One of the defining traits at various points during both WCW and WWE history is that neither company was 100% into the idea of being a wrestling company. Attitude Era creative was full of ideas to break outside of the wrestling box and try different things, whether it was Vince Russo as a champion or a sexy (?) parody of Leave It To Beaver.
WCW in 1999 was on the decline and looking for new ways to reach out to the audience. According to images rediscovered online, part of that search involved plans for a WWE animated series. Seemingly featuring Bret Hart as some sort of heroic figure and Eric Bischoff as a plucky youngster with a backward baseball cap, the Excellence of Execution was set to take on evil forces like “Rexx Calibre.”
Twitter user @allan_cheapshot gathered up the images that exist online for our viewing pleasure, showcasing a Bizzaro world Rock ‘N Wrestling show that never came to pass:
WCW apparently had plans to do an animated show in 1999. Nothing was ever officially greenlit, there was concept art produced for one idea.
Another idea was going to be produced by Eli Roth. It was going to be called 'Chowda Heads' and would air between segments on Nitro. pic.twitter.com/tRK7Az1Db7
— Allan (@allan_cheapshot) January 2, 2021
However, WCW did commission some animation in 1999, it just had even less to do with wrestling. As mentioned in the above tweet, the company hired Hostel director Eli Roth to come up with a cartoon to air during Monday Nitro. The result is Chowdaheads, an extremely ’90s cartoon that has at least one episode preserved online:
Thank you @BossMoz for hipping me to the fact that an episode of CHOWDAHEADS!, the planned Eli Roth cartoon shorts for WCW Monday Nitro in 1999, exists on this here internet.
What the FUCK is this? pic.twitter.com/qbvNlTGtin
— David Bixenspan (@davidbix) August 19, 2020
Neither cartoon ended up airing on Nitro, but animated segments honestly wouldn’t have been out of place in the last year and change of WCW’s operation.
