History Wrestling / WCW

''Nitro'' was a long-shot idea by Bischoff to compete with ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' in their own timeslot. He had the perfect blueprint for a three-hour show: Make sure there is variety, showcasing different styles of wrestling (often with interesting stipulations). Live TV in an age when viewers had their attention divided. Have a mega-angle going on with the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder, which was original and, to this day, innovative. Pro wrestling was forever changed by the nWo in some ways, with each show ending on a cliffhanger. Think ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' hype, but weekly.

* CardboardBoxes: There were always plenty of them backstage for someone to be knocked into. Clangy poles were also featured, which served no other purpose than to be knocked down and make noise (at least the boxes could be justified as emptied of equipment used during the show).

** Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} to Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin. Both were bald, goateed [[OneManArmy one-man armies]] who wore simple black trunks as wrestling gear, yet became immensely over with crowds due to their take-no-BS personalities and going against a large {{Heel}} PowerStable (the nWo and Wrestling/TheCorporation). It went to the point that Eric Bischoff was accused of hypocrisy after it was alleged he told Austin that men in simple black trunks could not get over with the crowd, only for Goldberg to do the same thing.

* AntiClimax:
** When the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior was brought to WCW (known as simply "The Warrior"), he was built up as a threat to [[Wrestling/HulkHogan Hollywood Hogan]]. Warrior pretty much got beaten all the time before being defeated by Hogan at ''Halloween Havoc'' 1998, even though Hogan was supposed to be super-scared of him.
** After ruining Warrior v. Hogan and Sting v. Hogan, the only thing keeping WCW afloat was Goldberg's run in 1998. But even that managed to suffer an anti-climax of its own with the one-two punch of Goldberg's streak being broken by Kevin Nash at ''Starrcade'' 1998 (with help of Scott Hall and a cattle prod) and the Fingerpoke of Doom eight days later (see below).

* TheGiant: [[Wrestling/TheBigShow The Giant]] (of course), Goldberg, Berlyn's former bodyguard The Wall (Get it? Berlyn's Wall?) a.k.a. Sgt. A.W.O.L. (Get it? [[PunnyName "A Wall"]]?), and... Ice Train. The only cool thing about Ice Train was his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SVMI0OXC0w theme.]]

''Nitro'' was the superior product for years, until it hit a creative wall. Bischoff's problem was that he measured everything by the ratings. So when ''Raw'' rebounded--and everyone knew it would eventually--he had no plan or faith in his own product. While established stars were given most of the screentime, up-and-comers like Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage, Wrestling/{{Raven}}, and Wrestling/BookerT either [-1)-] didn't get elevated like they should have, or [-2)-] it was handled poorly and came about too late. The Cruiserweight Division went from being "the future of wrestling" (as Bischoff touted them as on his show) to being "vanilla midgets" who "couldn't draw", because he was listening to the wrong people. The over-reliance on the nWo storyline, complete with most of their [[{{Face}} babyfaces]] joining the Wolfpac (an nWo [[AntiHeroSubstitute offshoot]]). Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen as {{jobber}}s to the stars. Most notorious of all, Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} vs. Wrestling/HulkHogan was relegated to an episode of ''Nitro'', rather than Pay-Per-View, because they wanted to win the ratings war so badly. These and more creative missteps led to significant losses in ratings and revenue, which resulted in the WWF purchasing WCW's assets in March 2001.

** Everybody had this problem in the Vince Russo era. Not a surprise, as Russo has infamously said he doesn't believe in "{{heel}}s" or "{{face}}s".

** [=WarGames=]. Two rings placed side-by-side and enclosed in a cage, with wrestlers battling inside, outside, and over the cage. You can't win or get disqualified until everyone is inside the cage, and then it's suddenly a one-fall match. It's a festival of brutality, and it was a recipe for success in the early years. (The one bad thing about it was the explanation of the rules, which took about 5 minutes.) The ''Elimination Chamber'' was designed by WWE as a {{spiritual successor}}, but nothing beats the original, to the point where Triple H finally brought the Match Beyond back for ''[[{{Wrestling/WWENXT}} NXT]]'' in 2017.

