Monday Night War
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The Monday Night War
The rating war was part of a larger overall struggle between the WWF and WCW, originating in personal animosity between respective owners Vince McMahon and Ted Turner. The rivalry steadily escalated throughout the 1990s to include the use of cutthroat tactics and the defections of employees between the two promotions. Throughout the war, the WWF and WCW would both adopt different concepts and narrative techniques. Meanwhile, both companies would establish both formal and informal partnerships with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), with ECW performers either appearing on WWF and WCW shows while still under contract, or outright leaving ECW to work for one of the other two companies.
While WCW was the dominant promotion for much of the mid-1990s, a variety of factors coalesced to turn the tide in the WWF's favor at the end of the decade, including a radical rebranding of their formerly family-friendly product into highly sexualized and violent shows geared towards older teens and adults. WCW ultimately ran into financial difficulties as a result of the amount of money they had promised wrestlers during a hiring binge in the early and middle part of the decade, which had been aimed at acquiring large portions of the WWF's talent roster. Behind the scenes, executives who had longed to see WCW removed from the Turner organization were eventually able to see it come to fruition after
In retrospect, wrestling commentators have come to see the Monday Night War as a golden age of professional wrestling, along with the 1940s–1950s and 1980s booms, with the competition between the WWF and WCW bringing out their best quality product both in terms of creativity and the performances of their wrestlers.
Overview
The Monday Night War largely sprang from a rivalry between WWF owner
WCW dominated the ratings through much of the mid-1990s, as Turner's financial resources allowed the company to purchase the services of numerous high-profile WWF performers, including Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. The company also drew casual fans' attention by filming events at popular tourist venues such as Disney's Hollywood Studios, and reached out to Mexican and Japanese wrestling fans through its cruiserweight division, which featured wrestlers from a diverse array of ethnic and racial backgrounds competing in matches featuring styles of wrestling popular in Latin America and Asia. Under the auspices of Eric Bischoff, WCW introduced a new, complex metastory involving the defection of multiple wrestlers to a rival organization called the New World Order (nWo). McMahon's controversial treatment of Bret Hart in an incident known as the Montreal Screwjob immediately precipitated Hart's departure from the WWF to WCW, alienating a large segment of the WWF's fanbase at the same time WCW came to employ virtually all of the established wrestling stars then in competition.
Throughout the late 1990s, the WWF began to rise in popularity after it rebranded itself as a more adult-themed, sexualized and violent product, a period in the company's history now referred to as the Attitude Era. The shift in programming helped lead the company to achieve mainstream success similar to the 1980s professional wrestling boom. Concurrently, many WWF performers became crossover successes: during this period The Rock would become very popular and then would embark on a successful acting career, while Mick Foley published a New York Times-bestselling autobiography; Stone Cold Steve Austin quickly became the company's most popular star and its flagship performer, and would be featured in mainstream media all over the U.S., from Nash Bridges to Dilbert. The heightened profiles of WWF wrestlers helped to draw the attention of both new and casual wrestling fans to the company's programming.
In the late 1990s, WCW's ratings began to suffer as fans grew tired of the nWo storyline, which many viewers perceived as having been allowed to go on for too long. Fans also responded negatively to several
History
Before the War
1980–1987: Cable television
Television had been a significant part of
As
In 1983, the WWF started its own cable show called
While still running steadily, Barnett and the Briscos sold their entire stock in GCW (including the television deal) to McMahon, and on July 14, 1984 (otherwise known as "
Moreover, despite originally promising to produce original programming for the WTBS time slot in Atlanta, McMahon chose instead to provide only a clip show for WTBS, featuring highlights from other WWF programming as well as matches from house shows at Madison Square Garden, Boston Garden and other major arenas. This format would eventually be the cornerstone of the WWF Prime Time Wrestling (PTW) program. In May 1985, McMahon sold the WTBS time slot to another Southern-based and NWA-affiliated wrestling company, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), under heavy pressure from station owner Ted Turner, who was unhappy with the declining ratings. This set up a rivalry between McMahon and Turner that would continue for sixteen years.
That same year, PTW replaced TNT on USA Network, which expanded to two hours the format of the WWF's WTBS program. The most-remembered Prime Time format featured Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon introducing taped matches and analyzing them afterward, with Monsoon taking a neutral/babyface position and Heenan unashamedly cheering on the heels. The chemistry between Monsoon and Heenan made this show popular with fans for many years despite the fact it was not considered one of the WWF's "primary" shows for most of its history, and many other wrestling programs attempted to copy this formula, with varying degrees of success.
1987–1993: Scheduling conflicts and Monday Night Raw
During a span of five months between November 1987 and March 1988, a bitter event-scheduling war broke out between McMahon and
After this incident, the PPV industry warned McMahon not to schedule PPV events simultaneously with the NWA again. However, McMahon was still not willing to fully cooperate with Crockett. On January 24, 1988, another scheduling conflict took place between the WWF and NWA: the NWA presented the
By 1988, Crockett's acquisition spree had severely drained his coffers. As a result, he was forced to sell his company to Turner, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, who wanted to retain the steady, strong ratings of the JCP wrestling programs. Turner named the company World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after the flagship television show; it remained affiliated with the NWA until 1993.
As 1993 began, PTW was struggling in the ratings and was canceled by USA Network. The show that succeeded it, Monday Night Raw, changed how wrestling on cable television would be presented. The WWF decided that it should use its cable time as a showcase for original matches and
The original Raw broke new ground in televised professional wrestling. Traditionally, wrestling shows were taped on sound stages with small audiences or at large arena shows. The Raw formula was very different than that of Prime Time Wrestling: instead of taped matches, with studio voice overs and taped chat, Raw was a show shot to a live audience, with storylines unfolding as they happened. The first episode featured
Raw originated from the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center, a New York City theater, and aired live each week. The combination of an intimate venue and live action proved highly successful. However, the weekly live schedule became a financial drain on the WWF, and the company began taping shows; sometimes up to a month's worth of shows were taped at a time.
