TheEvilDoink1987
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Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Mar 26, 2021 6:33:03 GMT -5
March 26, 2001. Absolutely insane that it has been twenty years already since WCW last existed. The company was a trainwreck in its final years, but I prefer to remember their glory days from 96-98 when they were arguably the superior wrestling show.
I know this topic has been discussed at length already. It just seems wrong not to reflect on it for such a milestone anniversary. The wrestling business changed forever that day and many would agree that the death of WCW marked end of the greatest boom period the industry has ever seen. The WWF no longer had legitimate competition which was initially celebrated as a monumental victory, but as we have learned it may not have been the best thing for them creatively in the years and decades that followed.
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Post by jason88cubs on Mar 26, 2021 7:01:40 GMT -5
the day wrestling died
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👑🇵🇭⭐️
Main Eventer
WF 10 Year Member
King Of The Ring 2007 - Team Undisputed
Joined on: Feb 4, 2013 13:46:47 GMT -5
Posts: 4,739
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Post by 👑🇵🇭⭐️ on Mar 26, 2021 10:48:27 GMT -5
The war between WWF and WCW felt like a game. WWF was up early by a few, then WCW took the lead by halftime. We're tied up at the end of the 3rd, then WWF held WCW scoreless to finish the game. Kind of felt like, yes we won...but what did we really win!? Then the Invasion happened...
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 26, 2021 11:52:19 GMT -5
I remember a few national radio stations covering this at the time (wrestling was still huge with mainstream in early 2001). One radio host was gushing over potential Taker vs Sting and Austin vs Goldberg feuds...and instead we got Shawn Stasiak running around with “Mecca” on his tights...
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Post by rkmo: Autonomous Meat Shield on Mar 26, 2021 12:20:01 GMT -5
I remember a few national radio stations covering this at the time (wrestling was still huge with mainstream in early 2001). One radio host was gushing over potential Taker vs Sting and Austin vs Goldberg feuds...and instead we got Shawn Stasiak running around with “Mecca” on his tights... WHAT DOES "MECCA" MEAN?! |
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👑🇵🇭⭐️
Main Eventer
WF 10 Year Member
King Of The Ring 2007 - Team Undisputed
Joined on: Feb 4, 2013 13:46:47 GMT -5
Posts: 4,739
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Post by 👑🇵🇭⭐️ on Mar 26, 2021 12:26:57 GMT -5
I remember a few national radio stations covering this at the time (wrestling was still huge with mainstream in early 2001). One radio host was gushing over potential Taker vs Sting and Austin vs Goldberg feuds...and instead we got Shawn Stasiak running around with “Mecca” on his tights... WHAT DOES "MECCA" MEAN?! It means PerfectShawn. We're talking about the guy who held the Broken Winged Eagle Belt 15 times!! He's also a 3 time WCW Tag Team Champion. |
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 26, 2021 12:38:53 GMT -5
It means PerfectShawn. We're talking about the guy who held the Broken Winged Eagle Belt 15 times!! He's also a 3 time WCW Tag Team Champion. Who could ever forget the guy who attempted to Pearl Harbor Kurt Angle from the front during the milk-truck segment, only for Angle to simply sidestep him. |
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Post by jason88cubs on Mar 26, 2021 13:40:30 GMT -5
my favorite part is we got more Mcmahon vs Mcmahon!!
Just what everyone wanted!
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Post by LA Times on Mar 26, 2021 14:15:13 GMT -5
I remember a few national radio stations covering this at the time (wrestling was still huge with mainstream in early 2001). One radio host was gushing over potential Taker vs Sting and Austin vs Goldberg feuds...and instead we got Shawn Stasiak running around with “Mecca” on his tights... Jim Cornette said that Vince McMahon couldve brought in Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, Goldberg and Eric Bischoff for the invasion angle and made millions of dollars, but instead he blew millions of dollars on a football league. |
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Post by The Brain on Mar 26, 2021 15:17:25 GMT -5
It's been 20 years and all I can say is....I miss WCW  Sad day for the biz for sure. |
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Mar 26, 2021 16:50:19 GMT -5
It's crazy to think when you watch that Raw or that Nitro, and you hear Vince name off the WCW stars and think, "Wow... Steiner, Nash, Booker, DDP, and Jarrett vs. Austin, Rock, Angle, Jericho and Kane!"
Instead.... we get WWF wrestlers joining team WCW/ECW and are seen wrestling the same old matches we have seen for years in the WWF at that time.
Once again, proving that Vince really isn't a wrestling genius, just got lucky more times than none.