** No matter the announcer, the [=WarGames=] match was/is always announced as "'''WAAAAARGAMES'''"

** No matter the announcer, the [=WarGames=] match was always announced as "'''WAAARGAMES'''"

* TheGiant: [[Wrestling/TheBigShow The Giant]] (of course), Goldberg, and... Ice Train. The only cool thing about Ice Train was his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SVMI0OXC0w theme.]]

** Wrestling/BookerT to [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], being one of the first African-American top draws their respective promotions had in a long time (Booker T was in fact preceeded by Wrestling/RonSimmons, but by almost a decade), having snappy catch-phrases and even similar finishers, both variations of the side slam (Booker T had the Book End, a kneeling side slam, and The Rock had the Rock Bottom, a falling side slam). In fact, Booker T was told to change to be more like The Rock.

** ''Saturday Night'' is remembered for the sheer volume of jobbers on display. Sgt. Craig "Pitbull" Pittman, the State Patrol, "Hardwork" Bobby Walker, Dean Malenko, Barry Darsow doing his golfer gimmick, Fidel Sierra, Mean Mike and Tough Tom, the masked Texas Hangmen, and the grandaddy of them all: The Gambler (he was actually a good worker who never really got a chance. ''Website/{{WrestleCrap}}'' published a whole [[http://wrestlecrap.com/jobbers/jobber-of-the-week-the-gambler/ feature]] on him.). They put on a show, even if it wasn't about them. That's because WCW was always generous to its workers. Many of those guys are still wrestling today.

* ADayInTheLimelight: ¡ÓRALE! ¡ÓRALE! ¡ARRIBA LA RAZA! Adding Luchadores and cruiserweights were very refreshing, and they got some of their first nationwide appearances on WCW. Wrestling/LaParka, Psicosis, Chris Jericho, Juventud Guerrera, Wrestling/BillyKidman, Wrestling/DeanMalenko, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Eddie Guerrero, Wrestling/UltimoDragon, Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger, and Rey Mysterio Jr. were the cream of a very deep and talented pool of guys.

* ADayInTheLimelight: Luchadores and cruiserweights were very refreshing, and got some of their first nationwide appearances in the U.S. on WCW. Wrestling/LaParka, Psicosis, Chris Jericho, Juventud Guerrera, Wrestling/BillyKidman, Wrestling/DeanMalenko, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Eddie Guerrero, Wrestling/UltimoDragon, Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger, and Rey Mysterio Jr. were the cream of a very deep and talented pool of guys.

** [[Wrestling/BarryDarsow Blacktop Bully]] vs. Dustin Rhodes inside of an actual, moving truck at ''Uncensored'' 1995. They bladed as well and this got both wrestlers fired.

** Wrestling/{{Sting}} to Wrestling/TheUndertaker. Both became famous for goth-themed gimmicks while also having at one point a more grounded one ("Surfer" Sting and the "American Badass"/"Biker Taker"), both were mostly-silent, and both had such a large following (and were so faithful to their respective companies) that they were believed to embody [[TheLeader the soul]] of their promotions. It got to the point where, after WCW went under, a match between the two was considered a [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny dream match]] for a long time.

* LostInTranslation: Vampiro was printing money back in the day; having Hogan-levels of fame in Mexico. He was doing ventures outside of wrestling; movies, music, everything. His promos in Spanish were incredible, but it didn't transfer (made all the more weird when you consider that, despite his name, he was actually Canadian, meaning that he was less over in his native tongue). His in-ring work ethic did. Vampiro didn't hit the big-time until he joined ''Wrestling/LuchaUnderground'', since then the guy has been the most over than any other time in his career.
* {{Mascot}}: Wild Cat Willie! ("W.C.W." - get it?)

** The Cruiserweight Division gradually lost airtime to the old established stars. "THOSE CRUISERWEIGHTS CAN CRUISER-WAIT, BROTHER." That's not a joke; Hulk Hogan, a believer of MusclesAreMeaningful, actually said that.

** The Outsiders invasion angle that lead to the nWo and the Heartland Wrestling Association, which both started in 1996, were successors to the failed invasion and talent exchange WCW had earlier started with [[Wrestling/{{SMW}} Smokey Mountain Wrestling]], which shut down in 1995.

