The Latino World Order (abbreviated lWo or LWO) is a heroic professional wrestling stable performing in WWE on the SmackDown brand. The group currently consists of leader Rey Mysterio, Carlito and Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, and Zelina Vega). Mysterio is the current WWE United States Champion in his third reign. On occasion, the group has been aided by part-time members Savio Vega and Bad Bunny.
The stable originally performed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1998 to 1999 and was led by Eddie Guerrero. The name of the stable was coined by actor Jason Hervey – who was working in a creative role with WCW at the time – as a takeoff on the New World Order (nWo) stable. The stable was revived by Mysterio in 2023. Mysterio is the only original member of the WCW incarnation to be a member of the revived group in WWE.
History
World Championship Wrestling (1998–1999) The LWO was formed in late 1998 after Eddie Guerrero's spat with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) head Eric Bischoff in a real-life conflict that was turned into a storyline. The group was the idea of Jason Hervey, an actor and friend of Bischoff who was working in a creative position in WCW. The stable was originally supposed to revolve around Konnan, but it was given to Guerrero after Konnan joined the nWo Wolfpac.
On August 17, Guerrero cut a shoot interview, where he claimed to want out of his WCW contract. After being taken off television for several weeks, Guerrero returned on the October 5 edition of Monday Nitro, forming the LWO with several other Mexican wrestlers. The group consisted of the majority of the Mexican roster, as well as Guerrero's friend Art Flores, who played the role of a bodyguard named Spyder.
The group consisted of almost every major Mexican wrestler on the WCW roster including Psychosis, La Parka, Hector Garza, and Juventud Guerrera. Their main feud lay with Rey Mysterio, Jr., after he refused to join the group. They also feuded with Billy Kidman, Mysterio's on-and-off American tag team partner. Mysterio was forced to become a member after losing a match to Eddie Guerrero. Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Eddie's nephew, wasn't included in the stable as he was deemed "mentally unstable" by the group and rejected as a member.
A car accident suffered by Guerrero on January 1, 1999 would help bring a premature end to the LWO. Three days later, the two factions of the New World Order reunited, and before long, various members of the LWO were found lying unconscious backstage. The nWo approached the LWO and demanded they immediately disband or face further consequences. The next week, Ric Flair also asked the LWO to disband and fight for WCW, promising he would treat them better than Bischoff did and also promising them money, women and limousines. Every member except Mysterio agreed, removing their LWO shirts and exiting the ring. Mysterio, who was not originally a willing member of the group, proved himself the most loyal when he refused to remove his LWO colors. The nWo beat him down and forcibly tore off his LWO shirt, leading to a feud between Mysterio and The Outsiders.
The reunited nWo also betrayed their only Latino member, Konnan, who objected to the brutality used against Mysterio, leading them to form a team against The Outsiders. As Eddie Guerrero healed and made his in-ring return, he and Mysterio formed a popular new group, which included Konnan, known as the Filthy Animals.
WWE (2023–present) In 2001, the World Wrestling Federation (renamed to WWE in 2002) acquired certain assets and television footage of WCW, including the LWO trademarks. Rey Mysterio, who was contracted under its parent AOL Time Warner, would not join the company until later in 2002. Over 20 years later on the March 31, 2023, episode of SmackDown, Rey, who was set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2023 later that night, and was scheduled to wrestle his son, Dominik Mysterio, at WrestleMania 39 that weekend, revived the LWO and gifted LWO shirts to Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, and Zelina Vega) as the group had aided Rey in his fight against The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio, Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) for several weeks prior.