History Wrestling / WCW

** The hiring of Japanese wrestler Kaz Hayashi was an obvious response to WWF hiring Wrestling/TAKAMichinoku. Both had been in the same stable in Wrestling/MichinokuProWrestling (Kaientai), wear blue/black tights, wrestle in a cruiserweight manner and looked similar. Also, both were signed to their respective companies in 1997, with TAKA being signed to WWF in July and Kaz being signed to WCW in October. Though he stayed with WCW until their buyout, Kaz's tenure there is nowhere near as well remembered as TAKA's time with WWF for two reasons: one is that TAKA had enjoyed early success winning the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship and the other is that Kaientai had reformed in WWF (minus Kaz), becoming very popular in the Wrestling/AttitudeEra when reduced to just TAKA and Sho Funaki.
** Vampiro has claimed that in 1998, he was in talks with the WWF but decided to go to WCW instead. As a result, the WWF created [[Wrestling/DavidHeath Gangrel]] as their own vampire character, along with the PowerStable known as The Brood (which consisted of the aforementioned Gangrel, Wrestling/{{Edge}}, and Wrestling/{{Christian}}). It didn't help matters that Vampiro only got a tryout match there at the WWF in 1998 before he properly started being used by WCW in 1999. The difference between the two of them however is that Gangrel was played far more straight as a vampire than Vampiro (whose gimmick was more of a rock star who liked vampires).

** Tony Schiavone, the greatest commentator in the history of our sport! ''Fans, we are joining you LIVE from ''[arena name]'' right here in ''[city name]''! We are in the midst of what will go down as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest night in the history of our fine sport. We've got athletes from all over the GLOBE fighting for that prestigious opportunity. To prove themselves at the absolute highest platform of PROFESSIONAL wrestling—AAAAAH, ''[city name]''! Oh boy, it's gonna be a doozy!'' A lot of [[SmartMark smarks]] never liked Schiavone, but he definitely had one great call: "[[Wrestling/DungeonOfDoom THE YETAAAAAAAYYYY!!!]]"

* LostInTranslation: Vampiro was wildly popular in Mexico, with Hogan-levels of fame. This was mostly credited to his promos in Spanish, 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, however, 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.

** Vampiro has claimed that in 1998 he was in talks with the WWF but decided to go to WCW instead. As a result, the WWF created Gangrel as their own vampire character, and the faction The Brood around him. It didn't help matters that Vampiro only got a tryout match there in 1998 before he properly started being used in 1999. However,Gangrel was played far more straight as a vampire than Vampiro (whose gimmick was more of a rock star who liked vampires).

** The hiring of Japanese wrestler Kaz Hayashi was an obvious response to the WWF's hiring Taka Michinoku. Both had been in the same stable in Michinoku Pro Wrestling, 'Kai En Tai', wear blue/black tights, wrestle in a cruiserweight manner and looked similar. Also, both were signed to their respective companies in 1997, with Taka being signed to WWF in July and Kaz being signed to WCW in October. Though he stayed with WCW until their buyout, Kaz's tenure there is nowhere near as well remembered as Taka's time with WWF - for two reasons. One is that Taka enjoyed early success winning the Light Heavyweight title, and the other is that Kai En Tai reformed in the WWF (minus Kaz), becoming very popular in the Attitude Era when reduced to just Taka and Sho Funaki.

** The hiring of Japanese wrestler Kaz Hayashi was an obvious response to the WWF's hiring Taka Michinoku. Both had been in the same stable in Michinoku Pro Wrestling, 'Kai En Tai', wear blue/black tights, wrestle in a cruiserweight manner and looked similar. Also, both were signed to their respective companies in 1997, with Taka being signed to WWF in July and Kaz being signed to WWF in October. Though he stayed with WCW until their buyout, Kaz's tenure there is nowhere near as well remembered as Taka's time with WWF - for two reasons. One is that Taka enjoyed early success winning the Light Heavyweight title, and the other is that Kai En Tai reformed in the WWF (minus Kaz), becoming very popular in the Attitude Era when reduced to just Taka and Sho Funaki.