** Wrestling/{{Sting}} to Wrestling/TheUndertaker. Both became famous for goth-themed gimmicks while also having at one point a more grounded one ("Surfer" Sting and the "American Badass"/"Biker Taker"), both were mostly-silent, and both had such a large following (and were so faithful to their respective companies) that they were believed to embody [[TheLeader the soul]] of their promotions. It was to the point that, after WCW went under, a match between the two was considered a [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny dream match]] for a long time.

** The first hour of every ''Nitro'' was spent on the freakin' pyro display. WCW even set off pyro in the middle of matches. (Chris Jericho's pyro [[http://i.imgur.com/wkItg8k.gif failed to impress.]])

** [=WarGames=]. Two rings placed side-by-side and enclosed in a cage, with wrestlers battling inside, outside, and over the cage. You can't win or get disqualified until everyone is inside the cage, and then it's suddenly a one-fall match. It's a festival of brutality, and it was a recipe for success in the early years. (The one bad thing about it was the explanation of the rules, which took about 5 minutes.) The ''Elimination Chamber'' was designed by WWE as a {{spiritual successor}}, but nothing beats the original, to the point that Triple H finally brought the Match Beyond back for ''[[{{Wrestling/WWENXT}} NXT]]'' in 2017.

** The infamous clip of Wrestling/TorrieWilson getting slapped by the Macho Man for laughing during a backstage segment. Wilson didn't know Savage was going to smack her, so it wasn't planned. Wrestling/EricBischoff in particular got a lot of heat for it since it was at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and a lot of the Time Warner higher-ups were there to see it. Nowadays, it's mostly remembered for being a ''Website/{{Botchamania}}'' meme.

** The New World Order became a famous case of this, as it forced the competition to follow their lead. Gone were the colorful characters Hogan, Nash, and Hall played in WWF; now they were akin to a biker gang running roughshod over WCW. Sting was facing the same crossroad that Hulk Hogan did years earlier; the only problem was that Sting was the face of WCW, so a [[FaceHeelTurn heel turn]] for him was out of the question. Instead, they started a different angle in which the paranoia surrounding the nWo broke Sting's spirit, and provided a reason to take him off TV for bit. They also took inspiration from ''Film/TheCrow'' movie and had Sting emulate that. The black & white theme was a tease, because some thought Sting was slowly turning heel—and WCW did tease his defection. However, Sting essentially became "chaotic good", and sold a ton of merch.

** In contrast with Vince [=McMahon=], who used to, and kind of still does, struggle with the idea of putting his belt on someone who was a champion in another promotion, Eric Bishoff, on the other hand, pretty much built ''Nitro'' on the backs of WWF World Champions or just about any wrestler who became big in another promotion. Hogan became the world champ on his first match, the [=nWo=] came after that, and then Wrestling/{{ECW}} talent came over. Bischoff did not have a suspicious nature like Vince, and though it came back to bite him in the end, it helped WCW quite a bit. Their fortunes didn't really pick up until Hall and Nash defected to WCW and formed their own coalition: The Outsiders, who teased at a cross-promotional "invasion" (despite the WWF having nothing to do with the angle). People in the south hated Hall and Nash. The trash thrown at them was real, they were genuinely seen as invaders.

** Ironically, the man who unified the WCW and WWF titles was Wrestling/ChrisJericho, the first major WCW acquisition by Wrestling/VinceMcMahon. He defeated both The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in the same night—in back-to-back matches, no less!—to unify the two titles.

** In the Fall of 2000, a dark time in WCW history, former tag team specialists Booker T and Scott Steiner became the main eventers that were holding the company afloat.

** They completely redesigned the set and the [[http://i.imgur.com/9fdlM.png company logo]] in April '99. WCW never advertised or gave any indication that they were re-branding at all; ''Nitro'' just suddenly changed after that. The tone of the show became grey and industrial, far from the bright colors of the Crockett era, and the volcanic eruptions of the Bischoff era, yet very distinct from the grungy WWF presentation. (But for some reason, this coincided with Hulk Hogan being back in the red and yellow.)

** [[Wrestling/BarryDarsow Blacktop Bully]] vs. Dustin Rhodes inside of an actual, moving truck at ''Uncensored'' 1996. They bladed, as well, and this got both wrestlers fired.

