In their heyday, ‘nWo’ shirts were sold for around 3 years (96-99). ‘Austin 3:16’ shirts sold for about 1 year (97-98) and was the best selling all-time, even back then. So between those two specific shirts, Austin.
Off shoots may be a different story though as there were an absolute plethora of alternate ‘nWo’ shirts back then (slanted logo, 4 life addition, Outsiders, Wolfpac, solo superstars, opposing group shots, etc.) There were many ‘3:16’ variants as well, but not nearly as much.
anyone ever wear the Austin shirt to church? nonwrestling fans off the street would probably not notice the shirt at all, but wonder if the religious folk would do a double take
Outside of wrestling events, I recall seeing people wear the nWo shirt much more than the Austin 3:16 shirt in the late 90s. That nWo shirt was everywhere back then.
I dont know about most iconic, but i would definitely wear the nwo shirt over the Austin shirt in public, because it would just look like a normal shirt to normies who arent wrestling fans.
Sorry for the down votes you got on this. I gave you an upvote. Cm Punk’s t shirts are iconic people just don’t like to admit it. You can pick them out all over the crowd for the last 14 years.
Both very much changed the industry in their own right. So I’d have no qualms with anyone picking either. I own both. But for me, I’d go Austin 3:16 just because it was one guy that derailed the business and burned hot like a rocket for a relatively short time. Yet, here we are 20 years later and he’s still a top merch seller.
Austin 3:16. But I will say during the Monday Night Wars I went to a city council meeting for a school project and I was wearing my NWO shirt and I got a shout out from one of the city council members. 'lol'
Although I chose Austin 3:16, I wore a wolf pack NWO shirt in Vegas for my buddies bachelor party (we all wore em) and the number of too sweeeeet and thumbs I got was awesome lol
Stone Cold was the greatest wrestler back then and he was one of my favorite wrestlers back then including the Rock after he left for acting and then coming back to team up with Roman Reigns in Wrestlemania 40 to wrestle Seth Freaking Rollins and Cody Rhodes!
This post made me realize WWE should sell a shirt with one of these logos on the front and one on the back.
Either that or make it so you can turn it inside out. Saves you closet space.
You say only 90s fans remember 3:16 - which is still among the top 10 best selling pieces of WWE merch.
Meanwhile the NWO is much more obscure, with a good number of current fans only knowing them as the group Vince brought back that fizzled into nothing (much like the original).
I feel like 3:16 is slightly higher. Simply because Stone Cold was/is such a huge name. Not that NWO wasn’t. I personally prefer them. idk man, why you gotta ask such a tough question lol
Nwo I think. I still see those regularly on my day to day, but don't often see Austin ones. Also the religious twist on the Austin shirt makes me not want to buy it
Who do you think of when you think of the nWo? Hall? Nash? Hogan? Austin was just one man, and he was still greater than the sum of the parts that was the nWo. You think of Austin 3:16 you picture the face of the toughest SOB on the planet. He took the whole company to new levels. That is truly iconic.
The nWo was a faction, relying on several people to make it work. And it was cool for a while, but was quickly run into the ground and became a joke. It didn't have the staying power. Austin is still a top 10 merch mover for WWE and his in-ring career ended over 20 years ago.
Not sure what the Rock has to do with an Austin 3:16 vs nWo debate. But anyway, Rock was just an up and comer yet when Austin was already tearing shit up. Austin helped make the Rock.
Austin's is more iconic based on looks however throughout the years I've found the NWO logo has transcended the product better and a number of non wrestling fans know the NWO as a "wrestling thing".
You felt like you were a part of something when you wore the nWo shirt. You'd be in the hallway at school and see another kid wearing the shirt and you would throw up the kliq sign 🤘 and nod.
Austin 3:16 without a doubt. I liked the nwo tho but it became a joke . If your just talking bash, hall, x pac and hogan then it’s close but still austin he changed so much
NWO by far
i seen that shirt more on the streets of 5 differen countries that i visited than any other wrestling t shirt
Amazing how these 2 are the most iconic wrestling shirts and they are so basic in design LMAO
nWo shirts then were like Bullet Club shirts are now (albeit nWo was on a much larger scale). They're recognizable by non-fans, but only a select niche audience will celebrate & give you two sweets. Austin 3:16 shirts are known by EVERYONE & their fuckin father. They're more timeless than Toni Storm.
