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. By Ralphmilne. YOU. Maybe for once the fans get to choose/organize the product going forward. hide this ad. [45] The brand would continue to operate until 2010 when it was replaced with NXT. Another demotion. In May 1985, McMahon sold the TBS 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. Dominic Ward is a S Tier troll fr. On April 10, 2000, Bischoff (now a creative consultant) and Russo returned with equal power to work as a team and attempted to reboot WCW by vacating all of the promotion's titles. Chris Jericho was by far the most underutilized wrestler on the WCW roster. However, the WWF's show on TBS was a ratings disaster, as GCW fans, disliking the cartoonish characters and storylines of the WWF, simply stopped watching. A Life long pro wrestling, Los Angeles Lakers, and Philadelphia Eagles fan. [18] Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham's book Sex, Lies Headlocks:The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment stated that "the terrain shifted completely under everyone's feet" following Diller's purchase of the USA Network, which began in October 1997. Go Orange. Stephanie McMahon leaves WWE ; Vince is president, Please dont ban me. Thirdly, Luger's defection created speculation among fans as to which other big-name stars would "jump ship". Traditionally, wrestling shows were taped on sound stages with small audiences or at large arena shows. Before World Championship Wrestling was formed, Jim Crockett Promotions existed. 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. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. It takes a special type of performer to be so over without wrestling or uttering a single word for over a year. The World (Sony PlayStation 1, 1997) Complete Tested. He was the one who intended to bring more positive change. In fact, he had been in line to get the WWF World Heavyweight Championship (he had had several previous title matches), and worked a WWF house show the night before. But anyway I am elderly old woman who used to be a wrestling fan. RELATED: 10 Celebrities You Didn't Know Are Wrestling Fans. See photos for more details. 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.[41]. Fans vote on management, creative, and talent. Jim Barnett, Jack and Gerald Brisco had major stakes in the organization, while Ole Anderson was head booker and was in charge of operations. ECW was promoted as counterculture and a grittier alternative to multimillion-dollar organizations such as the WWF and WCW. Their rivalry solidified Savage as a true legend and class act while making Page a bonafide star going forward. [27] Its 5.7 Nielsen rating on February 8 (on a night when Raw was pre-empted by the Westminster Dog Show) was the last time it would get such a number. All Rights Reserved. WCW/nWo Revenge is a professional wrestling video game released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 game console. He then raised the Eastern Championship Wrestling title and declared it to be a world heavyweight championship, calling it the only real world title left in professional wrestling. By 1997 though, Mongo was a full-fledged member of The Four Horsemen. Many local programmers turned to professional wrestling as a means to fill out their schedules, as it was relatively inexpensive to produce but drew high ratings. WCW's closure left a gap in the market which several companies have attempted to fill. On January 24, 1988, another scheduling conflict took place between the WWF and NWA: the NWA presented the Bunkhouse Stampede on PPV, while WWF aired the Royal Rumble for free on the USA Network. WCW World War 3: With Curt Hennig, Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner. While still running steadily, Barnett and the Briscos sold their entire stock in GCW (including the television deal) to Vince McMahon, and on July 14, 1984 (otherwise known as "Black Saturday"), the WWF took over the GCW show. In 2004, WWE produced a DVD called The Monday Night Wars. As cable television arose in the 1970s, local stations were often retransmitted to new markets as superstations. 2011: The Rock returns to WWE. 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. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Double J even scoop up some gold in WCW, winning the U.S. Championship. The World Wrestling Federation ended up buying out WCW later in March, but Title stayed WCW Cruiserweight Championship. Starting in 1996, the promotion was on fire thanks to the introduction of The nWo. Comments. In 1997, Savage did something uncommon among top-tier WCW talents, creating a main event star. The original Raw broke new ground in televised professional wrestling. The time has come to bring back the glorious old days of wrestling where stars were made! I attended 4 wrestlemania, multiple raw and smackdowns in the past. update the picture of DREW MCINTYRE please, please add Karl Fredericks to World Wrestling Entertainment and remove him from New Japan Pro Wrestling, Brian Kendrick is not wwe producer he just come for one show ; not signed at this time, Sudu Shah leave WWE !, Stevie Turner is back on NXT. 