** When "The Cat" (Ernest Miller) fought The Dog (Al Green), even Wrestling/TonySchiavone couldn't keep from laughing.

** Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} to Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin. Both were bald, goateed [[OneManArmy one-man armies]] who wore simple black trunks as wrestling gear, yet became immensely over with crowds due to their take-no-BS personalities and going against a large {{Heel}} PowerStable (the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]] and Wrestling/TheCorporation). It went to the point that Eric Bischoff was accused of hypocrisy after it was alleged he told Austin that men in simple black trunks could not get over with the crowd, only for Goldberg to do the same thing.
** Wrestling/{{Sting}} to Wrestling/TheUndertaker. Both became famous for having goth-themed gimmicks while also having at one point a more grounded one ("Surfer" Sting and the "American Badass"/"Biker Taker"), both were mostly-silent, and both had such a large following (and were so faithful to their respective companies) that they were believed to embody [[TheLeader the soul]] of their promotions. It was to the point that, after WCW went under, a match between the two was considered a [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny dream match]] for a long time.

** On the February 19, 1996 episode of ''{{Series/Baywatch}}'', fittingly and amusingly titled "Bash at the Beach", Hogan and Savage had joined forces and worked alongside with the Baywatch lifeguard crew in order to help save the Beachfront Boy's Club from [[SavingTheOrphanage evil condo developers]] Flair, Vader, and Wrestling/KevinSullivan.

** In the ''Series/{{Arliss}}'' episode, "To Thine Own Self Be True", Eric Bischoff, Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and Rick Steiner made cameos after a hockey player tried to cross over to professional wrestling. In exchange, actor Robert Wuhl appeared in-character at Orlando to hype the wrestling debut of Dennis Rodman. This was only the umptenth weirdest thing that happened in WCW.

* ADayInTheLimelight: Luchadores and cruiserweights were very refreshing, and got some of their first nationwide appearances in the U.S. on WCW. Wrestling/LaParka, Psicosis, Chris Jericho, Juventud Guerrera, Wrestling/BillyKidman, Wrestling/DeanMalenko, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio Jr. were the cream of a very deep and talented pool of guys.

** That infamous clip of Wrestling/TorrieWilson getting slapped by the Macho Man for laughing during a backstage segment. Wilson didn't know Savage was going to smack her, so it wasn't planned. Wrestling/EricBischoff in particular got a lot of heat for it since it was at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and a lot of the Time Warner higher-ups were there to see it. Nowadays, it's mostly remembered for being a ''Website/{{Botchamania}}'' meme.

** WCW signed an exclusive contract with Michael Buffer to be their lead in-ring announcer. He made $100k per appearance just to call guys' names, and even then, he'd occasionally get them [[{{Spoonerism}} wrong]]. "[[Wrestling/BretHart Bret 'The Hitman' Clarke,]]" "...home of the NCAA Champions of the Universe!"

* ADayInTheLimelight: Luchadores and cruiserweights were very refreshing, and got some of their first nationwide appearances in the U.S. on WCW. Wrestling/LaParka, Psicosis, Chris Jericho, Juventud Guerrera, Wrestling/DeanMalenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio Jr. were the cream of a very deep and talented pool of guys.

** Also, the [[Wrestling/SeanWaltman 1-2-3 Kid]] became Syxx in WCW.

** Goldberg was 174-0, and half of those matches were against poor Bill [=DeMott=] who was speared into hell.

** UsefulNotes/PlayStation: ''WCW vs. the World'', which features several Ersatz versions of [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling New Japan]] wrestlers. Japanese-developed and distributed by Creator/{{THQ}}.

** [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]], both the good (like its early focus on the X-Division / cruiserweights) and bad (kayfabe-breaking and RealityTV smut). Bonus: Jarrett founded it to replace WCW in the first place. As of 2016, TNA has officially been in business longer than WCW, as has ROH. And both companies have been around almost twice as long as ECW. Crazy, huh?

** Bischoff was constantly working the wrestlers. For instance, [[http://www.rspwfaq.net/2014/03/rf-video-shoot-interview-with-sherri.html according]] to Wrestling/SherriMartel, everyone assumed that Nancy Sullivan's affair with Wrestling/ChrisBenoit was a work. Some of them even thought that ''WCW's bankruptcy'' was a work!

