Monday Night Wars: The Turning Point

[The Spin]

December 1997

WCW have been taking on WWF head to head on a monday night for over 2 years now. The early contest has seen WCW coming out on top thanks to star power and the massive impact of the nWo faction with a heel Hollywood Hulk Hogan, reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion. So good have they been, that Nitro has not been beaten by Raw in the ratings for 76 consecutive weeks. The Montreal Screwjob which saw Bret Hart, some close friends and quite a lot of Canadian fans leave the WWF in anger had taken place just weeks ago. Everything seemed to be going right for WCW. But it wouldn't last.

WCW would waste it's biggest show ever, Starrcade in December 1997, through faulty booking. They would see their prized selling point turn into a turn-off. All the while WWF entered the Attitude era, with Stone Cold's battle with Vince McMahon drawing millions in. The rating streak would be snapped and WCW would go into terminal decline. If only they could have got that month right, things could have gone oh-so differently.

----------------------------------​

Bischoff: Look, I know you don't want to do it, but this is the future of this company we are talking about here. We mess this big match up, the biggest event in wrestling history, if we mess it up then people will be angry, people will stop watching Nitro. I know you're the man, you know you're the man. Hell, everyone knows you're the man, but if we mess it up and go down in flames then there will be no company here for you to be the man of. We can't mess the people around, they are anticipating and we have to give them the big payoff they want and deserve. Come on, you know you can do that for us.

"...If I have to then I will do it for you."

Bischoff: That's the one. When you look back at this, hell, when history looks back, people will thank you for doing the right thing because it will payoff for us all.

----------------------------------​

One of the biggest issues WCW faced was the big stars having huge amounts of power over booking and assured pay no matter what. Anyone trying to keep WCW going had to deal with all the egos and the demands coming into them. No matter what happened in December 1997, this was something which certainly wasn't going to stop any time soon. Could the management balance the, sometimes/often insanity of the big players in the company and manage success?

Was there any way to avoid the turning point which they were going to face?

Roster

WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hollywood Hulk Hogan
WCW United States Champion: Curt Hennig
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers (Scott and Rick Steiner)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Eddy Guerrero
WCW World Television Champion: Perry Saturn

Booker T
Stevie Ray
Sting
Ric Flair
The Giant
Diamond Dallas Page (DDP)
Lex Luger
Kevin Nash
Syxx
Scott Hall
Randy Savage

Dean Malenko
Jerry Saggs
Jim Duggan
Ultimo Dragon
Rick Martel
Ray Traylor
Chris Benoit
Davey Boy Smith
The Booty Man
Steven Regal
Steve McMichael
The Barbarian
Bill Goldberg
Konnan
Michael Wallstreet
Brian Knobbs
Buff Bagwell
John Tenta
Meng
Raven
Wrath

Chris Jericho
Jim Neidhart
Rey Mysterio Jr.
Madusa
Psicosis
Alex Wright
Hugh Morrus
nWo Sting
Hammer
Brad Armstrong
Disco Inferno
Scott Norton

Juventud Guerrera
Norman Smiley
La Parka
Billy Kidman
Johnny Grunge
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Rocco Rock
Villano V

Fit Finlay
Sick Boy
Yuji Nagata
Vincent

----------------------------------​

Aside: So, I am playing this game on the freeware TEW05 game starting from the beginning of December 1997 as WCW with the big Starrcade PPV coming up at the end of the month. In order to simulate the backstage politics I alluded to earlier on, I am using the "Random EWR Challenge Generator" which will come up with something random which I will have to do. You will see when this happens by way of a backstage segment. Results coming next for the last PPV before the game starts, World War 3.

 

[The Spin]

World War 3 Results (November 1997)

The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) d. Glacier and Ernest Miller

Perry Saturn (c) d. Disco Inferno - WCW World Television Championship

Yuji Nagata d. Ultimo Dragon

The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) (c) d. The Blue Bloods (Stever Regal and David Taylor) - WCW World Tag Team Championships

Raven (w/Raven's Flock) d. Scotty Riggs - 'Raven's Rules'

Steve McMichael d. Alex Wright

Eddy Guerrero (c) d. Rey Mysterio Jr. - WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Curt Hennig (c) d. Ric Flair - WCW United States Championship

Scott Hall d. 59 other wrestlers in the World War 3 match, a three ring, 60 man battle royal to win a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at SuperBrawl (Feb 98)​

Now, as this is a WCW diary, I think it is important you meet these people. They defined the company, made it a hit, went on far too long and ended up destroying it (and have later appeared in WWF/E and TNA). They are:

The nWo
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
The Outsiders: Kevin Nash and Scott Hall
Eric Bischoff (aka 'Easy-E')
Curt Hennig
Buff Bagwell
Randy Savage
Syxx
Konnan
nWo Sting (a man who looks like the real Sting, used to taunt him)
Rick Rude
Scott Norton
Vincent

The nWo are invaders of the WCW who are trying to take control of the company for themselves. They will cause trouble wherever they go and, since they are not part of WCW, present themselves through paid advertisements taken out in the show or by hijacking the signal. Their trademark is spray painting 'nWo' on their victims (or anything else in sight, including Hogan's World Heavyweight Championship belt).

 

[Sartaj]

Steve Borden had a night off?

 

[hedger_14]

Well nice to see you start this story. Hopefully it can go a long way.


And Sartaj, when were you going to restart your WWE story. It'll never be the same without Troy but now that he's dead, it doesn't matter really so you should start it again. And remember I want revenge on Zorax.

 

[Sartaj]

Ha ha,what did he do to you?

 

[hedger_14]

Actually, that should be, 'I want to avenge Troy' and you didn't answer the question.

 

[Sartaj]

Lets discuss this in the other thread.

Ok,so Hogan will be defending his title against Sting at Starrcade,right?
And the guys in blue are faces or what?

 

[The Spin]

Yes, the guys in blue are your faces. Sting has been hanging around in the rafters for months and refusing matches with members of the nWo because it is Hogan he wants to get his hands on. The match for Starrcade isn't signed yet, but has been agreed - Hogan v Sting for the title.

Next update will be the first Nitro and will be up on Sunday night (I'm away for the weekend!)

 

[Sartaj]

Sting has been hanging around in the rafters for months and refusing matches with members of the nWo because it is Hogan he wants to get his hands on. The match for Starrcade isn't signed yet, but has been agreed - Hogan v Sting for the title.

Fair enough because you never know what the nWo are up to.
I hate their damn guts.Sting needs someone to watch his back.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Actually, that should be, 'I want to avenge Troy' and you didn't answer the question.

You'll just die like he did.