* TheGiant:
** The Giant (of course), [[Wrestling/AlexWright Berlyn]]'s former bodyguard The Wall (Get it? [[UsefulNotes/BerlinWall 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.]]
** Goldberg. He enjoyed the longest "Streak" in WCW history, having won 173 consecutive matches and the Heavyweight Championship in the process. He has beaten Hogan and The Rock, beaten the undefeated [[WrestlingMonster monster heel]] [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt Bray "The Fiend" Wyatt]], and he also beat Wrestling/BrockLesnar cleanly. He has won a World Title in four consecutive decades: '98, 2003, 2017, and 2020. (Wrestling/LouThesz and Wrestling/TheFabulousMoolah won versions of a World Title for five straight decades.) In-storyline, he is one of the most-dominant stars ever. Seven people have beaten him, and only two of those did it clean, including The Undertaker and Brock. (WWE like to claim that Triple H beat him clean so three if we accept that.)

** The "graveyard match" between Vampiro and "The Demon." The Demon was intended as the beginning of a {{Music/KISS}}-themed stable, in which each member of the band would have their own self-insert wrestler.

* GratuitousDiscoSequence: [[Wrestling/GlennGilbertti Disco Inferno]] and Alex Wright a.k.a. Berlyn. Ffittingly and amusingly, the two of them would later form an official tag team known as the Dancing Fools a.k.a. the Dancing Idiots and Boogie Knights. The Alex Wright dance from ''[=WCW/nWo Revenge=]'' is one of the most-memorable wrestling game [[TauntButton taunt animations]] ever. ''WICKTORY!''

** The Outsiders invasion angle (which led to the nWo) and the Heartland Wrestling Association both started in 1996,. Botb were successors to the failed invasion / talent exchange WCW previously tried with [[Wrestling/{{SMW}} Smokey Mountain Wrestling]], which shut down in 1995.

** The Outsiders invasion angle (which led 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.

* GratuitousDiscoSequence: [[Wrestling/GlennGilbertti Disco Inferno]] and Alex Wright a.k.a. Berlyn (fittingly and amusingly, the two of them would later on form an official tag team known as the Dancing Fools a.k.a. the Dancing Idiots and Boogie Knights). The Alex Wright dance from ''[=WCW/nWo Revenge=]'' is one of the most-memorable wrestling game [[TauntButton taunt animations]] ever. ''WICKTORY!''

-->'''Hogan:''' As far as I'm concerned, all of this crap in the ring represents these fans out here!!!

* TheGiant: The Giant (of course), Goldberg, [[Wrestling/AlexWright Berlyn]]'s former bodyguard The Wall (Get it? [[UsefulNotes/BerlinWall 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.]]

** [[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 [[Wrestling/RingOfHonor ROH]]. And both companies have been around almost twice as long as ECW. Crazy, huh?

** Hogan and Savage's past history with each other in the WWF, leading them to not only reform the Mega Powers (and bringing back Miss Elizabeth as well in January of 1996), but also to later break up and feud against one another once more.

** WCW tapped Brutus Beefcake, Roddy Piper, Ultimate Warrior, Wrestling/JohnTenta, {{Wrestling/Kamala}}, and [[Creator/TinyLister Zeus]], all of whom had a history with Hogan in the WWF.
** [[Wrestling/BigShow The Giant]] was initially portrayed as the [[AvengingTheVillain vengeful son]] of [[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant Andre]] in order to help recapture the magic which was ''[=WrestleMania=]'' III.

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

** ''[=WarGames=]''. Two rings placed side-by-side and enclosed in a cage, with wrestlers battling inside, outside, and over the cage. There are no pinfalls for disqualifications until everyone is inside the cage, and then it's suddenly a one-fall match. Everything in-between is blatant filler, though there is psychology involved in trying to weaken an opponent during the match so that they'll submit once everybody is in. It's a festival of brutality, and it was a recipe for success in the early years. Some of the goofier aspects that are problematic for ''[=WarGames=]'' included the fact that it took it up a lot of floor space, the explanation of the rules (which took about 5 minutes), and the coin toss wherein one team gets the numbers advantage upon entry. Somehow in the entire history of ''[=WarGames=]'' no babyface team has ever won the coin toss, since it's more fun when the heels outnumber the faces. The ''Elimination Chamber'' was designed by Triple H as a {{spiritual successor}}, but nothing beats the original, to the point where Trips finally unveiled the Match Beyond on ''[[{{Wrestling/WWENXT}} NXT]]'' in 2017.

