TPWW Forums - View Single Post - What does the ideal 1998 WCW look like to you?

**Mr. Nerfect** · 06-01-2019, 08:52 AM

I've never had the answers to this question, so I'd like my ideas to be torn apart by anyone with more knowledge from the time. And a lot of this comes from hindsight on my behalf, which makes it cheating.

You've got Goldberg brewing and Bret Hart has come in. Even if you can't see how big a star Goldberg is going to be right now, you should be at least shaping Bret up for something. So the WCW Title probably needs to go around a heel's waist. So you need to get that thing off Sting at some point.

Lex Luger got the belt in 1997, and it actually did quite well, but if I remember correctly, Hogan winning it right back kind of killed Luger dead as a babyface a bit. He did have more charm as a cheeky heel. It would make sense, even if the program itself wouldn't deliver that well in the ring, for Luger to turn on Sting -- perhaps out of envy of Sting achieving what Luger couldn't to the extent. Luger doesn't need to join the nWo to do this, but he hypothetically could if you wanted to keep the faction strong and build it around top heels you are actually going places with, like Hogan, Nash, Hall, Luger, Savage (who would be winding down) and Steiner (who would be rising up).

Hogan is probably the biggest bet to get the belt onto a heel for Goldberg to smash. That means you'd ideally get through the Hogan/Hart story before then. Hogan didn't really want to work with Bret, but if he's going over and it's to get Hogan into the main event of Starrcade, maybe he's more willing? You could possibly do something where Flair and Bret are fighting over Benoit's services (I think Simple Fan also suggested this too), but maybe Benoit actually joins the nWo? It'd be an odd fit, but it'd be...interesting.

I dunno. Man, WCW got so messy.

06-01-2019, 08:52 AM	#39
Mr. Nerfect Posts: 61,634	I've never had the answers to this question, so I'd like my ideas to be torn apart by anyone with more knowledge from the time. And a lot of this comes from hindsight on my behalf, which makes it cheating. You've got Goldberg brewing and Bret Hart has come in. Even if you can't see how big a star Goldberg is going to be right now, you should be at least shaping Bret up for something. So the WCW Title probably needs to go around a heel's waist. So you need to get that thing off Sting at some point. Lex Luger got the belt in 1997, and it actually did quite well, but if I remember correctly, Hogan winning it right back kind of killed Luger dead as a babyface a bit. He did have more charm as a cheeky heel. It would make sense, even if the program itself wouldn't deliver that well in the ring, for Luger to turn on Sting -- perhaps out of envy of Sting achieving what Luger couldn't to the extent. Luger doesn't need to join the nWo to do this, but he hypothetically could if you wanted to keep the faction strong and build it around top heels you are actually going places with, like Hogan, Nash, Hall, Luger, Savage (who would be winding down) and Steiner (who would be rising up). Hogan is probably the biggest bet to get the belt onto a heel for Goldberg to smash. That means you'd ideally get through the Hogan/Hart story before then. Hogan didn't really want to work with Bret, but if he's going over and it's to get Hogan into the main event of Starrcade, maybe he's more willing? You could possibly do something where Flair and Bret are fighting over Benoit's services (I think Simple Fan also suggested this too), but maybe Benoit actually joins the nWo? It'd be an odd fit, but it'd be...interesting. I dunno. Man, WCW got so messy.