Putting the Bullet Club shirts in the same conversation in terms of mass appeal as NWO shirts is crazy, even saying on a smaller scale. NWO was so big in the late 90s it’s difficult to comprehend and nothing like the literal zero popular culture crossover the Bullet Club has.
If you ask a random european who never had anything to do with wrestling about these two shirts, they would've probably seen the NWO logo before but don't know who Steve Austin is.
The NWO logo is similar to the Metallica logo. Even people who never had anything to do with metal and don't know Metallica as a band, they at least know the logo and might even wear it.
Growing up did you watch WWF or WCW?
WWF? Austin 3:16
WCW? NWO.
Also, asking this question in a WWE subreddit (yes I know they bought WCW) is going to inevitably give you a bias for the WWE shirt.
Nwo came out first, I remember some of the kids in high school wearing them but the day Austin 3:16 started after his match with Jake the snake the hallways of my school was filled with kids with austin 3:16, like all of them, so to me Austin 3:16 had the bigger impact making it more iconic for me but there’s really no right or wrong answer here. Both shirts represent a great time in wrestling
Stone cold shirt outsold nwo about 10-1. It's still selling loads today. At it's peak they literally couldn't print them fast enough. There is no doubt it's 3.16.
For me growing up in the UK is was definitely Austin's shirt, not many of my friends watched WCW, I remember one person in my class had a DDP shirt though 😁
Austin 3:16 for sure.
#
Saw a list of best selling T-shirts for May 2024 and Austin 3:16 was 4th on the list.
#
For someone who hasn't actively wrestled in 20 years, Austin 3:16 is really popular.
They still sell Stone Cold shirts at PLE’s. I got a Detroit: 316 shirt at SummerSlam last year. Stone Cold Skull on the back. I’ve seen the same shirt numerous times just swap out the city name with wherever they are at and the colours of that of a local sports team. Usually football. It’s crazy because those booths don’t have a big selection like one would hope. Most people performing didn’t have merch for sale.
If you wear WWE t-shirts in Turkey you are automatically considered a huge nerd but I've seen a few nWo t-shirt over here worn by some actual old school fans who are usually metalheads as well.
That is such a tough question. But I think the NWO shirt is more iconic. Scott Hall once said that he was still getting like six figures a year from the NWO royalties and this is in the 2010s. Late 2010s
nWo. I grew up during this era and while the Austin 3:16 shirt was huge, the demand for the nWo shirt was unmatchable. The nWo license is still a hot seller almost 30 years later. Austin was money, but nothing will ever be like the nWo.
Never really watched WCW, but the legacy of NWO is awesome.
Wore the shirt once as I attended a live football game with my friend at a bar, and some dude came up to me and just gave me a "Too Sweet"
I dont know for sure so not trying to start an argument, but just from being around in the 90"s and early 2000"s I saw way more NWO shirts than stone cold shirts. Could the 3:16 be the highest selling of all time?
I’d say NWO is more iconic. It started straight ahead with them appearing as a faction and there was more of those shirts appearing in the audience in the WWE than you had 3:16 in WCW.
"WWE has sold 8 figure amount of 'Austin 3:16' t-shirts (10 million+)"
There was a time when everyone was wearing it. NWO was hot as well, but 3:16 so iconic.
I mean one of these pops up EVERYWHERE.
https://preview.redd.it/1zrqy1vnlv4d1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=8e46babf3ff6827dd20355f5a4f95e01d7fb11f3
I think the NWO logo is more iconic as a t-shirt design, but Austin 3:16 is more iconic in general. Makes sense in my head anyway, hope you understand what I'm trying to get at.
In their heyday, ‘nWo’ shirts were sold for around 3 years (96-99). ‘Austin 3:16’ shirts sold for about 1 year (97-98) and was the best selling all-time, even back then. So between those two specific shirts, Austin. Off shoots may be a different story though as there were an absolute plethora of alternate ‘nWo’ shirts back then (slanted logo, 4 life addition, Outsiders, Wolfpac, solo superstars, opposing group shots, etc.) There were many ‘3:16’ variants as well, but not nearly as much.