1993–1994: Eric Bischoff is put in charge of WCW
In the same year as the premiere of Raw, WCW promoted former commentator and
In February 1993, longtime NWA stalwart Ric Flair returned to WCW after an eighteen-month WWF tenure, but since Flair was constrained by a
That same year, WCW began taping matches months in advance for syndicated programming like WCW WorldWide at the Disney/MGM Studios which would become known as the "Disney tapings". The Disney tapings would ultimately prove disastrous to the company's reputation, largely due to WCW's underestimation of growing internet culture: because the events were recorded weeks, and sometimes months, in advance, fans in attendance had time to disseminate the results not only to wrestling magazines but also online. Seating at the events was also partially contingent upon wearing merchandise promoting different wrestlers, and audience members being made to respond on-cue to particular in-ring events. This was regarded as a major breach of kayfabe at the time and ultimately led to WCW's departure from the NWA in September 1993.
By the end of the year, WCW decided to once again base the promotion around Ric Flair. The decision was largely made out of necessity: The company had intended to place heavy emphasis on
In 1994, Bischoff took a more aggressive stance in his capacity as vice president. He declared open war on the WWF and aggressively recruited high-profile former WWF wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, using Turner's funds. Because of their high profiles, Hogan and Savage were able to demand – and get – several concessions not usually allowed to wrestlers at the time. Notably, the men negotiated total creative control over their characters, in addition to multiyear, multimillion-dollar contracts at a time when many top wrestlers were only receiving around $1 million a year. Bischoff's concessions to Hogan and Savage would set a precedent for WCW's hiring process that would prove problematic in later years: As Bischoff began to aggressively pursue rival talent for jobs with WCW, performers—aware of the deals Hogan and Savage had been given—began to demand similar contracts, ultimately causing wrestlers' salaries to soar out of control. Concurrent with Hogan's arrival in WCW, he and Bischoff formed a close, real-life friendship that would afford Hogan a degree of influence over the day-to-day operations of the company.
WCW's first major pay-per-view event since Hogan's hiring,
1994: Eastern Championship Wrestling goes Extreme
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) had its origins in 1991 as the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, owned by Joel Goodhart.[6] In 1992, Goodhart sold his share of the company to his partner, Tod Gordon, who renamed the promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling. When Eastern Championship Wrestling was founded, it was a member of the NWA, and "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert[7] was its head booker. After a falling-out with Gordon, Gilbert was replaced in September 1993 by Paul Heyman (known on television as Paul E. Dangerously), who had just left WCW and was looking for a new challenge. In contrast to professional wrestling of the time, which was marketed more towards families, Eastern Championship Wrestling was geared more toward adults and fans who craved a more athletic and violent wrestling product. Its eventual successor, Extreme Championship Wrestling, aimed its product at males between 18 and 35, breaking a few taboos in professional wrestling such as blading. Heyman saw ECW as the professional wrestling equivalent to the grunge music movement of the early 1990s, and focused on taking the company in a new direction.[8]
In 1994,
Heyman pitched the plan to Douglas, noting that the only negative would be that NWA traditionalists would just see them as traitors to tradition. Additionally, there was animosity between Douglas and Coralluzzo, who had publicly criticized Douglas and advised NWA-affiliated bookers not to schedule him for shows, as he believed Douglas was a "bad risk" and had the tendency to not appear at shows he was scheduled to wrestle at.
The National Wrestling Alliance was old-school when old-school wasn't hip anymore. We wanted to set our mark, we wanted to breakaway from the pack, we wanted to let the world know that we weren't just some independent promotion.[6]
With this event, Eastern Championship Wrestling seceded from the NWA and became Extreme Championship Wrestling. The revamped promotion's unorthodox style and controversial storylines made it popular among fans in the 18- to 35-year-old male demographic. It showcased many different styles of professional wrestling, popularizing hardcore wrestling matches as well as lucha libre and Japanese wrestling styles. ECW was promoted as counterculture and a grittier alternative to multimillion-dollar organizations such as the WWF and WCW.
The Monday Night War
1995–1996: Debut of Monday Nitro
The initial broadcast of Nitro also featured the return of
Raw and Nitro traded wins in the "Monday Night War" early on, but WWE has conceded that by December 1995 "WCW had the advantage over WWE in the storied Monday Night War."
WrestleMania XII also began a brief turning point for the WWF, after which Raw would overtake Nitro for two consecutive months. The event saw the return of 1980s fan favorite
1996: The Curtain Call Incident
In April 1996, two of the WWF's top performers, Kevin Nash (Diesel) and Scott Hall (Razor Ramon), signed contracts with WCW. Prior to their departure, the men had been part of The Kliq, a tight-knit affiliation of wrestlers in the WWF whose backstage influence allowed them to wield an enormous amount of power over the direction of the company. The group, composed of Nash, Hall, Shawn Michaels, Hunter Hearst Helmsley (later known as Triple H) and Sean Waltman (1-2-3 Kid), often used their influence to advance one another's careers, and in some instances harm or ruin the careers of performers who displeased them. Accounts varied as to the reason for Nash and Hall's departure: Whereas wrestling analysts speculated that their contracts had been allowed to expire in order to break the Kliq's influence within the company, the WWF's official stance was that they could not match WCW's contract offer. On May 19, 1996, in their last WWF match before leaving for WCW, Nash and Hall were involved in a highly publicized incident at Madison Square Garden dubbed "The Curtain Call", in which four members of The Kliq (Nash, Hall, Michaels, Helmsley) broke character in the ring after their match to say goodbye to Nash and Hall (Waltman was in drug rehab and did not appear at the event). Michaels and Hall were playing babyface characters, while Nash and Helmsley were playing heel characters, and the four of them embracing saw an explicit breaking of kayfabe. Though the incident was not televised, it was nonetheless recorded by fans who had smuggled cameras and camcorders into the event, and photos and videos were widely disseminated on the internet. The incident marked one of the first times that pro wrestlers had so flagrantly broken character in front of an audience, and forced both the WWF and WCW to begin acknowledging fans' growing awareness of the backstage happenings of their respective companies. The Curtain Call would go on to influence the narrative course both companies took by encouraging WCW, and later the WWF, to blur the lines of fantasy and reality in wrestling, incorporating wrestlers' real names and details of their lives into their character's stories.
