After a 24-year hiatus, the Latino World Order (LWO) is back in professional wrestling.
The group made its surprise return on the March 31 episode of SmackDown. The return happened during a segment between Rey Mysterio and Legado del Fantasma (LDF), a group that consists of Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, and Zelina Vega. LDF made a vow to have Mysterio’s back against his son Dominik Mysterio and his group, the Judgement Day.
Mysterio extended his gratitude, but added that if they were to form an alliance, it had to be in style, thus handing each of them a folded shirt.
“It’s official! We are the new LWO” Mysterio would announce as the group showed off their new shirts, revealing the iconic LWO logo.
The LWO was initially formed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) back in the 90s. It was founded by the late Eddie Guerrero who, at the time, was involved in a story with WCW President Eric Bishoff.
Guerrero was unhappy with his treatment in the company. He felt his talent was being wasted in favor of guys like Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash of the New World Order (NWO.)
Guerrero was tired of being “held back”, and wanted a spot among the top stars. He’d tell Bischoff “You got a lot of young talent here in WCW, and all you do is hold us down for people you pay a lot of money to” on the August 17, 1998 episode of WCW Monday Nitro. As a result of his refusal to work for the company, Guerrero was sent to wrestle in Japan by Bischoff.
Guerrero made his return to Nitro on October 5, 1998 during a match between fellow WCW wrestlers Damian 666 and Hector Garza.
The returning wrestler jumped in the ring and asked both guys to think about the lack of opportunities Latino wrestlers have gotten from Bischoff, suggesting that they band together to stick it to the boss and make their own opportunities.
“I can’t do nothing by myself, you can’t do it for yourself… but we can do it together. United! La Raza, man!”.
From that moment, the LWO was officially formed.
Despite being a knock-off of the NWO, the group became quite successful, as it gave Latino wrestlers a storyline instead of continuing the cycle of meaningless matches against each other.
Many of the company’s top luchadors went on to join the group including La Parka, Psicosis, Jueventud Guerrera, and after many attempts to recruit him, Mysterio.
In one of the many sagas between Rey and Eddie, the two faced off in three matches in which Mysterio had to join the LWO if he lost. Mysterio won the first two but was forced to join the group on November 16, 1998 after a distraction by Guerrera cost him the third match.
The LWO sadly came to an end a few months later after Guerrero suffered a car accident and left the group without their leader. The group officially disbanded on January 11, 1999.
As we fast forward, Mysterio is now the leader of the group. Though some fans wonder why he’d bring back the group he was once forced to join, it is clear that it was brought back for a bigger purpose. Not only is it a tribute to his late friend Guerrero, but it’s also an opportunity to help groom the next generation of Latino wrestlers.
Mysterio has now taken LDF under his wing. Legado del Fantasma were formidable on their own but under the guidance of a seasoned veteran like Rey Mysterio, their future looks brighter than ever.
Once again, the LWO opens a window of opportunity for Latino talent to succeed in professional wrestling.