* DreamTeam: With Turner's money, Bischoff could basically match any offer Vince made and even exceed it. Within a year he'd assembled the greatest roster in the annals of professional wrestling. Big names like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Wrestling/MissElizabeth, Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Wrestling/TedDiBiase, Wrestling/{{Virgil}}, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, Bret Hart, Wrestling/RoddyPiper, Wrestling/MikeRotunda, Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors, Wrestling/TheNastyBoys, Wrestling/BobbyHeenan, Wrestling/MeanGeneOkerlund, Wrestling/{{Madusa}}, Wrestling/SherriMartel, and others made news with their defection to WCW. Only The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, {{Wrestling/Kane}}, Wrestling/MarkHenry, and a few others remained loyal. However, it came with its downside; the fact that some of these contracts, particularly those used to lure away WWF talent, were so exorbitant is often cited as an important reason for why WCW was eventually sold to [=McMahon=] for a paltry $2.5 million. It backfired in another way, though. WCW dedicated so much time to its big stars that WWF assembled their own team out of people who had been buried and/or ignored by WCW.

** ''Saturday Night'' is remembered for the sheer volume of jobbers on display. Sgt. Craig "Pitbull" Pittman, the State Patrol, "Hardwork" Bobby Walker, Dean Malenko, Barry Darsow doing his golfer gimmick, Fidel Sierra, Mean Mike and Tough Tom, the masked Texas Hangmen, and the grandaddy of them all The Gambler. (He was actually a good worker who never really got a chance. ''Website/{{WrestleCrap}}'' published a whole [[http://wrestlecrap.com/jobbers/jobber-of-the-week-the-gambler/ feature]] on him.) They put on a show, even if it wasn't about them. That's because WCW was always generous to its workers. Many of those guys are still wrestling today.
** The nWo "B-Team" with Horace Hogan, [[Wrestling/{{Virgil}} Vincent]], and a few other jobbers of the squad. If someone from the nWo lost regularly, chances are it'd be one of them.

** UsefulNotes/PlayStation: ''WCW vs. the World'', which features several Ersatz versions of [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling New Japan]] wrestlers, and its sequel ''WCW vs. [=nWo=]: World Tour''. Both Japanese-developed and distributed by Creator/{{THQ}}.
** UsefulNotes/Nintendo64: ''[=WCW/nWo=] Revenge'' (THQ again).

** Various members of the Wrestling/DungeonOfDoom including "The Taskmaster" Wrestling/KevinSullivan, from "The Iron Gates of Fate" and The Zodiac (Wrestling/BrutusBeefcake), from "The Land of Yin and Yang".

** Hogan selling an arm bar from Jay Leno. At least Dennis Rodman or Karl Malone made an ounce of sense since they were giant, professional athletes!

** Vampiro had musical guests like Music/InsaneClownPosse and Music/TheMisfits to back him up. WCW also paid Music/{{Kiss}} one million dollars to play two songs, and as part of the agreement WCW had to make a KISS-themed wrestler, and that wrestler had to headline at least one PPV.
** The final straw for many fans was the crowning of actor David Arquette as World Champion. It had less to do with Arquette himself (though he was a star at the time) and more to do with his wife, Creator/CourteneyCox, who was one of the [[Series/{{Friends}} highest-paid women on TV]]. There is also the video packages they did with David after he won the title. There was one where Courteney is shouting at him, trying to beat (or shout) some sense into him, telling him to give up the title, and Creator/KurtRussell randomly walks by. David explains to him that he's a pro wrestling champ, and Kurt just laughs at him.

** TNA, both the good (like its early focus on the X-Division / cruiserweights) and bad (kayfabe-breaking and RealityTV smut). Bonus: Jarrett founded it to replace WCW in the first place. As of 2016, TNA has officially been in business longer than WCW, as has ROH. And both companies have been around almost twice as long as ECW. Crazy, huh?