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 26, 2021 17:55:03 GMT -5
It's crazy to think when you watch that Raw or that Nitro, and you hear Vince name off the WCW stars and think, "Wow... Steiner, Nash, Booker, DDP, and Jarrett vs. Austin, Rock, Angle, Jericho and Kane!" Instead.... we get WWF wrestlers joining team WCW/ECW and are seen wrestling the same old matches we have seen for years in the WWF at that time. Once again, proving that Vince really isn't a wrestling genius, just got lucky more times than none. He nailed it with Hogan during the 80s boom. I’ll give him that. But after he bought the majority of his competition by the early 90s he felt safe and became stubborn. The same crap we say about the product being stale today were the same things being said in 1995 when he was forcing Diesel down our throats. He refused to revamp his product until he was on the brink of bankruptcy, and ever since he bought WCW, he became “safe” again. He thinks he knows what fans want better than we do. The invasion angle really should have been the clue for everyone that Vince was lucky more times than not. |
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Mar 26, 2021 23:09:51 GMT -5
It's crazy to think when you watch that Raw or that Nitro, and you hear Vince name off the WCW stars and think, "Wow... Steiner, Nash, Booker, DDP, and Jarrett vs. Austin, Rock, Angle, Jericho and Kane!" Instead.... we get WWF wrestlers joining team WCW/ECW and are seen wrestling the same old matches we have seen for years in the WWF at that time. Once again, proving that Vince really isn't a wrestling genius, just got lucky more times than none. He nailed it with Hogan during the 80s boom. I’ll give him that. But after he bought the majority of his competition by the early 90s he felt safe and became stubborn. The same crap we say about the product being stale today were the same things being said in 1995 when he was forcing Diesel down our throats. He refused to revamp his product until he was on the brink of bankruptcy, and ever since he bought WCW, he became “safe” again. He thinks he knows what fans want better than we do. The invasion angle really should have been the clue for everyone that Vince was lucky more times than not.
I will have to disagree with you about the Diesel remark.
I legit thought 1995 was a great year, and thought Diesel made a great champion. His matches with Bret and HBK were tremendous. It was guys like a heel Sid and King Mabel that sucked.
And to be fair, WCW wasn't doing much better in 1995. Fans weren't happy about Hogan/Savage/Sting feuding with Sullivan, Butcher, Avalanche, Vader, Flair and Anderson.
I guess what I am saying is that 1995 had more downs than ups for WWF and WCW. ECW was the only company that made any positives in 1995.
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 26, 2021 23:56:32 GMT -5
He nailed it with Hogan during the 80s boom. I’ll give him that. But after he bought the majority of his competition by the early 90s he felt safe and became stubborn. The same crap we say about the product being stale today were the same things being said in 1995 when he was forcing Diesel down our throats. He refused to revamp his product until he was on the brink of bankruptcy, and ever since he bought WCW, he became “safe” again. He thinks he knows what fans want better than we do. The invasion angle really should have been the clue for everyone that Vince was lucky more times than not. I will have to disagree with you about the Diesel remark. I legit thought 1995 was a great year, and thought Diesel made a great champion. His matches with Bret and HBK were tremendous. It was guys like a heel Sid and King Mabel that sucked. And to be fair, WCW wasn't doing much better in 1995. Fans weren't happy about Hogan/Savage/Sting feuding with Sullivan, Butcher, Avalanche, Vader, Flair and Anderson. I guess what I am saying is that 1995 had more downs than ups for WWF and WCW. ECW was the only company that made any positives in 1995. I’m actually a Diesel fan. I used him more of an example of Vince refusing to change anything up rather than a dig at Diesel (Diesel was changed from a silent badass into just another “Hogan” over night). Diesel was far from the biggest issue in 1995. |
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Post by The Brain on Mar 27, 2021 3:37:03 GMT -5
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Post by CM Tusk on Mar 27, 2021 4:25:58 GMT -5
Hated WCW and grew up a WWF kid. Never cool when workers lose jobs, but think it worked out best for everyone. Well, mostly.
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Post by TKO Propagandist on Mar 27, 2021 7:15:48 GMT -5
Wrestling hasn't been the same since
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Post by JokerFC on Mar 28, 2021 11:34:56 GMT -5
Ahh lads I was so excited. then The Invasion. Good God....
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 28, 2021 15:58:08 GMT -5
Vince has always stuck to the argument that he couldn’t buy-out the Turner contracts as it would throw off their pay scale and hurt them financially...despite still making a ridiculous amount of money in 2001 even after the failure of the XFL. And with this being the most anticipated story in history, they’d have been making even more money and everyone benefits.
He purchases WCW, and then buys out the contracts of Goldberg, Sting, Steiner, and Jarrett (despite being polarizing Jarrett was still a top name at the end of WCW and Vince should have put their squabble aside). These are 4 names you could pair with Booker, DDP, and RVD to give some legitimacy to the WCW side of things. Throw Jericho and/or Big Show with them as well, and you have yourself stories that could last years. This leaves you with the below top names on each side to start he invasion...
WWF:
Austin
Rock
Taker
Angle
Kane
Jericho
WCW:
Goldberg
Sting
Steiner
Booker T
DDP
Jarrett
RVD
Big Show
And this doesn’t even get into the midcarders, tag teams, or names like HHH and Benoit who were on the sidelines.
This easily gets you to the end of the year where Flair comes in. A few months later, bring in the nWo and Bischoff as the “third brand” who is taking out both sides. As we continue moving forward, guys like Eddie come back into the fold and guys like Rey can be brought in to add new talent to the roster as well.
What could have been...
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Post by Nivro™ on Mar 28, 2021 16:27:37 GMT -5
I still miss WCW today. While their booking was all over the place I still think its later years get too much flack. Just think, WCW in its dying days was still pulling better ratings than any wrestling on TV today.
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