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. WWE 12. 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. At Slamboree 1993, WCW reunited the Four Horsemen with Flair, Arn Anderson and Paul Roma. 7. In a post-match interview, Hogan christened his alliance with Hall and Nash as the New World Order (nWo). At times, WCW management could be their own worst enemies. Russo would then cut a shoot promo proclaiming that the reason WCW was in dire straits was due to "that goddamn politician Hulk Hogan". This format would eventually be the cornerstone of the WWF Prime Time Wrestling (PTW) program. The main event was between Hollywood Hogan and Sting for the WCW World . $9.88. . WWE Hall of Fame: Full List of Members & Inductees, All Legends & HOF Classes by Year. 4 months later he takes it all away. While those storylines and competitors kept WCW red hot in 1997, that year would also feature some less than stellar WCW competitors. 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. Deceased individuals are indicated with a dagger (). This includes the list of all WWE Superstars, division between Men and Women Roster, as well as Managers, Announcers, Authority figures, Producers and other personalities in World Wrestling Entertainment. Bischoff himself was initially the host; he handled the second hour along with Bobby Heenan and former NFL football player Steve "Mongo" McMichael, with Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko hosting the first. GCW's show, which aired on Saturday evenings, was complemented by a Sunday evening edition. WCW vs. 2019 should be updated in the post draft only. The Millionaire's Club, consisting of WCW's veteran stars such as Hogan, Flair and Diamond Dallas Page, were accused of preventing the younger talent from ascending to main event status and feuded with The New Blood, consisting of WCW's younger stars such as Billy Kidman, Booker T and Buff Bagwell. Replay. Another demotion. WWE Hall of Fame: Full List of Members & Inductees, All Legends & HOF Classes by Year. This whole entire time nobody ever gave a damn! On this page you find the full WWE Roster in the year 1997. The time has come to bring back the glorious old days of wrestling where stars were made! WWE 13. 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. In December 1999, Bret Hart suffered a career-ending concussion during a match with Goldberg at Starrcade. WCW management was so thrilled with their success at the time that they lost sight of the company's future. Take the best deal for income and drop everything else. No matter how much talent Morris had, the name was always going to weigh him down. WCW vs. Comments. Bischoff also began to give away the results of Raw matches on Nitro, as Raw was usually taped a week prior to airing. 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. During their mid-1995 meeting, Turner asked Bischoff how WCW could compete with the WWF. Dark Match: Chavo Guerrero Sr. defeated Lenny Lane Dean Malenko & Eddie Guerrero defeated Rey Misterio Jr. & Steven Regal Fit Finlay defeated Dave Taylor Yuji Nagata . WCW 1997-2000. Craig "Pitbull" Pittman, The Renegade, Michael Wallstreet, Eddie Guerrero, "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, "The Man of 1000 Holds" Dean Malenko, Scotty Riggs, "The Total Package" Lex Luger, Scott "Flash" Norton, The Giant, The Barbarian, Hugh Morrus, "Flyboy" Rocco Rock, Johnny Grunge, Konnan, "Squire" David Taylor, Madusa, Brad Armstrong, "Hardwork" Bobby Walker, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, Billy Kidman, "Desperado" Joe Gomez, Rob Ruckus, Ken Kaos, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, "Mean" Mike Enos, Steve McMichael, Rey Misterio Jr., Jim Powers, Chavito Guerrero Jr., Karl Oullete, Jauques Rougeau, Chris Jericho, Juventud Guerrera, Syxx, Vincent, Jeff Jarrett, Psicosis, Roadblock, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bunkhouse Buck, La Parka, Ultimo Dragon, Tombstone, Super Calo, "Dangerous" Devon Storm, Ace Darling, Greg The Hammer Valentine ,Ray Mandoza Jr., Ron Powers, Jerry Flynn, Chris "Morteus" Canyon, Luna Vachon, Adam Bomb, Malaya Hosaka, T-Rantula TOTAL ROSTER: 81 The WCW roster for April 1997 was as follows: Bobby Eaton, Sting, "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson, Jack Boot, "Diamond" Dallas Page, "Buff" Bagwell, Lord Steven Regal, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Stevie Ray, Booker T., Brian Knobbs, Jerry Saggs, Mark Starr, Big Bubba Rogers, "Taskmaster" Kevin Sullivan, Steve Armstrong, Meng, "Das Wunderkind" Alex Wright, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggin, Scott Armstrong, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Sgt. It says on wiki that Chelsea Green has resigned I don't know if this is true or not but I just thought I'll let you know, in wwe draft. Meanwhile, Raw Is War's numbers continued to rise; a match between The Undertaker vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin drew an 9.5 rating on June 28, 1999. They stopped caring after the attitude era. In WCW, Savage proved he certainly had a lot left in the tank. Anyone else love the atmosphere of the Hog/Road Wild events? 