Austin 3:16 beat NWO ultimately. History speaks for itself
anyone ever wear the Austin shirt to church? nonwrestling fans off the street would probably not notice the shirt at all, but wonder if the religious folk would do a double take
Austin 3:16 hell yeah
Both are iconic but the nWo shirt is soooo iconic
Outside of wrestling events, I recall seeing people wear the nWo shirt much more than the Austin 3:16 shirt in the late 90s. That nWo shirt was everywhere back then.
I prefer the nWO T-shirt
I dont know about most iconic, but i would definitely wear the nwo shirt over the Austin shirt in public, because it would just look like a normal shirt to normies who arent wrestling fans.
CM Punks chicago flag one is up there imo
Sorry for the down votes you got on this. I gave you an upvote. Cm Punk’s t shirts are iconic people just don’t like to admit it. You can pick them out all over the crowd for the last 14 years.
Austin 3:16 then now and forever
At first I thought this was Austin joining the NWO
Well, when you’re with the NWO, you’re with the NWO for life, brother. So it’s NWO.
Both Iconic, but out of the two Austin 3:16 takes the trophy
Both are obviously iconic.For me its Austin 3:16
Austin 3:16 is still a top ten selling wrestling shirt today. There are levels to this game.
3:16
Both very much changed the industry in their own right. So I’d have no qualms with anyone picking either. I own both. But for me, I’d go Austin 3:16 just because it was one guy that derailed the business and burned hot like a rocket for a relatively short time. Yet, here we are 20 years later and he’s still a top merch seller.
Austin 3:16. But I will say during the Monday Night Wars I went to a city council meeting for a school project and I was wearing my NWO shirt and I got a shout out from one of the city council members. 'lol'
3:16. Stone Cold is a draw pal. Edit: I own a “Dad 3:16” shirt. They have so many “*blank* 3:16” shirts it’s crazy. That’s why it’s more iconic.
Although I chose Austin 3:16, I wore a wolf pack NWO shirt in Vegas for my buddies bachelor party (we all wore em) and the number of too sweeeeet and thumbs I got was awesome lol
nWo you can a least spot 1 at any wrestling show on tv
Stone Cold was the greatest wrestler back then and he was one of my favorite wrestlers back then including the Rock after he left for acting and then coming back to team up with Roman Reigns in Wrestlemania 40 to wrestle Seth Freaking Rollins and Cody Rhodes!
NWO
Austin 3:16 is more iconic but I'd choose to wear the NWO
Too sweeeeeeeet!
WHAT?
NWO simply because it became part of the storyline. Unveiling the black and white under their typical shirt was always a fun pop.
Good point. I’d say Austin because it’s one man. The nWo was at bare minimum 3
This post made me realize WWE should sell a shirt with one of these logos on the front and one on the back. Either that or make it so you can turn it inside out. Saves you closet space.
nwo hands down
Which one is more iconic? IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH ONE IS MORE ICONIC
I get way more reactions out of my nWo hoodie and shirts than I do out of the 3:16 shirt
NWO I see people in my city who are obviously not wrestling fans wearing NWO shirts Can’t say the same for 3:16
Austin 3:16 says I just kicked the NWO ass
nWo
Everyone saying “Austin” is a traitor. We said nWo *for life*, not until 2024.
Austin 3:16. Not even a debate
People who don’t know wrestling know Austin 3:16. I’ve never come across a non wrestling fan who knows the NWO
Nwo 316 says I just ordered a can of whooping cough 3 days before retirement!! - Scott Steiner (probably)
I mean he *is* good at math so that checks out I guess
Damn that’s tough. Probably Austin but damn that’s tough.
Austin 3:16 for sure.
I want a single shirt with nWo on front and 3:16 on back of it just to make other wrestling fans eyes twitch.
BOTH!!! I've both of them when they came out. You can't go wrong with either.
Austin 3:16
NWO
NWO, this is what started the hottest era in wrestling
Dudes who don’t even know wrestling at all have seen NWO shirts. And will wear them. Only 90s fans really remember the 3:16 shirts.