** Goldberg was 174-0, and half of those matches were against poor Wrestling/BillDeMott (known at the time as "The Laughing Man" Hugh Morrus), who was speared and jackhammered into hell.

** Tony Schiavone, the greatest commentator in the history of our sport! ''Fans, we are joining you LIVE from ''[arena name]'' right here in ''[city name]''! We are in the midst of what will go down as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest night in the history of our fine sport. We've got athletes from all over the GLOBE fighting for that prestigious opportunity. To prove themselves at the absolute highest platform of PROFESSIONAL wrestling—AAAAAH, ''[city name]''! Oh boy, it's gonna be a doozy!''
** A lot of [[SmartMark smarks]] never liked Schiavone, but he definitely had one great call: "[[Wrestling/DungeonOfDoom THE YETAAAAAAAYYYY!!!]]"
** No matter the announcer, the ''[=WarGames=]'' match was/is always announced as "'''WAAARRGAMES.'''"

* LostInTranslation: Vampiro was printing money back in the day; we're talking 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, however, 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.

** The final straw for many fans was the crowning of actor David Arquette as World Heavyweight 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.

* ADayInTheLimelight: ¡ÓRALE! ¡ÓRALE! ¡ARRIBA LA RAZA! Adding Luchadores and cruiserweights was 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.

* ClumsyCopyrightCensorship: One of the negatives of the WWE Network is they've dubbed over DDP's theme, so you can't hear the crowd explode every time they hear "Self High Five". [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Smells Like Lawsuit.]]

** Wrestling/TonySchiavone's banter with Wrestling/BobbyHeenan was a weak attempt at Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon.

In the aftermath of WCW going under, the void left by it led to the creation of [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] and Wrestling/RingOfHonor and promoted them to relevance.

''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 ([[AntiHeroSubstitute an nWo 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.

Even so, their numbers at the end weren't far off from where ''Raw'' is today. Furthermore, without WCW going under, we might not have stars like Wrestling/AJStyles or Wrestling/CMPunk, since it was that void which led to the creation of [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] and Wrestling/RingOfHonor and promoted them to relevance.

** [[Wrestling/TheBigShow The Giant]] was portrayed as the [[AvengingTheVillain vengeful son]] of [[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant Andre]] in order to help recapture the magic which was ''[=WrestleMania=]'' III.

* TheGiant: 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.]]

* GratuitousDiscoSequence: Disco Inferno and Wrestling/AlexWright a.k.a. Berlyn. The Alex Wright dance from ''[=WCW/nWo Revenge=]'' is one of the most-memorable wrestling game [[TauntButton taunt animations]] ever. ''WICKTORY!''

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

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: We're talking about a promotion which, at its height, had over 240 wrestlers on its payroll. The upside is, the matches and segments were short enough to make full use of their huge roster, and the Cruiserweight and Hardcore divisions are well-remembered.
* LostInTranslation: Vampiro was printing money back in the day; we're talking 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, however, 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.

* GratuitousDiscoSequence: Disco Inferno and Wrestling/AlexWright a.k.a. Berlyn. The Alex Wright dance from ''[=WCW/nWo Revenge=]'' is one of the most-memoroble wrestling game [[TauntButton taunt animations]] ever. ''WICKTORY!''

* FleetingDemographicRule: WCW routinely looked to Hogan's past: Hogan and Savage's history from the 80's was referenced, they reformed the Mega Powers, and later had to feud again. WCW tapped Roddy Piper, Wrestling/JohnTenta, {{Wrestling/Kamala}}, [[Creator/TinyLister Zeus]], and [[Wrestling/EdLeslie Brutus Beefcake]], all of whom had a history with Hogan in the WWF. [[Wrestling/TheBigShow The Giant]] was portrayed as the son of [[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant Andre]] to recapture the magic which was ''[=WrestleMania=]'' III. So it made sense that Hogan would go to that well again, this time with Warrior in '98.

Even so, their numbers at the end weren't far off from where ''Raw'' is today. Furthermore, without WCW going under, we might not have stars like Wrestling/AJStyles or Wrestling/CMPunk, since it was the void created by WCW's demise which led to the creation of [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] and Wrestling/RingOfHonor and promoted them to relevance.