1996–1997: WCW and the New World Order
On the Memorial Day 1996 edition of Nitro, Scott Hall interrupted a match and, apparently out of character, challenged the wrestlers of WCW to a fight against him and unnamed companions. Though Hall was employed by WCW, the storyline took advantage of fans' knowledge of the Curtain Call incident by insinuating that Hall's departure from the WWF had been a ruse and that he was, in fact, staging an "invasion" of WCW on behalf of the WWF.
Two weeks later, a second WWF defector,
Hall and Nash were in control of the match when Hulk Hogan came to the ring. After standing off with them, he attacked Savage, showing himself to be the Outsiders' mysterious third man and thus turning heel. In a post-match interview, Hogan christened his alliance with Hall and Nash as the New World Order (nWo). Hogan's statements, which broke with his earlier face persona, inspired enough vitriol in the audience that they began to pelt the ring with debris: a wayward beer bottle broke Okerlund's nose, and one fan jumped the security railing and attempted to attack Hogan.
The following evening on Nitro, most of WCW's top stars gave
At the outset of the storyline, the WWF filed a lawsuit against WCW, alleging that WCW was illegally representing the nWo as a WWF affiliate and that Hall's persona was too close to his "Razor Ramon" character (itself a parody of
1996–1997: WWF struggles
Raw, and the WWF in general, was considered to be at a creative nadir before Nitro started. Into the early 1990s, the WWF had continued the creative formula that had given the company success in the 1980s: clear-cut face vs. heel storylines, colorful wrestlers with themed gimmicks, and alluring female valets who nonetheless maintained a "PG-13" level of sex appeal. Although the formula had been popular during the MTV-fueled "rock n' Wrestling" era of the 1980s, fans in the 1990s began to gravitate towards more morally ambiguous characters, wrestlers whose personas were more grounded in reality, and metafiction storylines that acknowledged their awareness of backstage politics via the use of the Internet. With the introduction of the nWo, the June 10, 1996, episode of Raw would be the last rating victory for the WWF for nearly two years.[16]
On the November 4, 1996, episode of Raw, the WWF aired a storyline involving Stone Cold Steve Austin and Brian Pillman, two former friends who were feuding with each other. In a series of vignettes broadcast from Pillman's real-life home in Newport, Kentucky, Pillman – supposedly debilitated following an attack by Austin – vowed to protect himself and his wife with the help of a group of friends should Austin appear. At the end of the evening, the final vignette depicted Austin breaking into Pillman's home, prompting Pillman to pull a gun on Austin, and the feed being "interrupted" in the ensuing chaos, with Vince McMahon (serving as a commentator) stating that he had been informed of "a couple explosions". When the feed resumed, Austin was shown being dragged out of Pillman's house as Pillman screamed, "That son of a bitch has got this coming! Let him go! I'm going to kill that son of a bitch! Get out of the fucking way!",[citation needed] with none of the profanity censored.
The angle polarized fans and shocked the USA Network, which was not accustomed to airing a program with the profanity and level of violence presented in the vignettes. Although the WWF (and Pillman himself) were forced to issue apologies to avoid Raw being canceled for breach of contract, the ensuing discussion of the incident in the fan community generated the most attention the WWF had received since the beginning of the Monday Night War.[citation needed] This prompted the WWF creative team to begin looking into the idea of more adult-oriented storylines and characters and mimicking WCW's metafiction elements. On February 3, 1997, Monday Night Raw changed to a two-hour format. In an attempt to break the momentum of Nitro, WWF entered into a cross-promotional agreement with ECW. Raw commentator Jerry Lawler insulted and "challenged" ECW on the show's February 17 episode, and in the weeks to come, several ECW wrestlers appeared on Raw in a story arc similar to the nWo storyline playing out in WCW, with the WWF pursuing the "renegade" ECW. On March 10, 1997, Raw was officially renamed Raw Is War in reference to the ongoing rating battle.
1997: The Montreal Screwjob
Throughout the 1990s,
Upon being told by Vince McMahon on September 22, 1997, that the WWF's current financial situation precluded the company from fulfilling his 20-year contract, Hart signed a contract with WCW in October 1997. At the time, Hart was the WWF Champion, and wanted to part ways with the WWF amicably, and had agreed to vacate the title following a farewell speech on the November 10, 1997 broadcast of Raw Is War in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, which would take place one day after the 1997 Survivor Series in Montreal. Although McMahon agreed to the arrangement, he later decided to renege on the deal and have Hart unwittingly lose the title at Survivor Series, to real-life rival Shawn Michaels. The incident, which took place in Hart's home country of Canada, became known as the Montreal Screwjob.