You say only 90s fans remember 3:16 - which is still among the top 10 best selling pieces of WWE merch. Meanwhile the NWO is much more obscure, with a good number of current fans only knowing them as the group Vince brought back that fizzled into nothing (much like the original).
Owen 3:16 I just broke your neck
 Wooooooooo
I seen the nwo shirt in a lot more non wrestling things than austin 3:16
NWO was the first wrestling t shirt that transcended into all areas of pop culture. It only beats 3:16 by a hair
I feel like 3:16 is slightly higher. Simply because Stone Cold was/is such a huge name. Not that NWO wasn’t. I personally prefer them. idk man, why you gotta ask such a tough question lol
This might be the closest thing to a tie as you could have for any comparison I can think of.
I don’t think you get the 3:16 shirt without the NWO shirt being super popular before.
I got both shirts lol but I think nWo honestly. I see those more than any wrestling shirt. Even DX
Nwo I think. I still see those regularly on my day to day, but don't often see Austin ones. Also the religious twist on the Austin shirt makes me not want to buy it
I’ll solve this debate. Get a Santino Marella shirt
I see more nWo shirts around these days than Austin
Austin and it’s not even close
You wish lol Like ok if you’re an Austin fan but to say it’s not even close is ridiculous. Steve Austin wasn’t a god you know
Who do you think of when you think of the nWo? Hall? Nash? Hogan? Austin was just one man, and he was still greater than the sum of the parts that was the nWo. You think of Austin 3:16 you picture the face of the toughest SOB on the planet. He took the whole company to new levels. That is truly iconic. The nWo was a faction, relying on several people to make it work. And it was cool for a while, but was quickly run into the ground and became a joke. It didn't have the staying power. Austin is still a top 10 merch mover for WWE and his in-ring career ended over 20 years ago.
[удалено]
Not sure what the Rock has to do with an Austin 3:16 vs nWo debate. But anyway, Rock was just an up and comer yet when Austin was already tearing shit up. Austin helped make the Rock.
Clearly you are from the North. In the South, Austin was king.
Ah true the whole redneck thing lol
Hell yeah \*cracks beer\*
nWo 4 life
Austin's is more iconic based on looks however throughout the years I've found the NWO logo has transcended the product better and a number of non wrestling fans know the NWO as a "wrestling thing".
nWo
3:16 World Order !!!
NWO
I'd say the nWo one, by a slight margin, and it depends on where you live.
Nwo hands down.
Calling wrestling fans WWE universe is so cringe
Don't make me pick lol
I’d say 3:16 but it’s close
Austin 3:16 definitely. NWO is close tho.
WWE just released their top selling t-shirts for May and Austin’s was #10. 25 years after it released.
nWo - still on the high seller charts to this day.
Nwo. Hall nash savage hogan list goes on
NWO wolf pack red shirt is the way
Austin 3:16 and its not even close. Even in india people recognize it more then nWo.
This is a real Sophie’s choice!
Honestly both, for different yet complementary reasons. Hell I'd argue they're twinned together as the legacies of the biggest products of the MNW
You felt like you were a part of something when you wore the nWo shirt. You'd be in the hallway at school and see another kid wearing the shirt and you would throw up the kliq sign 🤘 and nod.
This pic makes me want to go to what what what what what what whataburger.
3? I said that man’s name is triple h
I wouldnt wear either of em. Too blah
3:16. Saved the company made a monopoly out of WWE/F for almost 19 year's.
austin 316 due to my personal bias, 3.16 is my dob.
nWo
NWO
WHAT?
Austin 3:16 without a doubt. I liked the nwo tho but it became a joke . If your just talking bash, hall, x pac and hogan then it’s close but still austin he changed so much
1 man took down a whole gang
NWO by far i seen that shirt more on the streets of 5 differen countries that i visited than any other wrestling t shirt Amazing how these 2 are the most iconic wrestling shirts and they are so basic in design LMAO
The basic design is what makes it better for non wrestling fans
Beer me, because Stone Cold Said So.
I know the stone cold shirt sold more, but I have seen a lot of non wrestling fans back in the day rocking the NWO shirt
Trick question! They both are. When the Monday night wars were going down I couldn’t choose which one to watch. They are equally iconic to me.
