WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather recently opened up about the history of the Nation of Domination, shedding light on the faction’s original diverse lineup and addressing the much-discussed inclusion of Owen Hart.
Speaking on his Poddin’ Ain’t Easy podcast, he explained that the early version of the group was deliberately constructed to avoid being “too powerful” or overly controversial.
“At first, when they started that, Vince didn’t want it to be too powerful, and he didn’t want it to be as powerful as it got,” The Godfather said. “He didn’t want to offend too many people. So at first the Nation involved a Puerto Rican [Savio Vega], a white guy, a Hawaiian [Crush], a black guy [Faarooq], some rappers [PG-13].”
As the group evolved into its more iconic incarnation with Faarooq, D’Lo Brown, The Rock, Mark Henry, and The Godfather himself, the faction took on a stronger, more serious presence. But the addition of Owen Hart, a white Canadian wrestler, to the predominantly black faction has long puzzled fans—and even the members themselves.
“Even back then, I still don’t understand why Owen Hart was in the Nation,” The Godfather admitted. “Nobody, I talked to D’Lo, I talked to everybody, nobody has no idea.”
He went on to share the leading theory among the members, which he attributed to D’Lo Brown. “I think Vince did it just to piss off white people,” he said with a laugh.
Despite the confusion, The Godfather stressed that there was never any resentment toward Owen, who was universally respected and beloved in the locker room. “You know what? We all liked Owen so much… that nobody gave a [damn] because it was Owen,” he said. “The great thing about it is none of us gave a [damn]. We all loved Owen… We were happy to have him.”
