Professional wrestling has its own share of mysteries. Itâs own whodunits that are the subject of intense discussion.
But none bigger than, âWho killed WCW?â
The suspects are many.
Eric Bischoff: The man responsible for WCWâs turnaround. He convinced Billionaire Ted to loosen the purse strings. âEasy Eâ went on to build an empire of big-name wrestlers. He is credited with the creation of the New World Order (another whodunit in its own right, but thatâs for another column). Many see his free spending as depleting the resources of Time Warner and WCW, leading to its death.
Vince Russo: The innovator that supposedly brought âAttitudeâ to the WWF jumped to WCW in 1999. The new era was noticeable. Like New Coke was to Pepsi, WCW was extremely WWF-like. Lengthy interviews in the ring. Elaborate backstage skits. Fast-paced âCrash TVâ had come to Atlanta. Putting the world title around the waists of David Arquette and himself, along with âscrewingâ Hulk Hogan seemed to put WCW on a path to destruction.
Vince McMahon: He bought WCW with the intention of creating a second brand prior to the âsplitâ of Raw and Smackdown. Featuring a few main eventers, but more mid-card guys, the âNew WCWâ faded fast. Even an âAllianceâ with ECW didnât save it. Did Vinnie Mac kill yet another brainchild because he wasnât involved in the creation?
Jaime Kellner: The Time Warner executive that cancelled WCW programming in early 2001 while negotiating with Bischoffâs Fusient Media Ventures to purchase the promotion. He claimed that while the ratings still topped TBS and TNT programming, they werenât attracting the âright advertisers.â The formula is simple. No TV. No value. Fusient pulled out of the purchase and Vince scooped up WCW for a song and created a monopoly.
So, all had the opportunity and the motive to kill WCW. However, in my opinion, while they had a hand in the end of WCW, they didnât technically âkill it.â
The guilty party?
Every wrestler, booker and on-air personality that put their own interests over that of a company that was paying them big bucks murdered WCW. The death was slow and painful with many fingerprints on the corpse.
The Hogan/Nash WCW championship match that featured the famed âFinger Poke of Doomâ on January 4, 1999 is the most stunning example. Instead of giving fans an advertised main event, they gave them a joke that devalued an already damaged title.
They all got their big laugh. Hogan got his title back. Nash turned heel. Another incarnation of the NWO was born and they could dominate television time at the expense of others. Fans that had been swerved in the past many times seethed. Many stopped watching, attending events and buying merchandise.
Then Russo came along and gave David Arquette the world title. Not enough pain for you? Soon, he won a championship that is steeped in history. Again, more fans lost interest. Then, he tried to replicate the famed âMontreal Screwjobâ with Hogan pinning a deliberately prone Jarrett for the WCW championship. Russo came out, ripped on Hogan and announced ANOTHER match for the real WCW title.
Then, Bischoff and Russo teamed up to ârebootâ WCW. What? All titles were stripped and had to be won or re-won at the following pay-per-view. Storylines ended, only to be replaced by another âUs vs. Themâ storyline of the Millionaires Club versus the New Blood.
Sheesh.
There are many others responsible, but those examples stand out above all. A lack of money didnât kill WCW. A competitor who bought it didnât kill WCW. A pretentious network executive didnât kill WCW. It was selfish prima donnas who wanted their TV time, title reigns and big bank accounts. Egos and selfishness dictated how WCW was ruled and how it died.
Inmates ran the asylum. And those inmates killed WCW.
