Could WCW have been saved?

[James Steele]

Do you guys think that WCW could have been saved (for example, if Bishoff has been able to buy WCW)?

[Ruien]

Ummm, no.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

ummm, yes.

[Bad Company]

of course, with enough money anything is possible.

[Ben Rodrigues]

I believe the deal fell through because they lost their TV deal. So in that respect it just be WCW without a TV deal, so even if Bischoff bought it they’d still have one hell of a problem since attendance and PPV buys were way down.

But say for arguments sake Bischoff managed to secure a decent timeslot and the plan was as I recall, to re-launch the company with all the main eventers that were taken off air prior (Nash, Goldberg, etc) along with some new talent (Styles and Air Paris?).

I guess it would be up to whether Bischoff would be willing to push new talent, instead of having the same guys on top or not. I would imagine Hogan would’ve found his way back with Bischoff at the helm again, and we all know of the political game he was the master of. So it just be like the late 90’s over again.

So in my opinion, WCW would’ve died regardless. Too many huge egos to combat with in order to get anywhere.

[PullMyFinger]

Before WCW went down, IMO, it was slowly heading into a positive direction. Looking back now, I think WCW was great even at its low points. Why? WWE being the only big promotion today has things going shittier than ever. However, they still get good attendance and #s because they're the top promotion out there.

[Ben Rodrigues]

Have to disagree; at least WWE is making an effort to push new top stars now also if you filter out the crap they have a few interesting feuds going on. Towards the end of WCW they made a decent attempt to push new stars, but the damage had already been done. With the re-launch, guys that were synonymous with hogging the limelight would re-debut and our new “main eventers” like Booker T, Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett, etc would’ve been lost in the shuffle.

[Rob]

It's a very easy answer. If they got TV, they would still be around. If they didn't, they'd die. Turns out they died.

[Psycho C]

Didn't Billionaire Ted pull out of WCW about a year or so before the promotion went the way of the dodo?

I think when Turner gave up on WCW he essentially ended the company.

[The One]

...TNA has lasted 3 years, and for most of that time it was Jarrett in the pilot seat.

If WCW was able to still get the investors, it could have made it. If Bischoff truely learned from his mistake of keeping the old guys on top too long, then he would have been able to make some real good moves. Everyone likes to talk about how WCW was a joke post '98...but don't forget, or maybe you wern't around to remember, WCW was a joke before. When WCW was made it was a joke. No one took them seriously. Bisch took helm of that sinking ship and made millions of dollars off it. And while Bischoff and Russo didn't really get along that well, I would love to see a WCW with the head writer being Russo and the head of the company being Bischoff. Eric isn't a guy who likes to play with goofy shit, and Russo has alot of ideas, 80% of which are crap, but if he can get someone more powerful then him to filter out that 80% the other 20% is real good.

Even without a major TV deal, they still could have done some more damage. Remember alot of the big players had their long term contracts with Time Warner...or AOL. Eric could have taken control of WCW, told guys like Hogan, Nash, and Goldberg to fuck off...and before you know it you would have a promotion where guys like Jarrett, Booker, and Steiner (who no one can deny was doing good work before WCW closed) main eventing. Also with ECW's collapse, he could have capitolized on that and brought in RVD, Dreamer, Rhino, Sabu, Sandman...now I realise alot of those guys wouldn't have returned to WCW, but the point is they could have done more with them then WWE ever ended up doing.

I think WCW's biggest problem was they never stopped seeing the competition as "The Big Two" when in reality after about 1998 it was simply "The Big One" and WCW was little more then what TNA is right now...if everyone at Creative in WCW could realise this, and start working from the ground up to once again get to that spot, with the history behind them and a few remaining loyal fans, I think they could certainly be in a position to start threatening WWE again for supremecy...it should be noted that I think WWE would still be doing better and the entire wrestling world as a whole would be happier.

[PureHatred]

Pretty much what Rob said.

Once Turner killed all WCW programming, EB lost all his investors, and since AOL was looking to make something on their investment (the year before WCW had lost $60 million) they took the first credible offer they got. Which was Vince, who I believe paid around 1/10th of what EB's ownership group was prepared to pay before losing the TV deal.

That of curse didn't include the big-name guaranteed deals, which meant that at the time it actually cost more money to sign the nWo then to buy the entire WCW.

[PureHatred]

Didn't Billionaire Ted pull out of WCW about a year or so before the promotion went the way of the dodo?

I think when Turner gave up on WCW he essentially ended the company.

Sorta. Turner Networks were bought by Time warner which then merged with AOL. So he didn't really 'pull out.'

But yeah, when Ted sold his controlling interest in Turner, he also gave up control of WCW. Ted was willing to take losses. The folks at AOL weren't.

[Ben Rodrigues]

Eric could have taken control of WCW, told guys like Hogan, Nash, and Goldberg to fuck off...and before you know it you would have a promotion where guys like Jarrett, Booker, and Steiner (who no one can deny was doing good work before WCW closed) main eventing.

Can you really tell guys with creative control to fuck off?

[The One]

Yes...quite simply actually...Hogan, Nash, Goldberg etc. all signed contracts with Time Warner, now AOL...if Bischoff bought WCW he wouldn't have bought out those guarented contracts...but not signing them I say that's a pretty big "Fuck Off" right there. :p

[Ben Rodrigues]

Yes...quite simply actually...Hogan, Nash, Goldberg etc. all signed contracts with Time Warner, now AOL...if Bischoff bought WCW he wouldn't have bought out those guarented contracts...but not signing them I say that's a pretty big "Fuck Off" right there. :p

Point taken :)

[donley100]

Yes, following the AOL-Time Warner merger, Ted Turner was pushed out of the company. He is still, despite everything, the largest shareholder of AOL Time Warner, now TimeWarner with roughly 4% of stock.

[Rob]

Yes...quite simply actually...Hogan, Nash, Goldberg etc. all signed contracts with Time Warner, now AOL...if Bischoff bought WCW he wouldn't have bought out those guarented contracts...but not signing them I say that's a pretty big "Fuck Off" right there. :p

I'd bet a million bucks Bischoff would have taken Bill Goldberg. Personally, I wouldn't have bought WCW without him.

[PureHatred]

I'd bet a million bucks Bischoff would have taken Bill Goldberg. Personally, I wouldn't have bought WCW without him.

True, true. Despite all the animosiity towards this guy with nets fans, he's incredibly bankable. If TNA had any brains, they would ....nah never mind. Too big of an "if."

[Shadow]

True, true. Despite all the animosiity towards this guy with nets fans, he's incredibly bankable. If TNA had any brains, they would ....nah never mind. Too big of an "if."

They've already got a guy like Goldberk...they call him Monty Brown.

[The One]

Monty Brown is black...he can't be a Jewish Icon. :shifty:

[vampiro03]

Can you really tell guys with creative control to fuck off?

they should have never had it to begin with. I think hogan had a cc clause, im not sure about anyone else

[Crashnburn]

Monty Brown is black...he can't be a Jewish Icon. :shifty:

What if he converts? :?:

[Kane Knight]

there's no question WCW could have been saved. The question is, was it likely? I don't think there was much Bisch could do.