Nation of Domination

Nation of Domination
The late 1997/early 1998 incarnation of the Nation. L-R: Kama Mustafa, Faarooq, The Rock, & D'Lo Brown.
Stable
Members	Faarooq (leader, 1996–1998)[1] The Rock/Rocky Maivia (leader, 1998)[1] Crush[1] Savio Vega[1] D'Lo Brown[1] JC Ice[1] Wolfie D[1] Kama Mustafa/The Godfather[1] Ahmed Johnson[1] Mark Henry[1] Owen Hart (co-leader, 1998)[1] Clarence Mason (manager)[1]
Name(s)	The Nation of Domination The Nation N.O.D
Debut	November 1996
Disbanded	November 1998
Promotions	USWA WWF

The Nation of Domination (NOD) was a professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from November 18, 1996 to November 28, 1998. The Rock was a 1 time Intercontinental Champion ^[2] and D'Lo Brown was a 2 time European Champion^[3] while in the group.

History

United States Wrestling Association (1996)

The original Nation of Domination was formed in 1996 in the USWA. The group was led by PG-13, (a tag team consisting of JC Ice and Wolfie D). The group also consisted of Kareem Olajuwon, Sir Mohammad, Elijah, Shaquille Ali, Randy X, and Queen Moisha. This group never really got off the ground in the USWA but they saw greater success in the WWF.^[1]

World Wrestling Federation (1996–1998)

First NOD in WWF (1996–1997)

The most well-known faction with the name was the heel group formed in the WWF when wrestler Faarooq was joined by manager Clarence Mason and Young Marlos. The two men were also accompanied by three unnamed actors, Albert Armstrong, Charles Hines, and William Beach, who were supposed to represent other members of the Nation. The group was based loosely on the Nation of Islam (with group members adopting Islamic names and wearing Muslim headgear) and the Black Panther Party. The extremism of the group's pro-black theme at times including the 'Nation Salute' and Faarooq's angry tirades on the microphone garnered them an excessive amount of heat from fans in arenas. Many wrestlers joined the heel stable over time including PG-13 (J.C. Ice and Wolfie D), Crush, D'Lo Brown, and Savio Vega. Their first feud was with Ahmed Johnson, who had a rivalry with Faarooq since summer 1996. At Royal Rumble 1997, the Nation assisted Faarooq during his match against Johnson. Faarooq lost by disqualification after Crush interfered and attacked Johnson.^[4][5]

Faarooq, Crush, and Vega were the members of Nation of Domination who wrestled while others supported them during their matches. These three men often teamed up together in six-man tag team matches such as one at Final Four against Bart Gunn, Goldust, and Flash Funk^[6] and most notably in a Chicago Street Fight at WrestleMania 13 against the Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) and Ahmed Johnson.^[1][7] At A Cold Day In Hell, the Nation faced Johnson in a Gauntlet match. Johnson defeated Crush and Vega in the Gauntlet before losing to Faarooq.^[1][8]

This lineup of the group remained intact until Faarooq became angry with them and fired the entire group with the exception of Brown^[1] after Faarooq's loss to The Undertaker at King of the Ring 1997, where Faarooq lost the match partly because of the distraction caused when Vega, Young Marlos, and Crush were arguing at ringside.^[9]

Black Supremacy (1997)

On the June 16 edition of Raw is War, Faarooq promised that he would deliver a "bigger, badder, better and blacker" version of the Nation, after 'firing' Crush, Mason, and Savio Vega, retaining only Brown.^[10] which led to the induction of Kama Mustafa and Ahmed Johnson into the group after Johnson turned on WWF Champion The Undertaker during a tag team match against Faarooq and Kama Mustafa.^[10] Johnson would be forced out of the group due to injury. Faarooq said that Johnson was not black enough and that he was a white boy waiting to come out. He was replaced by Rocky Maivia.^[1] Meanwhile, former Nation members Vega and Crush formed their own rival factions, Los Boricuas (made up entirely of Puerto Rican wrestlers) and the Disciples of Apocalypse (made up entirely of biker wrestlers) respectively. This led to a WWF style "gang war."^[1]

