 25, and still being so popular, I think it’s huge.”