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If WCW had been making money in 2001 like they were a few years prior AOL/TW wouldn't have cancelled it. WCW had run for years under people who didn't care for wrestling at all but kept it running because of the money it made. AOL/TW made the final decision but other people made it the right one at that time.
As far as whether Bischoff killed it, really the answer is no. He injected life into a languishing product and wasn't able to sustain that new life long-term. His only ideas involved bringing in recognized talent, and when he ran out of said talent he had nothing left. The only lasting stars that were truly made after Bischoff took the reins were Goldberg, who's success and popularity were largely a fluke, and DDP, who dragged himself up into that spot with the help of a few friends despite management's objections. Booker T and Scott Steiner simply got popularity boosts after years of being successful tag team guys and gained main event status due to a vacuum above them, and Jarrett during his World Title reigns was no more a star than he was as WWF Intercontinental Champion. Whoever decided to give Bischoff as much free run as they did, and whoever decided that the likes of Russo and Ferrara could put on an A+ show are really the ones to blame. You don't blame a bunch of monkeys for throwing their shit around the Lourve if you set them free in it.
Also Goldberg fucking killed off the nWo return angle following the Fingerpoke of Doom by trying to put his hand through a fucking windshield. What a complete ass. WCW might have had a chance if that hadn't happened.
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