In the following months, the Nation feuded with Los Boricuas and the Disciples of Apocalypse. This feud culminated in a triple threat match between Faarooq, Vega, and Crush who were the leaders of Nation, Los Boricuas, and DOA respectively at Ground Zero, which Vega won.^[11] They restarted their feud with the Legion of Doom. At Badd Blood, the Nation defeated LOD in a 3-on-2 handicap match.^[12] As part of his heel turn, Rocky Maivia shortened and changed his ring name to The Rock. Around this time, Ahmed Johnson restarted feuds with the Nation as well and joined LOD and Ken Shamrock. This led to a Survivor Series match at Survivor Series, which the Nation lost to LOD, Johnson, and Shamrock.^[13] At D-Generation X: In Your House, The Rock got a shot at the Intercontinental Championship against Stone Cold Steve Austin. In the closing minutes of the match, Austin performed a Stone Cold Stunner on the referee. A second referee came down to count a pin for Austin, although the first referee intended to disqualify Austin.^[14]

As a result of this controversy,^[14] Austin was forced to defend the title against Rock the next night on Raw is War. Rock was awarded the WWF Intercontinental Championship, however, after Austin forfeited him the title instead of defending the title in a rematch.^[15][16] Ken Shamrock, who was already a rival of the Nation began feuding with The Rock for the Intercontinental title. On the January 12, 1998 edition of Raw is War, Mark Henry turned heel and joined the Nation by assaulting his tag team partner Ken Shamrock in a tag team match against The Rock and D'Lo Brown.^[17]

Leadership of The Rock and Owen Hart / Fall of Nation (1998)

On the March 30, 1998 edition of Raw is War, The Rock went on to usurp leadership of the Nation from Faarooq, at which point the group dropped "of Domination" from its name and its militant focus permanently.^[1][18] Instead, The Rock's 'cool' gimmick spread throughout the faction with Nation members taking on considerably more hip characters, the most notable being Kama Mustafa's transformation into The Godfather, D'Lo Brown's "bobble-head" and strut, and a new hip version of the group's entrance theme, that would become associated with The Rock's character and be remixed over and over during the years. The Nation's primary focus by now was that The Rock retained the Intercontinental title at any cost. They mainly feuded with Faarooq, who had just been kicked out of the stable. At Mayhem in Manchester, The Rock and D'Lo Brown lost to Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart.^[19] At Unforgiven: In Your House, The Nation lost to Shamrock, Faarooq, and Steve Blackman in a six-man tag team match.^[20] On the April 27 episode of Raw is War, The Rock and Mark Henry faced Shamrock and Hart in a tag team match where Hart turned heel by attacking Shamrock and joining The Nation as well as being co-leader with The Rock.^[21]

The group engaged in a memorable rivalry with D-Generation X (DX). This highly popular feud saw the infamous parody DX performed in which they spoofed Nation members; Rock thoroughly humiliating Chyna by alluding to a possible 'romantic' encounter between the two while the rest of DX were held at bay in their locker room by a forklift; a street fight between the two groups that wound up in Triple H being, in particular, singled out by the rest of the group and being beaten down with a ladder; the ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship between the two at SummerSlam 1998; and X-Pac and Brown trading back and forth the WWF European Championship.^[22][23] DX and the Nation also wrestled in a six-man tag team match at Over the Edge 1998.^[24] In which the Nation won.

Toward the end of the year, the group showed signs of dissension as Rock's mannerisms and swagger began to catch on with fans. The WWF could no longer ignore the cheers and adoration of the live crowds, so The Rock once again turned face. Hart left the group when he believed there wasn't enough room for Rock's ego and himself. The Godfather would venture out on his own as a fan favorite, bringing with him a bevy of beauties to the ring before his match with any wrestler. Rock would later be assaulted by Brown and Henry in October 1998 which would ultimately be the end of The Nation as a faction. After kicking Godfather out the Sunday Night HEAT before Judgment Day 1998, D'Lo and Mark briefly continued using The Nation name, a modified titantron, and music until dropping all three by year's end as they'd moved on to the tag team division without the Nation moniker.