The incident severely demoralized the WWF roster, shaking wrestlers' faith in McMahon and resulting in a near strike the following evening, with Mick Foley (Mankind) actually going on strike for one day. Bret Hart's two brothers-in-law, the British Bulldog and Neidhart left with Hart for WCW, although Neidhart made one more appearance on Raw Is War as a quid pro quo before leaving, where Neidhart was beaten up by D-Generation X. Hart himself (who punched McMahon in the dressing room following the match in Montreal) prevented a mass strike by asking his former co-workers not to risk their careers for his sake. Bret's brother, Owen, also attempted to quit the WWF, citing a knee injury but was unable to get out of his contract. Owen Hart remained with the WWF until his controversial death at Over the Edge on May 23, 1999.[17][18][19]
Bret Hart's departure from the WWF would ultimately turn the tide of the "Monday Night War." With Hart now on the WCW roster, Nitro boasted the most well-known names in wrestling; WCW had also been highlighting new talent, with up-and-coming stars such as
WCW's Starrcade pay-per-view in Washington, D.C. drew WCW's highest buyrate to that date, including the highly anticipated main-event of Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting, a match that fans had been waiting to see since Sting first appeared as the leader of an anti-nWo faction a year before. However, the anticlimactic end of the match proved unpopular: Bret Hart made his WCW debut by accusing the referee of corruption, declaring himself the referee, and then awarding the belt to Sting, only for it to be stripped moments later on a technicality. As many fans had waited for a decisive victory of one faction over the other, the convoluted sequence of events was seen as a way to artificially extend the storyline without allowing it to come to an organic conclusion, beginning a sharp decline in the popularity of the nWo angle amongst fans.
1997–1998: Start of the Attitude Era, WWF overtakes WCW
Throughout 1997, Raw Is War began to become more and more controversial, and despite the company not getting any rating victories, the WWF gradually began receiving significantly more acclaim. Storyline elements included racist graffiti targeted at the
Despite losing to Nitro week after week, Raw Is War rallied in the ratings when it introduced its new "WWF Attitude" concept, in which the family-friendly and clear-cut face vs. heel dynamic of the 1980s to mid 1990s was jettisoned in favor of morally ambiguous wrestlers and adult-oriented, often heavily sexualized storylines. The concept was spearheaded by McMahon along with head WWF writer
Stone Cold Steve Austin would start to become extremely popular with the WWF's fanbase during 1997, and would often receive the best fan response of the night; despite playing a heel character, many fans would start to see him as more of an anti-hero. During this time, many wrestlers' personas were retooled, and wrestlers who had been growing in popularity were given
The night after the highly praised WrestleMania XIV, McMahon began a feud with fan-favorite Stone Cold Steve Austin. The rivalry, which was cast as a battle between blue collar redneck Austin and white collar executive McMahon, became one of the defining storylines of the Attitude Era, as each engaged in ever-escalating acts of sabotage and violence against the other. Austin's popularity would skyrocket even more with the company's fan base during this time. On April 13, 1998, an advertised Austin vs. McMahon main event was enough for Raw Is War to finally beat Nitro in the ratings for the first time in nearly two years. Two weeks later, the WWF taunted WCW's slipping ratings by sending members of DX to Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia in an attempt to crash a live taping of Nitro. The WWF was taping Raw Is War at the nearby Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia. Earlier in the day, Triple H and other wrestlers appeared outside the arena in military fatigues, challenging Eric Bischoff to come out and face them. The event was videotaped by a WWF camera crew for inclusion on Raw. Raw Is War's ratings began to rise steadily, bringing the "Attitude Era" to its highest point.
1998–1999: WCW begins to struggle
Hoping to counter the McMahon/Austin feud, WCW divided the nWo into the Hollywood Hogan-led heel "nWo Hollywood" faction and the Kevin Nash-led face "nWo Wolfpac" faction. Although the Wolfpack proved popular with fans, the overall nWo storyline began to grow stale. As with the culmination of the Sting/Hogan match, fans grew tired of the lack of any kind of resolution, as many matches between the groups simply ended in disqualifications when other members jumped into the ring to interfere, leading to all-out brawls. Ted Turner decided to expand the brand by introducing a second weekly program
WCW attempted to regain ratings supremacy by marketing ex-NFL player Bill Goldberg as an invincible monster with a record-breaking streak of 173 consecutive wins. Goldberg proved to be very popular with the fans and enjoyed some crossover success in mainstream popular culture. On July 6, 1998, airing from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, Nitro defeated Raw Is War in the ratings when Goldberg pinned Hollywood Hogan to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The match drew a 6.91 rating for the quarter-hour, the highest rating recorded in the rating war up to that time and over 5 million viewers.[28] However, the decision to stage the match on live cable television was questioned backstage at WCW: several employees felt that the match should have been the highlight of a pay-per-view, where it could have generated more revenue. Vince McMahon himself questioned the wisdom of the decision, likewise confused why his competitor would fail to make a move that could have so greatly benefitted the company.
On August 10, 1998, WCW regained the lead for six weeks. During this time WCW brought in
In the fall of 1998, The Rock's popularity led to a main event lead babyface push, pitting him against Mr. McMahon in the build up to Survivor Series, leading to one of the biggest swerves in WWF history with The Rock turning heel and aligning with Mr. McMahon to form The Corporation upon winning the WWF Championship against Mankind.
Prior to this, the WWF's Austin/McMahon and WCW's Goldberg/nWo storylines would have each company trade victories. The Rock's leap into megastar status and subsequent feud with Mankind would give the WWF the lead, nearly doubling WWF ratings and PPV buys entering 1999.
After winning the World War 3 battle royal in November 1998, with the help of Scott Hall and his stun gun, Kevin Nash ended Goldberg's 173–0 winning streak and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade the following month.
