With the Bash coming up this weekend, truncated from its original name the Great American Bash, what would be a better time to look back at WCW with one of the last remaining vestiges to their history coming up?
1. Who was the closest WCW original in your opinion to reaching the level of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin or The Rock?
2. What was your favorite WCW match?
3. Where did WCW ultimately start go go wrong in your opinion?
4. Would they have benefitted from having a better PBP guy than Tony Schiavone?
5. Was WCW a vanity project for Ted Turner?
1. I'd have to go with Sting, Ric Flair or Goldberg.
ReplyDelete2. Really anything with the luchadores. They were awesome to watch week in and week out.
3. Right after the nWo angle ran its course. It felt like they put all of their chips on the table with that one and had nothing to fall back on once it was over. The product quickly headed south. Not to mention, the whole Vince Russo era and puttig the title on David Arquette didn't help.
4. Definately. Shiavone was annoying as hell.
5. I think for awhile it was a serious promotion that became a joke at the end.
1)Ric Flair. Hands down. While he never had quite the crossover or mainstream appeal as Hogan or Austin, he's widely regarded as teh best in the business and is a name even non-wrestling fans know.
ReplyDelete2)Does "anything with Big Van Vader" count?
3)Massive garunteed contracts to a lot of crafty vets. The company was doing good numbers, pulling in a solid TV rating and bleeding cash by all accounts because of all the monstrous paychecks they were writing to guys who weren't performing or even showing up at arenas sometimes.
4)No. I'm not crazy about Tony Shciavone as a PBP guy... but he gets an unfair wrap. He wasn't as bad as a lot of people claim him to be. He actually has a great radio/commentator voice. He certainly didn't have JR's skill or knowledge, but he did the job and certainly wasn't the reason for teh company's woes.
5) In a manner of speaking, yes. It sounds as if Ted Turner got into wrestling more because he could and to compete with his 'buddy' Vince then because he truly loved or understood the stuff. But when you have that much money, you're allowed to have vanity projects.
- Mattchu
1.)In terms of main stream appeal? That's tough. Goldberg got some press in Universal Soldier. He's about as big as John Cena was. And then Ric Flair is known as a legend to every beginning wrestling fan and is known by quite a few outside. Then again, WCW original? Flair was NWA way before he was WCW. Besides Sting and Goldberg, there wasn't much in terms of home grown talent. Fostered talent from the indis and WWE and ECW and NWA Wildside, sure...
ReplyDelete2.)I've not watched much WCW to be honest. I couldn't tell you a specific match, but something involving Jericho and Rey Mysterio I'm pretty sure. I did always love the concept of World War 3.
3.)Paying Lenny Poffo for four years when he didn't show up on a WCW show more than once, and gave him as much as Chris Jericho was making performing 22 days a year.
4.)Who ya gonna hire? Michael Cole? Even JR leaves something to be desired, Mike Tenay. I dunno. There's only a bunch of mediocre play by play guys in the business these days.
5.) He tried to make money with it. When it stopped doing that after it was successful, Ted Turner didn't understand why, and figured he'd sell it.
1. Absolutely Goldberg... though to me, it should've been Bret Hart. I know, I know... he was one of the top stars in the world long before his WCW tenure, but I still believe he could've been bigger than ever had they booked him correctly coming off Survivor Series and put him against Hogan, Goldberg, etc.
ReplyDelete2. I know everybody is going to hate me for this.... but I actually marked big time for the fingerpoke of doom. Seriously.
3. Obviously, there were ALOT of reasons, but I think the biggest thing that ultimately caused them to lose it all was ironically what got them to the top in the first place. All those big money contracts to lure the big names over fueled their fire initially, but in the long-term it was only a matter of time before the injuries, the old-age, and the egos set in.
4. Ehhh... Schiavone was actually pretty solid *sometimes*. If this was a problem, it was waaaaaaaaaay down on the list.
5. Ehhhhhh.....