Aftermath

Shortly after The Nation was disbanded, The Rock decided to run solo, riding his immense rise in popularity. He won the WWF Championship at Survivor Series 1998^[25] and turned heel again by joining Vince McMahon's Corporation stable.^[26] He would later become one of the greatest superstars in WWF history and he would subsequently enjoy several years of success, not just in the world of wrestling, but also in Hollywood.^[27] Owen Hart would go on to form a successful tag team with Jeff Jarrett, and later revive his Blue Blazer character before his death in May 1999.^[28]

D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry would remain a tag team following the dissolution of The Nation, enjoying moderate success. After Brown attempted to help Henry lose weight, Henry turned on Brown in the summer of 1999, ending the final remnants of The Nation of Domination. Brown would eventually hold both the Intercontinental and European titles at the height of his popularity. Henry would form his "Sexual Chocolate" character and be involved in some angles of questionable quality until the development of his "Silverback" gimmick. The Nation had something of a reunion in late '99 when D'Lo realigned himself with the Godfather, imitating his pimp gimmick. This alliance lasted all the way into early '00 when D'Lo heeled on Godfather, thus ending the team.

As of now, The Rock and Henry are the only former members still employed by the WWE. Rock is signed on a part time basis while Henry later held the ECW Championship in 2008. Henry would later win the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011. Godfather was released in 2002 and retired to manage a gentleman's club while occasionally making guest appearances over the years since with his "Ho Train". Faarooq quietly retired after an angle which saw him fired from the SmackDown brand and subsequently abandoned by his Acolytes Protection Agency tag partner John "Bradshaw" Layfield, making occasional appearances since then under his real name of Ron Simmons. Simmons and Brown, who had been released already from WWE in March 2003 and returned in 2008, were officially released (again, in Brown's case) in early January 2009 due to budget cuts.

Members

USWA

• PG-13 (JC Ice & Wolfie D)^[1]
• Kareem Olajuwon^[1]
• Sir Mohammad^[1]
• Akeem Mohammad^[1]
• Elijah^[1]
• Shaquille Ali^[1]
• Queen Moisha^[1]
• Randy X^[1]

WWF

• Faarooq (November 18, 1996 – March 30, 1998)^[1]
• Clarence Mason (November 18, 1996 – June 9, 1997)^[1]
• JC Ice (November 18, 1996 – March 30, 1997)^[1]
• Wolfie D (November 18, 1996 – March 30, 1997)^[1]
• Young Marlos (November 18, 1996 – June 9, 1997)
• Crush (January 13, 1997 – June 9, 1997)^[1]
• D'Lo Brown (January 13, 1997 – November 28, 1998)^[1]
• Savio Vega (February 8, 1997 – June 9, 1997)^[1]
• Kama Mustafa/The Godfather (June 16, 1997 – October 18, 1998)^[1]
• Ahmed Johnson (June 22, 1997 – August 4, 1997)^[1]
• Rocky Maivia/The Rock (August 11, 1997 – October 12, 1998)^[1]
• Mark Henry (January 12, 1998 – November 28, 1998)^[1]
• Owen Hart (April 27, 1998 – October 5, 1998)^[1]

Incarnations

• First incarnation (heel):
  • Type: Stable
  • Active: November 18, 1996 – June 9, 1997
  • Members: Faarooq, Crush, Savio Vega, D'Lo Brown, JC Ice, Wolfie D, Clarence Mason^[1]

• Second incarnation (heel):
  • Type: Stable
  • Active: June 9, 1997 – March 30, 1998
  • Members: Faarooq, The Rock, Kama Mustafa, D'Lo Brown, Ahmed Johnson, Mark Henry^[1]

• Third incarnation (heel):
  • Type: Stable
  • Active: March 30, 1998 – October 18, 1998
  • Members: The Rock, Owen Hart, D'Lo Brown, The Godfather, Mark Henry^[1]

• Fourth Incarnation (heel):
  • Type: Tag Team
  • Active: October 18, 1998 – November 28, 1998 ('Nation' name was dropped; Brown and Henry continued on as a team without it)
  • Members: D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry

D-Generation X parody

D-Generation X, along with comedian Jason Sensation, parodied The Nation on July 6, 1998 edition of Raw is War, with each member of D-X dressing as a Nation member and impersonating their characteristic mannerisms.

Nation member:	D-X member:	Parody character:	Distinguishing features and mannerisms:
The Rock	Triple H	The Crock	Self-deprecating catchphrases, exaggerated version of "The People's Eyebrow".
D'Lo Brown	Road Dogg	B'Lo Brown	Chest protector, head-shaking, yelling and climbing the turnbuckles, repeating things The Crock just said, use of the word "brother."
Mark Henry	X-Pac	Mizark Henry	Pecs which went "all the way around to the back", voracious appetite.
The Godfather	Billy Gunn	The Gunnfather	Use of the word "Westside."
Owen Hart	Jason Sensation	Owen Hart	Large prosthetic nose, nasal voice, costume made out of caution tape, use of the word "damn."

