What should have happened in 1998 WCW?

[Destor]

The only mistep in 98 was in december. Goldberg v Nash starrcade. Product was red hot. The wwfs rise in 98 wasnt because wcw was making mistakes. Wwf was killing it.



...now 99...

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Destor The only mistep in 98 was in december. Goldberg v Nash starrcade. Product was red hot. The wwfs rise in 98 wasnt because wcw was making mistakes. Wwf was killing it. ...now 99...

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that WCW making mistakes was why the WWF got hot. I only brought it up as extra background.

I've heard you talk about Starrcade '97 as a crunch point for the company and it being when things really went off the ledge. Or maybe I've crossed wires somewhere? But what are your thoughts on that?

[Destor]

Originally Posted by Mr. Nerfect Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that WCW making mistakes was why the WWF got hot. I only brought it up as extra background. I've heard you talk about Starrcade '97 as a crunch point for the company and it being when things really went off the ledge. Or maybe I've crossed wires somewhere? But what are your thoughts on that?

97 was a big moment. Had they got Starrcade 97 right...man. The ripples of that cards failure cant be understated. They go into 98 with a huge portion of the fanbase disgruntled. The year starts rocky but not BECAUSE of 98. But they do good work throughout the year of 98. Ratings have slipped (and yes i fully contend starrcade is the catalysts) but the moves they make in 98 are good.



Namely goldberg and the wolfpack. Both generate merch sales and tickets. Logically nash v goldberg is a money match. And then 1 year later after their unprecedented failure they shit the bed again and it was all over from there. The fall was unaviodable. Had they got it right at starrcade 98 it might have gone very different. But 2 years straight of failed super cards...it was all over.



But 98 on its own. Good year. The argument could be made that DDP at havok was a failure and they shoulda pulled the trigger on him then but thats hard to say. Personally if i rebooked that year ddp/goldberg would have been the money match at starrcade 98 with ddp ending the streak clean.


But it is what is.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Destor 97 was a big moment. Had they got Starrcade 97 right...man. The ripples of that cards failure cant be understated. They go into 98 with a huge portion of the fanbase disgruntled. The year starts rocky but not BECAUSE of 98. But they do good work throughout the year of 98. Ratings have slipped (and yes i fully contend starrcade is the catalysts) but the moves they make in 98 are good. Namely goldberg and the wolfpack. Both generate merch sales and tickets. Logically nash v goldberg is a money match. And then 1 year later after their unprecedented failure they shit the bed again and it was all over from there. The fall was unaviodable. Had they got it right at starrcade 98 it might have gone very different. But 2 years straight of failed super cards...it was all over. But 98 on its own. Good year. The argument could be made that DDP at havok was a failure and they shoulda pulled the trigger on him then but thats hard to say. Personally if i rebooked that year ddp/goldberg would have been the money match at starrcade 98 with ddp ending the streak clean. But it is what is.

There's not much to disagree with here. 1998 was certainly a hot year for the company. It does seem to be a "Where do you go from here?" problem they've got towards the end.

I've never been a big DDP fan, but I can't deny he was huge. I remember kids at school referencing the Diamond Cutter all the time. I've never really entertained the idea of DDP beating Goldberg clean, but it would almost definitely be more satisfying than Nash ending the streak and doing the Fingerpoke.

What would you have done with Bret Hart in 1998? Does he come over as hot as I imagine, or is it just retroactively that perceived missed opportunities with him are recognized as such? With Sting as the champ and Goldberg on the rise, it doesn't feel like there is much room for Bret as a babyface.

Is it too low to put him in the US Title scene? Or is that an effective way of jabbing the WWF and presenting a guy who could claim to be the rightful WWF Champion in that light in your company?

[Destor]

Originally Posted by Mr. Nerfect There's not much to disagree with here. 1998 was certainly a hot year for the company. It does seem to be a "Where do you go from here?" problem they've got towards the end. I've never been a big DDP fan, but I can't deny he was huge. I remember kids at school referencing the Diamond Cutter all the time. I've never really entertained the idea of DDP beating Goldberg clean, but it would almost definitely be more satisfying than Nash ending the streak and doing the Fingerpoke. What would you have done with Bret Hart in 1998? Does he come over as hot as I imagine, or is it just retroactively that perceived missed opportunities with him are recognized as such? With Sting as the champ and Goldberg on the rise, it doesn't feel like there is much room for Bret as a babyface. Is it too low to put him in the US Title scene? Or is that an effective way of jabbing the WWF and presenting a guy who could claim to be the rightful WWF Champion in that light in your company?

bret wasnt a draw for vince. Without the belt bret doesnt have any worth. Id have paid him to sit at home until his contract ran up. Theres nothing for him. Cards too stacked.