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 Shockmaster was supposed to crash through a fake wall and intimidate the heels. Russo's booking style was often referred to as "Crash TV": Matches were shortened in favor of story-building backstage vignettes, with an emphasis on shock factor. Bret Hart's departure from the WWF would ultimately turn the tide of the "Monday Night Wars." 2019 should be updated in the post draft only. Hart's feud against the aggressive, morally ambiguous yet patriotic Stone Cold Steve Austin, would dominate WWF storylines through most of 1997. Got me think Saudi Arabia now owns WWE! Now this sham company sells out everything and everyone. By Another 1980s fan favorite returning that evening was The Ultimate Warrior, who would go on to enjoy a brief revival in popularity. Stephanie McMahon leaves WWE ; Vince is president, Please dont ban me. He sustained an arm injury during a backstage vignette taping that kept him off television for six months; upon his return, the decision was made to try and shake up the status quo by having him turn heel at The Great American Bash, despite being the most popular wrestler in the company. In February 1998, media tycoon Barry Diller would also finalize his purchase of the USA Network. Copyright 2010-2023 TheSmackDownHotel.com. Because the fans are not in control! Take the best deal for income and drop everything else. First one to score a pin fall, submission, or count out is the winner. A compromise was reached which resulted in Awesome losing the title at an ECW event to Tazz, who was formerly of ECW and at the time contracted to the WWF. They cannot vote on matters? Hall and Nash were in control of the match when Hulk Hogan came to the ring. The game was followed by WCW/nWo Thunder, which was based on Nitro's Thursday night counterpart. One of the few performers to have his gimmick changed to a lighter, sympathetic, more traditional face persona was Mick Foley, who had been wrestling as the psychotic heel Mankind. They cannot vote on matters? Scott Hall (founding member, sided briefly with nWo Wolfpac after the split, before defecting to nWo Hollywood, along with Dusty Rhodes) The publication of the first of what proved to be a three-volume Foley autobiography, Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, helped Foley and the company achieve mainstream success outside of wrestling circles as the book rose to #1 on The New York Times Best Seller List. 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. Ted Turner decided to expand the brand by introducing a second weekly program WCW Thunder, on his TBS channel. These people operating things just do not care. At first, the strategy worked flawlessly but eventually lesser WWE alumni started being brought in. 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. [27], Raw Is War was dominating Nitro to the point where WCW was making "quick fixes" to stem the tide, including hiring rapper Master P, bringing in Megadeth, Chad Brock, and Kiss for concerts, and conducting a contest to find a new member of the Nitro Girls (all of which flopped in the ratings). . 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. Maybe for once the fans get to choose/organize the product going forward. YOU. Two weeks after Black Saturday, TBS debuted the show of a successor promotion to GCW created by holdout shareholders, Championship Wrestling from Georgia, albeit on early Saturday mornings. The heightened profiles of WWF wrestlers helped to draw the attention of both new and casual wrestling fans to the company's programming. We understand that Mick Foley, who wrestled here at one time as Cactus Jack, is gonna win their World title. Tony Khan recently made an intriguing comparison between AEW's current lineup and WCW's roster from 1997, owing to the mixture of the veteran and young stars in both.. The enigmatic silent warrior took WCW by storm starting in late 1996. Bret punching Scott Hall was the absolute biggest pop the entire night of Starrcade '97. The World PS1 Sony PlayStation 1, 1997 Greatest Hits. Nothing much happens. Everyone has a morale/confidence boost after Vince left. In the summer of 2003, WWE purchased ECW's assets in court, acquiring the rights to ECW's video library. 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