1999–2001: WCW's decline
As 1999 began, both shows were consistently getting 5.0 or higher Nielsen ratings and over ten million people tuned in to watch Raw Is War and Nitro every week. Wrestling gained newfound popularity, as wrestlers made the mainstream media, appearing on magazine covers like Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide, and appearing in commercials. By November 1998, however, the momentum would be in the WWF's favor for the remainder of the war. On January 4, 1999, Nitro broadcast live once again from the Georgia Dome. In the second of three hours, Eric Bischoff, who had learned of the results of the taped Raw Is War that was set to air that night, ordered commentator Tony Schiavone to make the following statement:
Fans, if you're even thinking about changing the channel to our competition, do not. We understand that Mick Foley, who wrestled here at one time as Cactus Jack, is gonna win their World title. Ha! That's gonna put some butts in the seats, heh.[29]
Although the WWF had acknowledged the title change on their website six days previously, ratings indicated that, immediately after Schiavone's comments, 600,000 people switched channels from Nitro on
This Nitro's main event was originally scheduled to be Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and was going to be their anticipated rematch. Goldberg was arrested during mid-show storyline, however, and accused of "aggravated stalking" by
Raw Is War was dominating Nitro to the point where WCW was making "quick fixes" to stem the tide, including hiring
On October 5, 1999, Vince Russo and
In December 1999, Bret Hart suffered a career-ending concussion during a match with Goldberg at Starrcade. WCW was entering severe financial and creative lows. Nitro's ratings failed to increase, and in January 2000, both Russo and Ferrara were suspended from the company after they considered putting the WCW World title on Tank Abbott. The subsequent promotion of Kevin Sullivan to head booker caused an uproar among WCW's wrestlers. Despite winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Souled Out, Chris Benoit quit in protest, along with Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko. All four of them entered the WWF as The Radicalz, debuting on Raw Is War's January 31 episode—15 days after Benoit's title win. Nitro was cut to two hours beginning with the edition of January 3, 2000 (with the first hour running unopposed and the second hour competing against Raw Is War) in an effort to bolster the aggregate ratings score,[12] but the elimination of the third hour did not mean higher ratings for Nitro, which by April averaged around a 2.5 (while Raw Is War drew more than double that amount).[34]
In April 2000, WCW hired the reigning ECW World Heavyweight Champion
The struggles of WCW since Russo's arrival to the company came to a head on July 9, 2000, at the Bash at the Beach pay-per-view. During the match between Jeff Jarrett and Hollywood Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, Jeff Jarrett, by Russo's order, lay down in the ring to let Hogan pin him and win the title. After scolding Russo as being the reason for WCW's problems and pinning Jarrett, Hogan left the arena in disgust. Russo cut a shoot promo proclaiming that the reason WCW was in dire straits was "that goddamn politician Hulk Hogan". During the promo, Russo also reversed the result of the Jarrett–Hogan match and gave the championship back to Jarrett. Additionally, he announced that Jarrett would defend the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Booker T later that night. Booker T ended up winning the championship over Jarrett. Bash at the Beach 2000 not only exposed the backstage hardships under Russo, but it was also the last event for Hogan as he would never appear in WCW again following the incident.
On the September 25, 2000, edition of WCW Monday Nitro, Russo won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match. At the end of the match, Russo suffered a concussion after Goldberg speared him through a cage, resulting in a head-on collision with the ringside barriers. On the October 2, 2000, edition of Nitro, Russo relinquished the championship saying that he was "not an athlete nor did I [Russo] ever claim to be". The October 2, 2000, edition of Nitro was also the last appearance for Russo in WCW, though he continued to be employed by the company until its demise.[35]
In 2000, Ted Turner was no longer running the company, which had been purchased by
2001: End of the War, WWF purchases WCW and ECW, the Invasion
In January 2001, Fusient Media Ventures, led by Bischoff, announced that they were going to purchase WCW. The deal was contingent on the Turner networks keeping Nitro on TNT on Monday and Thunder on TBS on Wednesday. When Jamie Kellner took over as CEO of Turner Broadcasting, he announced the cancellation of all WCW programming on the company's networks, believing that wrestling did not fit the demographics of either channel and would not be favorable enough to get the "right" advertisers to buy airtime (even though Thunder was the highest-rated show on TBS at the time).[36][37] In the book NITRO: The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner's WCW by Guy Evans, it is said that a key condition in WCW's purchase deal with Fusient Media Ventures was that Fusient wanted control over time slots on TNT and TBS networks, regardless of whether these slots would show WCW programming or not. This influenced Kellner's decision to ultimately cancel WCW programming. WCW's losses were then written-off via purchase accounting; according to Evans: "in the post-merger environment, the new conglomerate was able to 'write down' money losing operations, essentially eliminating those losses because of their irrelevancy moving forward."[38]
With no national television outlet to air the shows, Fusient dropped their offer to purchase the promotion. The WWF, the only company who would not need the television time slots Kellner had canceled, then made their offer. On March 23, 2001, all of WCW's trademarks and
TNT did allow a final Nitro show to air from Panama City Beach, Florida which had been scheduled for the following Monday on March 26. McMahon opened the last-ever episode of WCW Monday Nitro with a simulcast with WWF Raw Is War, which aired from Cleveland, Ohio, with a self-praising speech.[42] The final WCW World Heavyweight Championship match for the show and the company saw WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Booker T defeat Scott Steiner to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The main event featured Sting defeating Ric Flair with the Scorpion Deathlock as a culmination of their trademark feud, then both men embraced one another at the match's conclusion. This was a direct parallel to the very first Nitro. After the Sting/Flair match, McMahon appeared on Raw Is War to close Nitro and to declare victory over WCW. His son Shane McMahon then appeared on Nitro, declaring that it was actually he who had bought WCW. This initiated the Invasion storyline that would have Shane's character leading the WCW invasion of the WWF,[43] which lasted from March to November 2001 and marked the end of WCW as a brand. The last Nitro drew a 3.0 rating. The final rating tally in 270 head-to-head showdowns was: 154 wins for Monday Night Raw, 112 for Nitro, and four ties.
Three weeks prior to the final Nitro, ECW owner Paul Heyman had begun an announcing contract with the WWF, as ECW had also fallen to financial problems and was forced to declare bankruptcy and close in January 2001. Thus, the WWF became the sole national professional wrestling promotion in the United States. During the Invasion storyline, Heyman's ECW (owned in the storyline by Stephanie McMahon) would align with Shane McMahon's WCW against the WWF, a faction known as the Alliance.