** Both companies had mostly-baseless lawsuits against one another, and for every sleazy business tactic by one side, you could counter with an equally sleazy tactic by the other. The week after Tony Schiavone warned viewers not to turn the channel to the competition because Foley was going to win their world heavyweight title, WWF mocked Goldberg by having Duane Gill impersonate him ''and'' lose to a woman. Now, let's rewind to October 1997, when Jim Cornette ripped the two most influential stars of pro wrestling's boom period, who helped transcend the genre into the mainstream (Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper), in addition to burying their cage match at ''Halloween Havoc'', whilst putting over Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at ''Bad Blood'' that same month. Point being, the inside barbs and jabs each company gives each other was a weekly occurrence.

** Vader was portrayed as an incredible monster heel in WCW; from ''Starrcade'' '92 (vs. Sting) to ''Starrcade'' '93 (vs. Flair), Vader did not take a clean loss. He also got big wins over Cactus Jack, Sting, Ricky Steamboat, and Davey Boy Smith.
** Raven, along with The Flock, was a hated heel and a popular face. He was an upper-midcard staple with the US Title for a long time, and also arguably the making of Goldberg. Raven also had a pretty fun, weird, and stupid run with Wrestling/PerrySaturn, Vampiro, and the ICP. But his "Raven's Rules" gimmick was by far the most memorable part of his WCW stint: Just stating ''any match I'm in is no DQ, no countout'' made him a real threat.

** Bam-Bam, who had a history of being loyal to NJPW up to this point, was a different type of 'enforcer'. A straight-up brawler with head tattoos who made his debut by calling out Goldberg, and even got the drop on Raven once.

* ADayInTheLimelight: Luchadores and cruiserweights were very refreshing, and got some of their first nationwide appearances in the U.S. on WCW. Wrestling/LaParka, Psicosis, Chris Jericho, Juventud Guerrera, Wrestling/DeanMalenko, Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, and Rey Mysterio, Jr. were the cream of a very deep and talented pool of guys.
* DenserAndWackier: Wrestling/VinceRusso wasn't the only foot on WCW's throat in the end, what with the million-dollar contracts being given out like candy. But lest we forget all the pole matches, fifteen title changes in 6 months (nearly thirty in 2000), trying to revive the [=nWo=] with Jeff Jarrett and ''Bret Hart'' of all people, the complete annihilation of {{kayfabe}}, the infamous three-way with Nash, Steiner and Goldberg (see below), and [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Judy Bagwell on a forklift]]. Russo started behind the 8-ball sure, but he also pocketed it with a bit of English.

* DreamTeam: With Turner's money, Bischoff could basically match any offer Vince made and even exceed it. Within a year he'd assembled the greatest roster in the annals of professional wrestling. Big names like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, Wrestling/ScottHall, Wrestling/TedDiBiase, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Bret Hart, Wrestling/RoddyPiper, Wrestling/MikeRotunda, Wrestling/TheNastyBoys, Wrestling/BobbyHeenan, Wrestling/MeanGeneOkerlund, Madusa, and others made news with their defection to WCW. Only The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, {{Wrestling/Kane}}, Wrestling/MarkHenry, and a few others remained loyal. However, it came with its downside; the fact that some of these contracts, particularly those used to lure away WWF talent, were so exorbitant is often cited as an important reason for why WCW was eventually sold to [=McMahon=] for a paltry $2.5 million. It backfired in another way, though. WCW dedicated so much time to its big stars that WWF assembled their own team out of people who had been buried and/or ignored by WCW.

* FingerPokeOfDoom: The TropeNamer. 1998 saw other decisions that accelerated the decline: At ''Starrcade'' '98, Nash defeated Goldberg after Goldberg was tazed by Scott Hall to claim the World Heavyweight Championship, which also ended his undefeated streak. Eight days later on ''Nitro'', Nash and Hogan were scheduled to have a match for said title, but instead, Nash took a poke to the chest from Hogan and sold it like he'd been shot with a cannon, [[ThrowingTheFight lying down on the mat]]. This incident came to be known as the Fingerpoke of Doom. Prior to the main event, Tony Schiavone (per Bischoff's orders) revealed that fan-favorite Mick "Mankind" Foley would be winning the WWF Championship on a pre-taped edition of ''Raw'', essentially inviting over half a million viewers to change the channel — which they did.

** Blacktop Bully vs. Dustin Rhodes inside of an actual, moving truck at ''Uncensored'' 1996. They bladed, as well, and this got both wrestlers fired.