By the time WCW disbanded, it recognized the following Championships:

** At its height, WCW had over 240 wrestlers on its roster. Unlike most examples, though, only perhaps half of them were ever actually seen on television. This was a deliberate plan on WCW's part: buy up competing talent for the sole purpose of keeping them from signing with the competition. While some were given spots on WCW programming, others (many of them way past their prime) got to lay back and collect paychecks while "working" under a non-compete agreement. Unfortunately for WCW, even this plan got away from them. At the time, wrestlers were paid on a per-show basis, whether or not they actually worked on that show. Attendance was taken by signing your own name in on a clipboard. A fair number of workers, knowing full well that WCW didn't have any intention of actually using them, simply stayed at home and had friends of theirs on the roster sign in their names in their place. There were also many who would still travel in a full-time schedule on the company's dime without working any matches. Only in 2000 did they start to only fly out any talent who were actually regularly being booked.

** 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 the 'soul' of their promotions. It got to the point where, after WCW went under, a bout between the two was considered a [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny dream match]] for a long time.

* BShow: ''Thunder'', ''Worldwide'', and ''Saturday Night.'' The latter was originally WCW's flagship program before ''Nitro'' launched. It was actually a decent B-show: They featured a lot of good midcarders like [[Wrestling/WilliamRegal Steven Regal]] and tag teams like Harlem Heat, and a lot of the newer and younger talents. However, ''Nitro'' still referenced ''Saturday Night'' frequently. Storylines, debuts and even title changes did occur on that show. They also had a lot of appearances by future stars of the industry (all of the WCW videos with Triple H are from ''Saturday Night''). Even the nWo would show up and have matches there now and again. If not for Saturdays at 6:05 Eastern/5:05 Central, there would never have been any Monday Night War. It's worth noting that ''WCW Worldwide'' '96 had a bunch of matches between future [[Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame WWE Hall of Famers]].

* EvilForeigner: Wrestling/LanceStorm was one of the most hated and cowardly heels in the company. His rulebook was a contributing factor: "Please rise for the Canadian National Anthem", holding the [[AC:S]]askatchewan [[AC:H]]ardcore [[AC:I]]nternational [[AC:T]]itle, no foreign objects to be used in hardcore matches, converting the US Title into a Canadian one, re-naming the Cruiserweight Title the "100kg and Under Championship", etc. And then there was his "Canadian Rules" match vs. Mike Awesome. (It's common knowledge in Canadian wrestling that you need to pin your opponent for a 5 count, then give them a 10 count to answer the bell!)

** 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 in MusclesAreMeaningful, actually said that.

** Wrestling/{{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.

** Tony Schiavone, the greatest commentator in the history of our sport! A lot of [[SmartMark smarks]] never liked Schiavone, but he definitely had one great call: "[[Wrestling/DungeonOfDoom THE YETAAAAAAAYYYY!!!]]"
** No matter the announcer, the ''[=WarGames=]'' match was/is always announced as "'''WAAAARGAMES'''"

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: We're talking about a promotion that, at its height, had over 240 wrestlers on its payroll. The upside is, the matches and segments were short enough to make full use of their huge roster, and the Cruiserweight and Hardcore divisions are well-remembered.

* WCW also had two '''Women's Championships''', though they were rarely showcased on television and almost exclusively defended outside of the United States, mostly in Japan (just like in the WSL Wrestling/{{A|merican Wrestling Association}}WA) so most viewers just saw the Nitro Girls and [=nWo=] Girls, who were mostly there to dance for the crowd during the commercial break.

** ''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 granddaddy 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.

** Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage would travel quite the road to go from a manager who was a non-wrestler to world champion and becoming the ultimate face of WCW.

** If it wasn't for the fact that it was the company's last show, ''Nitro'''s last episode, ''The Night of Champions'', would've looked like the moment where things were going back on track for WCW: Booker T won the world title, and the show capped with a sparring match between Flair and Sting, two WCW oldies who had stuck with the promotion to the bitter end. Post-match, Sting and Flair embraced and shook hands; a genuine babyface ending.

** ''nWo Souled Out''. The set is extraordinary, the production of the whole show is so outrageous. Love it or hate it, this is not a normal PPV. It was painfully-obvious that Bischoff wanted create a rock concert atmosphere with WCW, but it didn't click with everyone.