Aftermath and legacy
WCW/ECW revivals and retrospectives
WWF business steadily declined in North America after the end of the war, with a noticeable drop in buyrates and ratings. To compensate for the decrease in domestic revenue, the WWF expanded their business outside of the United States. The Raw Is War logo and its name were retired in September 2001, following the
In May 2002, WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after a lawsuit with the World Wide Fund for Nature, which operates in the U.S. and Canada under its former international name of "World Wildlife Fund", and also used the WWF initials. Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, and Goldberg eventually signed contracts with WWE only after the conclusion of the Invasion, though it is generally thought that their participation in the storyline would have benefited the promotion.[45]
In the summer of 2003, WWE purchased ECW's assets in court, acquiring the rights to ECW's video library. They used this video library to put together a two-disc DVD titled The Rise and Fall of ECW. The set was released in November 2004. In 2004, an unauthorized DVD called Forever Hardcore was written, directed and produced by former WCW crew member Jeremy Borash in response to The Rise and Fall of ECW. The DVD had stories of wrestlers who were not employed by WWE telling their side of ECW's history. By 2005, WWE began reintroducing ECW through content from the ECW video library and a series of books.
In 2004, WWE produced a DVD called The Monday Night War. Two hours in length, the DVD left out a large portion of the "war", breaking off around 1997 before jumping straight to the post-WCW era of WWE. The objectivity of the DVD's content was questioned, as some believed the documentary was simply telling the WWE side of the story. On August 25, 2009, WWE released The Rise and Fall of WCW on DVD.[48] The DVD looks back at the roots of WCW during the days of Georgia Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, to the glory days of Monday Nitro and the nWo, and to its demise and sale to WWE. With the launch of the WWE Network in 2014, much of WCW's and ECW's video libraries have been made available to subscribers.
In 2014, Sting would make his first appearance in WWE, interrupting the Survivor Series main event. Sting was the last major WCW star to never wrestle for WWE. At WrestleMania 31, Sting would face Triple H in a no disqualification match. The match was interrupted by the stables of WCW's nWo and WWE's DX, leading to a brawl between them and Sting's defeat in his first match in the company. Despite Sting having cut a promo on Raw saying the match would not be about the war between the companies "because that would be ridiculous at this point",[49][unreliable source] the match finish has been interpreted as a desire of McMahon to reiterate his victory in the Monday Night War, with Scott Hall commenting, "That's Vince just reminding you who won, even if he's going to make money the other way".[50][51]
Post-Monday Night War competition
As a result of the Monday Night War, professional wrestling became a prime-time tradition on Monday nights in America. It also lessened the prevalence of
WCW's closure left a gap in the market which several companies have attempted to fill.
In May 2019,
Comparison of ratings between Raw and Nitro
Date | Raw | Nitro |
---|---|---|
1995-09-04 | N/A | 2.5 |
1995-09-11 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
1995-09-18 | N/A | 1.9 |
1995-09-25 | 1.9 | 2.7 |
1995-10-02 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
1995-10-09 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
1995-10-16 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
1995-10-23 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
1995-10-30 | 2.1 | 2.3 |
1995-11-06 | 2.6 | 2 |
1995-11-13 | 2.6 | 2 |
1995-11-20 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
1995-11-27 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
1995-12-04 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
1995-12-11 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
1995-12-18 | 2.3 | 2.7 |
1995-12-25 | N/A | 2.5 |
1996-01-01 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
