Not
only should Vince McMahon be made to read this book, but
Jerry Jarrett (head of NWA: TNA & Jeff Jarrett's father)
could learn a lot from sitting down with this tome. RD Reynolds
(www.wrestlecrap.com)
& Bryan Alvarez (editor of Figure Four Weekly) chronicle
the rise & stunning decline of World Championship Wrestling.
The story is delivered with the biting sarcasm  Wrestlecrap
readers are familiar with & starts with the opening
dedication of the book, “To Hunter & Steph”.
Starting
in 1988 when Ted Turner bought Jim Crockett Promotions because
of his long time affinity for pro wrestling, WCW was disorganized
at best. It had been plagued with morons in charge who either
had no experience in running a wrestling company (Jim Herd,
former head of Pizza Hut) or had outdated experience in
running a wrestling company (Cowboy Bill Watts). WCW played
second to McMahon’s WWF for many years despite the
numerous ridiculous characters in Vince’s company,
until control of Turner’s promotion fell into the
hands of a braggadocios third-rate announcer named Eric
Bischoff.
Bischoff,
or ATM Eric as he was discreetly called, opened up Ted Turner’s
wallet & spared no expense at signing some of the biggest
names in wrestling (Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Bret Hart) to
guaranteed contracts. He also opened negotiations with New
Japan Pro Wrestling for a talent exchange to obtain some
of the greatest Japanese (The Great Muta, Jushin Thunder
Liger) &
technical wrestlers (Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho).
Bischoff also acquired the services of many great Mexican
luchadores (Rey Misterio Jr, Juventud Guererra, Eddie Guererro).
Bischoff cleverly booked WCW’s flagship show, Monday
Nitro, directly against WWF’s Raw. Bischoff &
company would actually watch their competition during their
shows & change the direction of Nitro accordingly. They’d
also give away the results from taped editions of Raw.
In
1996, Bischoff signed Scott Hall & Kevin Nash, both
of who garnered fame in the WWF, & staged the nWo invasion
along with Hulk Hogan. This phony inter-promotional war
helped Nitro climb in the TV ratings & made it the show
to watch. The feeling of unpredictability combined with
great undercard wrestling almost drove the WWF out of business.
But,
as John Milton wrote, all things move towards their end.
Reynolds & Alvarez relive the downward spiral of WCW, revealing
little known facts about the company (like when Chris Jericho’s
fiancee bought a Jericho & Malenko action figure set
only to find Hogan & Stings name on the receipt, meaning
that Hogan & Sting got the residuals from that sale)
along with TV & pay-per-view moments that many wrestling
fans have long since repressed.
They tell of Hulk Hogan’s complete creative control
clause in his contract, bringing in Jay leno to wrestle,
paying Lanny Poffo several hundred thousand dollars a year
& never having him wrestle, Scott Steiner’s ‘roid
rage & Raven demanding to be released from his contract.
Also featured is the work of Vince Russo, a former WWF writer
who helped the Stamford company finally overcome their southern
adversaries from Atlanta. In what was hoped to be a major
turn around for WCW, Russo booked preposterous angles &
storylines that even the most dedicated Internet mark couldn’t
follow. The book also charts the plummeting ratings & eventual sale of WCW to Vince McMahon including his burial
of said company until it remained nothing more than video
archives.
While
The Death Of WCW would clearly benefit from more direct
quotes from former employees, it’s still a fascinating
read & a welcome trip down memory lane to view the flaming
car accident that was WCW. Wrestling promoters should take
note, lest history repeat itself.
R
Rick's Rants Archive
Email Rick
|