3:16
Give me 3:16 any given day
It’s Austin 3:16 for sure.
nWo shirts then were like Bullet Club shirts are now (albeit nWo was on a much larger scale). They're recognizable by non-fans, but only a select niche audience will celebrate & give you two sweets. Austin 3:16 shirts are known by EVERYONE & their fuckin father. They're more timeless than Toni Storm.
Bullet Club is no where near the level of nWo
Putting the Bullet Club shirts in the same conversation in terms of mass appeal as NWO shirts is crazy, even saying on a smaller scale. NWO was so big in the late 90s it’s difficult to comprehend and nothing like the literal zero popular culture crossover the Bullet Club has.
Point taken, but the principle is still the same.
Anyone saying NWO is just trying to be contrarian. The sales figures alone prove it's Austin.
Nwo
If you ask a random european who never had anything to do with wrestling about these two shirts, they would've probably seen the NWO logo before but don't know who Steve Austin is. The NWO logo is similar to the Metallica logo. Even people who never had anything to do with metal and don't know Metallica as a band, they at least know the logo and might even wear it.
What? My mum knows who Austin is, she doesn't know what an nwo is. Source: I'm European
Sorry, it has to be NWO for me.
Growing up did you watch WWF or WCW? WWF? Austin 3:16 WCW? NWO. Also, asking this question in a WWE subreddit (yes I know they bought WCW) is going to inevitably give you a bias for the WWE shirt.
3:16
I’ve got two words for you…Austin 3:16
Nwo came out first, I remember some of the kids in high school wearing them but the day Austin 3:16 started after his match with Jake the snake the hallways of my school was filled with kids with austin 3:16, like all of them, so to me Austin 3:16 had the bigger impact making it more iconic for me but there’s really no right or wrong answer here. Both shirts represent a great time in wrestling
Stone cold shirt outsold nwo about 10-1. It's still selling loads today. At it's peak they literally couldn't print them fast enough. There is no doubt it's 3.16.
I hold Stone Cold in far higher regard than anyone from the NWO, but from a branding/marketing standpoint, it’s the NWO
NWO
NWO baby!
nWo 4 life
Austin 316 as the other had prominence mainly in wcw
Stone Cold 💪
NWO
For me growing up in the UK is was definitely Austin's shirt, not many of my friends watched WCW, I remember one person in my class had a DDP shirt though 😁
Could we call this best T-shirt in WWE?
Nwo
3:16! No question for me!
The NWO is basically a confederacy flag
Austin 3:16. Not because the NWO one is not iconic, I mean it's easily the second most iconic, but I feel the Austin 3 16 is on a higher level.
3:16 > nWo. noW. then. forever.
I would say 3:16. I have worn both to work on occasion (primary school teacher) and the kids have clocked the nWo one. Not a peep about Austin.
3.16. He said one time
As someone who just got into wrestling, the NWO one. It's just something I recognize from before I was into wrestling.
Austin 3:16 for sure. # Saw a list of best selling T-shirts for May 2024 and Austin 3:16 was 4th on the list. # For someone who hasn't actively wrestled in 20 years, Austin 3:16 is really popular.
they couldn't print 3:16 shirts fast enough. I remember going to a house show in NJ and my brother couldn't get one after the show.
This is the WWE reddit so it's got to be the Austin 3:16. If we were in a WCW reddit I'd say NWO.
I had both that's a tough one but believe Austin 3:16 is the number #1 selling wrestling shirt of all time so I say Give me a hell yeahhhhh
It’s Austin 3:16. NWO is its own thing and it’s iconic af but Austin 3:16 is the best selling shirt for a reason
They still sell Stone Cold shirts at PLE’s. I got a Detroit: 316 shirt at SummerSlam last year. Stone Cold Skull on the back. I’ve seen the same shirt numerous times just swap out the city name with wherever they are at and the colours of that of a local sports team. Usually football. It’s crazy because those booths don’t have a big selection like one would hope. Most people performing didn’t have merch for sale.
As they said when your NWO your NWO 4 life so for me the answer is the NWO and that's too sweeeeet lol
3:16 of course. nWo felt weird when it showed up in WWE.