1996-01-08 | 3 | 2.8 |
1996-01-15 | 2.4 | 3.5 |
1996-01-22 | 2.9 | 2.7 |
1996-01-29 | 2.4 | 2.8 |
1996-02-05 | 2.7 | 2.9 |
1996-02-12 | N/A | 3.7 |
1996-02-19 | 3.1 | 2.9 |
1996-02-26 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
1996-03-04 | 3.6 | N/A |
1996-03-11 | 2.9 | 3.2 |
1996-03-18 | 2.9 | 3.6 |
1996-03-25 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
1996-04-01 | 2.9 | 2.8 |
1996-04-08 | 4.7 | N/A |
1996-04-15 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
1996-04-22 | 3.3 | 2.7 |
1996-04-29 | 2.9 | 2.1 |
1996-05-06 | 4.1 | 1.9 |
1996-05-13 | 3.5 | 2.3 |
1996-05-20 | 2.3 | 3.1 |
1996-05-27 | 2.3 | 2.8 |
1996-06-03 | 2.3 | 3 |
1996-06-10 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
1996-06-17 | 2.3 | 3.4 |
1996-06-24 | 2.7 | 3.3 |
1996-07-01 | 2.6 | 3.3 |
1996-07-08 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
1996-07-15 | 2.6 | 3.4 |
1996-07-22 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
1996-07-29 | 2.1 | 3.1 |
1996-08-05 | 2.8 | 3 |
1996-08-12 | 2 | 3.3 |
1996-08-19 | 2.9 | 3.5 |
1996-08-26 | N/A | 4.2 |
1996-09-02 | N/A | 4.3 |
1996-09-09 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
1996-09-16 | 2.1 | 3.7 |
1996-09-23 | 2 | 3.4 |
1996-09-30 | 2.3 | 3.3 |
1996-10-07 | 2.1 | 3.5 |
1996-10-14 | 1.8 | 3.3 |
1996-10-21 | 2.6 | 3.2 |
1996-10-28 | 2 | 3.6 |
1996-11-04 | 2.3 | 3.4 |
1996-11-11 | 2.5 | 3.7 |
1996-11-18 | 2.4 | 3.2 |
1996-11-25 | 2.1 | 3.1 |
1996-12-02 | 2.3 | 3.4 |
1996-12-09 | 2.3 | 3.3 |
1996-12-16 | 2.3 | 3.2 |
1996-12-23 | 1.5 | 3.1 |
1996-12-30 | 1.6 | 3.6 |
1997-01-06 | 2.1 | 3 |
1997-01-13 | 2.3 | 3.4 |
1997-01-20 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
1997-01-27 | 2.2 | 3.6 |
1997-02-03 | 2.6 | 3.1 |
1997-02-10 | 2.3 | 3.8 |
1997-02-17 | 2.1 | 2.9 |
1997-02-24 | 2.5 | 3 |
1997-03-03 | 1.9 | 3.4 |
1997-03-10 | 2.3 | 3.5 |
1997-03-17 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
1997-03-24 | 2.5 | 3 |
1997-03-31 | 2.7 | 3.4 |
1997-04-07 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
1997-04-14 | 2.2 | 3.5 |
1997-04-21 | 2.8 | 3.4 |
1997-04-28 | 2.7 | 3.4 |
1997-05-05 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
1997-05-12 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
1997-05-19 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
1997-05-26 | 2.7 | 3.3 |
1997-06-02 | 2.5 | 3.3 |
1997-06-09 | 2.2 | 3.4 |
1997-06-16 | 2.4 | 3.3 |
1997-06-23 | 2.4 | 3.3 |
1997-06-30 | 2.5 | 3.3 |
1997-07-07 | 2.5 | 3.4 |
1997-07-14 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
1997-07-21 | 4.1 | N/A |
1997-07-28 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
1997-08-04 | 2.7 | 4.4 |
1997-08-11 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
1997-08-18 | 3.2 | 4 |
1997-08-25 | N/A | 5 |
1997-09-01 | N/A | 4.8 |
1997-09-08 | 2.2 | 4.3 |
1997-09-15 | 2.6 | 3.9 |
1997-09-22 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
1997-09-29 | 2.7 | 4 |
1997-10-06 | 3 | 3.9 |
1997-10-13 | 2.3 | 3.8 |
1997-10-20 | 2.9 | 4.6 |
1997-10-27 | 2.3 | 4.3 |
1997-11-03 | 2.6 | 4 |
1997-11-10 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
1997-11-17 | 3.1 | 4.1 |
1997-11-24 | 3 | 3.9 |
1997-12-01 | 3 | 3.8 |
1997-12-08 | 3 | 4.3 |
1997-12-15 | 2.7 | 4.1 |
1997-12-22 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
1997-12-29 | 3.6 | 4.6 |
1998-01-05 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
1998-01-12 | 3.4 | 4.6 |
1998-01-19 | 4 | 4.5 |
1998-01-26 | 3.5 | 4.7 |
1998-02-02 | 3.5 | 4.9 |
1998-02-09 | 3.2 | 4.6 |
1998-02-16 | N/A | 5.1 |
1998-02-23 | 3.2 | 4.6 |
1998-03-02 | 3.8 | 4.8 |
1998-03-09 | 3.6 | 4.9 |
1998-03-16 | N/A | 5.1 |
1998-03-23 | 3.6 | 4.6 |
1998-03-30 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
1998-04-06 | 4.4 | 4.6 |
1998-04-13 | 4.6 | 4.2 |
1998-04-20 | 4.4 | 5.1 |
1998-04-27 | 5.7 | 1.72 |
1998-05-04 | 5.5 | 3.5 |
1998-05-11 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
1998-05-18 | 5.3 | 2.51 |
1998-05-25 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
1998-06-01 | 4.4 | 3.7 |
1998-06-08 | 4.3 | 4 |
1998-06-15 | 4.3 | 4 |
1998-06-22 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
1998-06-29 | 5.4 | 4.1 |
1998-07-06 | 4 | 4.8 |
