What does the ideal 1998 WCW look like to you?

**Mr. Nerfect** · 05-26-2019, 08:10 PM

This subject has always fascinated me. One of the biggest dropped balls in wrestling history was WCW Starrcade '97. The general consensus seems to be that Sting should have walked in, steamrolled Hollywood Hogan and won the WCW World Title without much difficulty.

Starrcade that year was WCW's greatest success on PPV, and only WrestleMania V had done better than it. Bret Hart had just been exiled from the WWF and was arguably one of the hottest acts in wrestling and WWF's rightful champion. The nWo were just completing their hottest year. Diamond Dallas Page had arrived after working with Randy Savage. Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio had delivered a five-star match on PPV, for whatever that was worth to audiences back then. Ric Flair still mattered and was cutting great promos. Goldberg had debuted and was nowhere near what he would become, but was something around the corner.

Since I became a wrestling fan, I've seen people talk about how mismanaged 1998 WCW was, and how Sting getting screwed around was potentially a jump the shark moment for the company, even though ratings would get stronger before they got worse. But I've always been murky as to what, exactly, people were really hungry for from WCW in 1998. What are your ideas?

I'm genuinely curious as to what programs, angles, stories, pushes, feuds, etc. people were really craving at the time, and how they think about the period in hindsight. What do you think the Starrcade '98 main event should have been? In hindsight, a lot of people would say Hogan vs. Goldberg, but that couldn't have been anticipated in late 1997, and that necessitates Hogan getting the belt back somehow.

Some guiding questions:

* What is your plan for the Starrcade '98 main event?

* What exactly do you do with Bret Hart?

* Does Sting lose the WCW World Title before too long? If so, then to whom?

* Who do you elevate in 1998?

* Who gets phased out?

* Hogan's contract was expiring at the end of 1997. Do you re-sign him? Keep in mind the problems with the Starrcade '97 finish, his creative control and that Vince McMahon has not hit his stride with Steve Austin in the WWF just yet.

This is one of the more fascinating periods in history to me, and it's one that gets talked about in a responsive way ad nauseam, but give me some of that creative alternate reality stuff for me to sink my mind into.

05-26-2019, 08:10 PM	#1
Mr. Nerfect Posts: 61,518	What does the ideal 1998 WCW look like to you? This subject has always fascinated me. One of the biggest dropped balls in wrestling history was WCW Starrcade '97. The general consensus seems to be that Sting should have walked in, steamrolled Hollywood Hogan and won the WCW World Title without much difficulty. Starrcade that year was WCW's greatest success on PPV, and only WrestleMania V had done better than it. Bret Hart had just been exiled from the WWF and was arguably one of the hottest acts in wrestling and WWF's rightful champion. The nWo were just completing their hottest year. Diamond Dallas Page had arrived after working with Randy Savage. Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio had delivered a five-star match on PPV, for whatever that was worth to audiences back then. Ric Flair still mattered and was cutting great promos. Goldberg had debuted and was nowhere near what he would become, but was something around the corner. Since I became a wrestling fan, I've seen people talk about how mismanaged 1998 WCW was, and how Sting getting screwed around was potentially a jump the shark moment for the company, even though ratings would get stronger before they got worse. But I've always been murky as to what, exactly, people were really hungry for from WCW in 1998. What are your ideas? I'm genuinely curious as to what programs, angles, stories, pushes, feuds, etc. people were really craving at the time, and how they think about the period in hindsight. What do you think the Starrcade '98 main event should have been? In hindsight, a lot of people would say Hogan vs. Goldberg, but that couldn't have been anticipated in late 1997, and that necessitates Hogan getting the belt back somehow. Some guiding questions: * What is your plan for the Starrcade '98 main event? * What exactly do you do with Bret Hart? * Does Sting lose the WCW World Title before too long? If so, then to whom? * Who do you elevate in 1998? * Who gets phased out? * Hogan's contract was expiring at the end of 1997. Do you re-sign him? Keep in mind the problems with the Starrcade '97 finish, his creative control and that Vince McMahon has not hit his stride with Steve Austin in the WWF just yet. This is one of the more fascinating periods in history to me, and it's one that gets talked about in a responsive way ad nauseam, but give me some of that creative alternate reality stuff for me to sink my mind into.