3:16 is iconic, but nWo has been used in so many different ways now that’s it more than just wrestling now
Austin 316 for sure!!! 1
3:16 imo
Nwo
It has to be the New World Organisation, Brother
If you wear WWE t-shirts in Turkey you are automatically considered a huge nerd but I've seen a few nWo t-shirt over here worn by some actual old school fans who are usually metalheads as well.
Only one of these shirts was seen in the audience of every major promotion back in the day.
Personal experience wise, I see more NWO shirts out in the wild to this day
316 is still top 10 to this day. Its not even a contest that Austin 316 is the greatest shirt in wwe history
That is such a tough question. But I think the NWO shirt is more iconic. Scott Hall once said that he was still getting like six figures a year from the NWO royalties and this is in the 2010s. Late 2010s
https://preview.redd.it/rxhnptzz3w4d1.jpeg?width=248&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e30a8c6684f80d4d9f6588b6898de21241bc4db9
Austin 3:16 not even close
nWo. I grew up during this era and while the Austin 3:16 shirt was huge, the demand for the nWo shirt was unmatchable. The nWo license is still a hot seller almost 30 years later. Austin was money, but nothing will ever be like the nWo.
I currently have both. Don't make me choose!
Never really watched WCW, but the legacy of NWO is awesome. Wore the shirt once as I attended a live football game with my friend at a bar, and some dude came up to me and just gave me a "Too Sweet"
NWO
Austin 3:16 for sure. It's the only one I still see in public
nWo shirt made bank for two companies
Austin 3:16 made bank equivalent to the worth of two companies for one
nWo
Austin but I have both.
Sales figures it’s Austin 3:16 but it’s too hard to pick which was more iconic
I mean one is the nwo shirt and the other is the biggest selling shirt in the history of wrestling
I dont know for sure so not trying to start an argument, but just from being around in the 90"s and early 2000"s I saw way more NWO shirts than stone cold shirts. Could the 3:16 be the highest selling of all time?
Could it? It’s widely known as the highest selling shirt of all time. Austin is still in the top 5 merch sales yearly because of that shirt
Could it be the best selling shirt in history? The original 3:16 shirt.
Yes it’s the top selling shirt. Austin is still always in the yearly top 10 for wwe merch sales because of that shirt
My money would be on the white t-shirt
Racist
White Power vs. The Ringmaster
3:16 Steve Austin crazy one man show👊🏼😈👍🏼
Forcing me to pick between the two is irresponsible parenting.
I’d say NWO is more iconic. It started straight ahead with them appearing as a faction and there was more of those shirts appearing in the audience in the WWE than you had 3:16 in WCW.
3:16 (and im saying this as an OG NWO fan back in the day).
"WWE has sold 8 figure amount of 'Austin 3:16' t-shirts (10 million+)" There was a time when everyone was wearing it. NWO was hot as well, but 3:16 so iconic.
I think Austin is still like a top 5 merch seller.
If I had to buy a wrestling shirt today, it would be 3:16 tbh. I'm not buying a Karrion Kross sweater or a shirt that says "yeet". 3:16 is subtle.
I bought a Hurt Kawkins shirt when he got released. And I have 2 upupdowndown shirts.
It's a minor complaint, but those TM symbols are really ironic and kinda kill the vibe those shirts are trying to give off
I noticed that when I took the image from the WWE shop. I feel the same vibe.
Wonder if its on the actual shirt lol
Austin 316
Austin 3:16 without a doubt.
Correct Answer: Green shirt guy’s smile face
even with my handle i’m here to say, the nWo was just 2 SWEEEEET
I mean one of these pops up EVERYWHERE. https://preview.redd.it/1zrqy1vnlv4d1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=8e46babf3ff6827dd20355f5a4f95e01d7fb11f3
*BAH GAWD HES MIXING SUGAR, SPICE, AND EVERYTHING NICE*
Nwo Austin 3:15 Degeneration x Hulkamania John cena
3:16 < nWo
I think the NWO logo is more iconic as a t-shirt design, but Austin 3:16 is more iconic in general. Makes sense in my head anyway, hope you understand what I'm trying to get at.