1998-07-13 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
1998-07-20 | 5 | 4.7 |
1998-07-27 | 4.9 | 4.7 |
1998-08-03 | 4.9 | 4.2 |
1998-08-10 | 4.5 | 4.6 |
1998-08-17 | 4.2 | 4.9 |
1998-08-24 | 4.7 | 5.2 |
1998-08-31 | N/A | 6 |
1998-09-07 | N/A | 5.5 |
1998-09-14 | 4 | 4.5 |
1998-09-21 | 4 | 3.9 |
1998-09-28 | 4 | 4.6 |
1998-10-05 | 4.55 | 4.5 |
1998-10-12 | 4.8 | 4.6 |
1998-10-19 | 5 | 4.4 |
1998-10-26 | 4.5 | 5.1 |
1998-11-02 | 4.8 | 4.1 |
1998-11-09 | 5 | 4.1 |
1998-11-16 | 5.5 | 4.3 |
1998-11-23 | 4.9 | 4.5 |
1998-11-30 | 5 | 4.2 |
1998-12-07 | 5.15 | 4.2 |
1998-12-14 | 5.2 | 4.2 |
1998-12-21 | 4.7 | 4 |
1998-12-28 | 4.9 | 4.6 |
1999-01-04 | 5.7 | 5 |
1999-01-11 | 5.5 | 5 |
1999-01-18 | 5.6 | 4.9 |
1999-01-25 | 5.5 | 5 |
1999-02-01 | 5.9 | 4.7 |
1999-02-08 | N/A | 5.7 |
1999-02-15 | 5.9 | 3.9 |
1999-02-22 | 5.5 | 4.8 |
1999-03-01 | 6.3 | 4.3 |
1999-03-08 | 6.4 | 4.4 |
1999-03-15 | 5.8 | 4.3 |
1999-03-22 | 6.4 | 4 |
1999-03-29 | 6.5 | 3.5 |
1999-04-05 | 5.8 | 4.3 |
1999-04-12 | 6.3 | 4.4 |
1999-04-19 | 6.1 | 4.1 |
1999-04-26 | 6 | 3.9 |
1999-05-03 | 6.4 | 3.4 |
1999-05-10 | 8.1 | N/A |
1999-05-17 | 6.4 | 3.8 |
1999-05-24 | 7.2 | 3.1 |
1999-05-31 | 6.3 | 3.3 |
1999-06-07 | 6.7 | 3.2 |
1999-06-14 | 6.7 | 3.3 |
1999-06-21 | 6 | 3.1 |
1999-06-28 | 6.8 | 3.6 |
1999-07-05 | 6.2 | 3.3 |
1999-07-12 | 5.97 | 3.45 |
1999-07-19 | 6.3 | 3.3 |
1999-07-26 | 7.1 | 3.4 |
1999-08-02 | 5.9 | 3.1 |
1999-08-09 | 6.4 | 3.1 |
1999-08-16 | 6.6 | 3.3 |
1999-08-23 | 5.9 | 2.9 |
1999-08-30 | 4.2 | 4 |
1999-09-06 | 4.4 | 4.1 |
1999-09-13 | 6 | 3.3 |
1999-09-20 | 6.1 | 3.1 |
1999-09-27 | 6.8 | 3 |
1999-10-04 | 5.9 | 2.9 |
1999-10-11 | 6.1 | 2.6 |
1999-10-18 | 5.4 | 3.3 |
1999-10-25 | 5.6 | 3.5 |
1999-11-01 | 5.9 | 3.2 |
1999-11-08 | 5.4 | 3.4 |
1999-11-15 | 6.3 | 3.1 |
1999-11-22 | 5.5 | 3.4 |
1999-11-29 | 6.5 | 3.1 |
1999-12-06 | 6 | 3 |
1999-12-13 | 6.1 | 2.8 |
1999-12-20 | 5.8 | 3.2 |
1999-12-27 | 5.8 | 2.9 |
2000-01-03 | 6.4 | 3.3 |
2000-01-10 | 6.8 | 3.5 |
2000-01-17 | 6 | 3 |
2000-01-24 | 6.7 | 3.1 |
2000-01-31 | 6.6 | 2.8 |
2000-02-07 | 6.5 | 2.7 |
2000-02-14 | 4.4 | 3.6 |
2000-02-21 | 5.9 | 2.8 |
2000-02-28 | 6.5 | 2.1 |
2000-03-06 | 6.4 | 2.8 |
2000-03-13 | 6.3 | 2.6 |
2000-03-20 | 6.2 | 2.5 |
2000-03-27 | 6.6 | 2.6 |
2000-04-03 | 6.4 | 1.8 |
2000-04-10 | 6.2 | 3.1 |
2000-04-17 | 6.7 | 2.5 |
2000-04-24 | 7.1 | 3.1 |
2000-05-01 | 7.4 | 2.5 |
2000-05-08 | 6.2 | 2.8 |
2000-05-15 | 6.1 | 3.1 |
2000-05-22 | 7.1 | 3.03 |
2000-05-29 | 6.4 | 3 |
2000-06-05 | 5.9 | 2.8 |
2000-06-12 | 6.8 | 3 |
2000-06-19 | 5.8 | 2.7 |
2000-06-26 | 6.4 | 2.8 |
2000-07-03 | 5.3 | 2.3 |
2000-07-10 | 6 | 2.6 |
2000-07-17 | 6.2 | N/A |
2000-07-24 | 6.2 | 2.8 |
2000-07-31 | 6.4 | 2.7 |
2000-08-07 | 6.3 | 2.5 |
2000-08-14 | 5.9 | 2.4 |
2000-08-21 | 6.2 | 2.6 |
2000-08-28 | 4.9 | 3.5 |
2000-09-04 | 4.2 | 3.6 |
2000-09-11 | 5.8 | 3.2 |
2000-09-18 | 5.7 | 2.75 |
2000-09-25 | 5.4 | 2.9 |
2000-10-02 | 5.4 | 2.6 |
2000-10-09 | 5.4 | 2.5 |
2000-10-16 | 4.8 | 2.3 |
2000-10-23 | 5.5 | 2.2 |
2000-10-30 | 4.9 | 2.5 |
2000-11-06 | 5.1 | 2.5 |
2000-11-13 | 5 | 2.6 |
2000-11-20 | 5 | 2.3 |
2000-11-27 | 5 | 2.4 |
2000-12-04 | 5 | 2.45 |
2000-12-11 | 5.75 | N/A |
2000-12-18 | 4.8 | 2.3 |
2000-12-25 | 3.8 | N/A |
2001-01-01 | 4.55 | N/A |
2001-01-08 | 4.8 | 2.1 |
2001-01-15 | 5.2 | 2.6 |
2001-01-22 | 5.6 | 2.1 |
2001-01-29 | 5.4 | 2.6 |
2001-02-05 | 5 | 2.3 |
2001-02-12 | 4.8 | 2.1 |
2001-02-19 | 4.8 | 2.2 |
2001-02-26 | 5.1 | 2.3 |
2001-03-05 | 4.5 | 2.1 |
2001-03-12 | 4.9 | 2.1 |
2001-03-19 | 4.6 | 2.1 |
2001-03-26 | 4.7 | 3 |
Raw win |
Nitro win |
Tie
|
Ratings unavailable or program not aired
| ||
Overall score Raw: 155 Nitro: 112 Tie: 4 Ratings unavailable or program not aired: 20 |
See also
Notes
- Tuesday Night Titans.
References
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Works cited
- Adam Kleinberg and Adam Nudelman (2005). Mysteries of Wrestling: Solved. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-685-0.
- Dave Meltzer (November 11, 1997). "Montreal Screwjob". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original (PHP) on April 6, 2006. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
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- The Rise and Fall of ECW DVD chapter 36 "WWE Co-Promotion"