In wrestling

• Entrance themes
  • World Wrestling Federation
    • "Nation of Domination" by Jim Johnston (1996–1998)

Championships and accomplishments

• World Wrestling Federation
  • WWF Intercontinental Championship – The Rock (1 time)^[2]
    • The Rock: (December 8, 1997 – August 30, 1998)^[16]
  • WWF European Championship – D'Lo Brown – (2 times)^[3]
    • D'Lo Brown: (July 20, 1998 – September 15, 1998)^[22]
    • D'Lo Brown: (September 29, 1998 – October 18, 1998)^[23]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap} "Nation of Domination (N.O.D.) Profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/n/nation-of-domination.html. Retrieved May 11, 2008. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "WWE Intercontinental Championship official title history". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/. Retrieved May 11, 2008. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "WWE European Championship official title history". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/euro/. Retrieved May 11, 2008. 
4. ^ "Royal Rumble 1997". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/january/1997.htm. Retrieved May 11, 2008. 
5. ^ "Royal Rumble 1997 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/1988114111/. Retrieved May 11, 2008. 
6. ^ "In Your House 13: Final Four". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/february/1997.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2008. 
7. ^ "WrestleMania 13 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm13/results/. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
8. ^ "In Your House XV: A Cold Day In Hell". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/may/1997.htm. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
9. ^ "King of the Ring 1997". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/june/1997.htm. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Petrie, John (June 16, 1997). "Raw is War: June 16, 1997". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on May 21, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20010521225851/http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1998/raw042798. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
11. ^ "In Your House: Ground Zero". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/september/1997.htm. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
12. ^ "In Your House: Badd Blood". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/october/1997.htm. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
13. ^ "Survivor Series 1997 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/1997/results/. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
14. ^ ^{a b} "In Your House Degeneration X". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/december/1997.htm. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
15. ^ Petrie, John (December 8, 1997). "Raw is War: December 08, 1997". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on October 26, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061026202130/http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1997/raw120897. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "The Rock's second Intercontinental Championship reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/322552. Retrieved May 12, 2008. 
17. ^ Petrie, John (January 12, 1998). "Raw is War: January 12, 1998". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on May 21, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20010521224859/http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1998/raw011298. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
18. ^ Petrie, John (March 30, 1998). "Raw is War: March 30, 1998". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080209100538/http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1998/raw033098. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
19. ^ "Mayhem in Manchester results". The Other Arena. http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/wwfuk.html#mayhem. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
20. ^ "Unforgiven 1998 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/unforgiven/history/1998/results/. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
21. ^ Christopher Robin Zimmerman (April 27, 1998). "Raw is War: April 27, 1998". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on May 21, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20010521225851/http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1998/raw042798. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
22. ^ ^{a b} "D'Lo Brown's first European Championship reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/euro/358506. Retrieved May 12, 2008. 
23. ^ ^{a b} "D'Lo Brown's second European Championship reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/euro/358570. Retrieved May 12, 2008. 
24. ^ "In Your House: Over the Edge". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/may/1998.htm. Retrieved May 15, 2008. 
25. ^ "Survivor Series 1998 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/1998/results/. Retrieved May 15, 2008. 
26. ^ "Corporation Profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/c/corporation.html. Retrieved May 15, 2008. 
27. ^ "The Rock's Bio". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/wwealumni/therock/bio/. Retrieved May 15, 2008. 
28. ^ "Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett Profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/o/owenjj.html. Retrieved May 15, 2008. 

External links

Professional wrestling portal

• Nation of Domination's OWW Profile
• Brian Adams' (Crush) OWW Profile
• The Rock's WWE Profile
• Ron Simmons' (Faarooq) WWE Profile
• Mark Henry's WWE Profile
• Owen Hart's OWW Profile
• Ahmed Johnson's OWW Profile
• D'Lo Brown's OWW Profile
• Savio Vega's OWW Profile
• Godfather's (Kama Mustafa) OWW Profile
• Clarence Mason's OWW Profile
• PG-13's OWW Profile